An ATS score is a checker's 0–100 estimate of how well an applicant tracking system will read and match your resume. Employers don't see it, and there is no official ATS score: real systems store, filter and rank by criteria each employer sets. Match scanners score your overlap with one job description; document checkers like ours grade the resume itself. On our rubric, 75+ is competitive and most resumes start between 40 and 65.
Two different things are called “ATS score”
Before comparing numbers, know which kind you are looking at. They answer different questions, and a high score on one says little about the other.
| Question | Match score | Document score |
|---|---|---|
| Needs a job description? | Yes | No |
| Measures | ||
| Changes per job? | Yes | No |
| Best for | ||
| Examples |
What is a good ATS score?
On our checker, the bands are the rubric the AI scores against. It is deliberately strict: most resumes start between 40 and 65, and 75 is where a resume becomes competitive for most roles.
Good
- 85–100 · Excellent
- 75–84 · Good ← this resume
- 60–74 · Average
- 40–59 · Needs work
- 0–39 · Major issues
Match scanners use their own scales, so a “good” number there is whatever that vendor says it is. Don't compare a match percentage from one tool with a document score from another.
Do employers see your ATS score?
No. The score from any checker you run — ours included — is visible only to you. Inside an employer's system (Workday, Greenhouse, iCIMS and others), what decides whether you are found is how the recruiter searches and filters, plus any knockout questions they set. Some systems offer automated matching that employers can switch on, and vendors rarely publish how it works. More in how an ATS reads your resume.
How to raise your score (and why the fixes matter more than the number)
On our checker, the fastest gains usually come from two places: format problems that hide text from the parser, and bullets that describe duties instead of results. A real example — a made-up resume scored 48 — is on the checker page, with the three fixes it returned.
Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts.
Grew Instagram followers from 4,200 to 9,800 in 12 months with a weekly content calendar and product videos.
Then rescan. AI scoring moves a few points between runs, so treat a change of 3 points or less as noise. For the format rules, see the ATS-friendly resume guide; for matching a specific posting, ATS keywords.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ATS score?
It is a resume checker's estimate, usually 0–100, of how well an applicant tracking system will read your resume and match it to a job. It is calculated by the checker, not by the employer's system, and different checkers measure different things.
What is a good ATS score?
It depends on the checker. On ours, 75 or more is competitive, 60–74 is average, and 40–65 is where most resumes start; 85+ is rare. Match scanners that compare against one job description use their own scale, so a number from one tool can't be compared with another's.
Do employers see my ATS score?
No. Third-party checker scores are visible only to you. Inside an employer's ATS, how candidates are ranked depends on that system and the recruiter's settings and searches; there is no universal score that follows your resume around.
Why do different checkers give different scores?
They measure different things. A match scanner scores the overlap with one posting; a document checker grades the resume on its own (format, content, keywords for your field). AI-based scores also move a few points between runs. Look at the fixes each one lists, not the number.
How do I improve my ATS score?
Fix anything that stops the text from parsing (columns, tables, text in images, contact details in the header), use standard headings, use the job's terms for skills you have, and rewrite duty bullets as results. Then rescan: a change of more than about 3 points after an edit means the edit mattered.
Check yours, then fix it in one place
The scanner at the top is free and needs no account. When you are ready to edit, upload the same file to the builder: a free account keeps your resume and the full score breakdown; downloads, tailoring and cover letters are Pro.