What is an ATS score, and what score should a CV have?
An ATS score is a number a CV checker computes with its own formula, not one the employer's applicant tracking system gives you, and two tools' scores do not compare. Fix the findings behind it rather than chasing a target.1
Written 5 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Check your CV for ATS problems, no account needed
Drop a PDF, DOCX or text file, or paste the text. You get a score, the problems a parser trips on, and your CV as a parser files it.
Runs in your browser. The file and its text never leave this device.
ATS score: the short answer
An ATS score is whatever the tool that made it says it is. Enhancv's checker counts 27 checks, the Rezi Score uses 23 metrics (their pages, read 2026-09-08), and CitedCV's free audit weighs four parts. None is a score your application carries inside an employer's system.
What the number is, and what it is not
ATS stands for applicant tracking system, the software an employer uses to receive and search applications, such as Greenhouse, Lever or Workday. Their parsing documentation describes reading a CV into fields such as name, employer, title and dates, not a score shown to the candidate.
So what score should a CV have?
There is no universal target, because there is no universal scale. On CitedCV's scales, 75 is where the audit reads as strong and a job match as a fit. Fix the findings that are true of your CV, and stop when what is left is a choice you made on purpose.
What to do in the first minute
Run CitedCV's free CV checker on the CV you already have. It is at the top of this page and needs no account; the signed-in audit adds saving your rewrites to your facts. Drop in a PDF, DOCX or TXT of up to 5 MB, or paste at least 40 characters. It costs 0 credits and calls no language model, and it runs in your browser, so the file and its text never leave your device. You get a score out of 100, the problems behind it and a parser view of your text.
| Action | Score you get | Cost | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check a CV you already have | Audit score, out of 100 | Free, 0 credits | No account on this page; an account to save rewrites |
| Build a CV from your facts | Parser safety, on the CV review page | 6 credits quick, 10 full | Credits; a new account starts with 6 |
| Match a CV to one job posting | Job match score | 1 credit per match | Any credit pack; Starter is $9 for 30 credits, paid once |
Where ATS scores come from
Checker tools make the number you see
Every score you can see before you apply comes from a tool outside the employer: a CV checker, a resume builder or a job-match feature. Each picks its own checks and weights, so the same CV can score well in one and poorly in another without either being wrong.
What the employer's system does with your file
Greenhouse, Lever and Workday describe parsing: turning your file into profile fields. Workday says results can vary with resume format and word order. When parsing fails, Greenhouse attaches the file and a recruiter types the details in; Lever also describes typing them in by hand. Neither describes a rejection.
Employer-side scores exist, and they are not the number you see
Some employers rate candidates inside their system, against their own criteria for one job, so no outside checker can reproduce the rating.
| Feature | What it produces | Measured against | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse Talent Matching | Match groups: Strong, Good, Partial or Limited match, or Needs manual review | A calibration the recruiter sets: weighted criteria for the job | Recruiters; Greenhouse calls it assistive AI, not automated decision-making, and it does not advance or reject anyone |
| Workday HiredScore | A grade from A to D | The job's basic (required) and preferred qualifications | Described as a recruiter view; the page does not say whether candidates see it |
- HiredScore A: all basic qualifications, most preferred ones, and an average qualification match above a threshold.
- HiredScore B: all basic qualifications.
- HiredScore C: most but not all basic qualifications.
- HiredScore D: does not meet most basic qualifications.
Where parsing comes back in
Greenhouse files a candidate under Needs manual review when the resume could not be processed by AI, when AI is off for the job, or when the candidate opted out. Organisations can also let candidates request a manual review. So even an employer-side score starts with whether your text reads cleanly.
Why two checkers give your CV different scores
Different formulas and different inputs. Some tools read only your CV, some compare it with a posting; some count checks, others weigh parts. A 70 on one is not a 70 on another, and neither converts.
| Score | Reads a job posting | What goes into it (CitedCV: its code on 2026-10-05) |
|---|---|---|
| CitedCV audit | No | 40% language, 20% structure, 10% contact, 30% evidence |
| CitedCV parser safety | Yes, when you build for one | 50% keyword coverage, 30% length, 20% headings, minus 10 per regional issue |
| CitedCV job match | Yes | 85% requirements, 15% keywords; capped at 74 when a decisive must-have is missing |
| Enhancv resume checker | Also offers a posting score | 27 checks on content, layout, grammar and keywords |
| Rezi Score | Keyword targeting against a posting | 23 metrics |
| Teal match score | Yes | Match and analysis against a posting |
| RecastCV | Yes, per tailored CV | A live ATS match score |
Other tools' rows are what their own pages said on 2026-09-08, read for CitedCV's comparison pages; their formulas are not given here.
CitedCV's three scores, from the code
The formulas in CitedCV's code, read on 2026-10-05. The arithmetic runs in code, so you can check it by hand. Only the job match asks a language model, for a verdict and a quote per requirement, and the code checks that the quote is really on your CV.
1. The free audit score
Out of 100, per CitedCV's code on 2026-10-05. Language counts 40%: it starts at 100 and loses points for each wording rule your lines trip, such as buzzwords or first person. Structure counts 20%: 25 points off per heading or date problem. Contact counts 10%: email and phone 100, email only 80, no email 30. Evidence counts 30%: the share of claim lines with a number, where half is full marks. 75 or more is strong, 50 to 74 workable, under 50 weak. Layout findings are reported but do not change the number, and no job posting is read.
2. Parser safety, after a build
On the CV review page after a build. Score = 100 × (0.5 × keyword coverage + 0.3 × length + 0.2 × headings), minus 10 per regional issue, never below 0. Coverage is the weighted share of the posting's requirements whose keywords appear in the CV. Length is 1 within the page limit, else 0.4; headings are 1 when every section uses a standard one, else 0.5. A regional issue is a photo, date of birth or marital status where the region leaves it out. With no posting, coverage counts as full, so a CV built for no posting can read 100 and say nothing about fit. The number shows green at 85 or more, amber from 70 to 84 and red below 70, beside the missing posting keywords.
3. The job match score
Needs a credit pack; 1 credit per match. Score = 85% requirements + 15% keywords. A requirement counts 1 when met and 0.5 when partly met, both with a quote from your CV; 0.3 when only its keyword appears; 0 when missing. Its weight is multiplied by 1 for a must-have, 0.4 for a nice-to-have and 0.15 for an implicit one. The keyword part is the share of the posting's keywords on the CV. A missing decisive must-have (weight 0.5 or more) caps the score at 74. 75 or more fits, 50 to 74 is close, under 50 is far.
A worked example
Illustrative arithmetic, not a real CV: language 70, one mixed-date finding (structure 75), email and phone (contact 100), a number on a third of the claim lines (evidence 67). 0.4 × 70 + 0.2 × 75 + 0.1 × 100 + 0.3 × 67 = 73.1, shown as 73: workable. True numbers on half the claim lines lift evidence to 100 and the score to 83: strong.
Is an ATS score of 60, 65, 75 or 85 good?
It depends on whose scale. CitedCV's are the ones this page can explain line by line:
| Score | Audit | Parser safety | Job match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | Workable (50 to 74) | Red (below 70) | Close (50 to 74) |
| 65 | Workable | Red | Close |
| 75 | Strong (75 and up) | Amber (70 to 84) | Fits; no decisive must-have is missing |
| 85 | Strong | Green (85 and up) | Fits |
| 90 to 100 | Strong | Green | Fits |
A 75 on the job match says more than a 75 on the audit: the match cannot reach 75 while a decisive must-have is missing. A parser-safety score under 100 always comes from missing keywords, length over the page limit, a non-standard heading or a regional issue.
A score from another tool
A 75 from Enhancv, Rezi, Teal or RecastCV means what that tool's own checks say. Its list of changes is the useful part.
Should a CV have an ATS score of 90 or 100?
Only if the findings in the way are real problems. Each CitedCV score has a ceiling you can reach honestly:
- Audit 100: no wording rule tripped, no heading or date problem, an email and a phone number, and a number on half or more of your claim lines.
- Parser safety 100: a keyword for every requirement in the posting, length within the page limit, standard headings and no regional issue.
- Job match 100: every requirement met with a quote from your CV, and every posting keyword on it.
The risk in chasing the number
The quickest way to raise a keyword score is to paste the posting's terms into your CV. A term you cannot back up in an interview is a risk, and on the job match a keyword with no line that shows the work counts only 0.3 of a requirement. CitedCV never adds a skill from the posting that your facts lack: it writes only from the facts you gave, asks when something is missing, and drops any line it cannot verify. The step that writes the bullets never sees the posting.
How to use an ATS score, in four steps
- Run the free checker on the CV you have. Fixed rules run on the text, so the same text gets the same score.
- Fix the findings marked Fix first, then Check. Each flagged line comes with the question that would fix it.
- For one posting, run a job match: each requirement is listed as met, partial or missing, with the CV line that shows it.
- Build or rewrite the CV, then read parser safety and the missing keywords. Add a keyword only where you did the work.
ATS score checker with a job description
The audit does not read postings, so its score is the same for every job. The job match does, after any credit pack, at 1 credit per match; a build for a posting also feeds that posting into parser safety.
Who this is not for
- You want the score an employer's system gave you. No outside tool can compute a Greenhouse Talent Matching group or a HiredScore grade; both use that employer's own criteria.
- You want the number raised by adding the posting's keywords whether or not you did the work. CitedCV will not add a skill your facts lack.
- You want a score against a posting without paying. The free audit reads no postings; Teal lists a free tier and RecastCV a free ATS checker.
- Your CV is a scan or a password-protected PDF. The audit refuses both; save it with selectable text first.
Other ATS score tools, and whom each fits
From CitedCV's comparison pages, which read each tool's public pages on 2026-09-08. Check current terms on each site.
| Tool | What its pages describe | Fits you if |
|---|---|---|
| Enhancv | 27 checks plus a posting score; free plan is seven days | You want wording, layout and posting match together |
| Kickresume | ATS resume checker, listed with the paid plans | You already pay for its templates |
| Rezi | Rezi Score on 23 metrics; limited free plan | You are rebuilding a resume |
| Teal | Match score against a posting; free tier with a few AI credits | You track applications in it |
| RecastCV | Live ATS match score per tailored CV; free ATS checker | You tailor one master CV per posting |
| CitedCV audit | Rule-based check of a CV you have; no credits, model or posting | You want findings you can check by hand |
Limits, stated plainly
- No ATS score predicts an interview, CitedCV's included, and CitedCV publishes no accuracy figure for its scores against any employer's system or interview rates.
- The weights are CitedCV's own choices, not an industry standard.
- The audit does not run the parser of Greenhouse, Lever or Workday; its parser view is CitedCV's own sectioning.
- The often-repeated claim that applicant tracking software rejects 75% of resumes has no traceable source.
- Vendor documentation is described as read on 2026-10-05.
Questions people ask
What is an ATS score?
A number a CV checker computes with its own formula, not one the employer's system gives you. CitedCV's audit weighs language 40%, structure 20%, contact 10% and evidence 30%; other tools count other checks.
What ATS score should I aim for?
No set number: aim to clear the findings that are true of your CV. On CitedCV's scales, 75 is where the audit reads as strong and a job match as a fit.
Is an ATS score of 75 good?
On CitedCV's scales, yes: 75 starts the strong band on the audit and the fits band on the job match, which cannot reach 75 while a decisive must-have is missing.
Can I see the employer's ATS score for my application?
No outside tool can show it: an employer-side score is measured against that employer's own criteria for the job. Some organisations using Greenhouse let candidates request a manual review; ask the employer.
Why do two checkers give my CV different scores?
Because each uses its own checks and weights: Enhancv describes 27 checks, Rezi 23 metrics, and CitedCV's audit four weighted parts. The scales differ and do not convert.
How is an ATS score calculated?
Each tool decides for itself. CitedCV's audit weighs four parts, parser safety weighs keyword coverage 50%, length 30% and headings 20%, and the job match weighs requirements 85% and keywords 15%.
Can I check my ATS score against a job description?
Yes, with a credit pack: CitedCV's job match scores one CV against one posting for 1 credit. The free audit does not read postings.
Should my CV have an ATS score of 90 or 100?
Only if the findings in the way are real problems. A 100 reached with keywords you cannot back up carries a risk an honest 90 does not, and neither number predicts an interview.
Sources
- Greenhouse Support, Talent Matchingsupport.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/41396009937307-Talent-Matching
- Workday HiredScore documentation, Reference: Candidate gradesdoc.workday.com/hiredscore/en-us/workday-hiredscore/recruiter-productivity-/reference--candidate-grades.html
- Greenhouse Support, Unsuccessful resume parsesupport.greenhouse.io/hc/en-us/articles/200989175-Unsuccessful-resume-parse
- Lever Help Center, Understanding resume parsinghelp.lever.co/s/article/Understanding-Resume-Parsing
- Workday documentation, Concept: Resume parsingdoc.workday.com/admin-guide/en-us/human-capital-management/recruiting/candidates/set-up-prospects-and-candidates/hdc1552497830785.html