What Is a Good ATS Score? (And How to Raise Yours)

What the score measures

Cooked's free checker, for example, weighs keyword match at 60% and 16 format checks at 40%, because missing keywords is the most common reason a good CV gets overlooked.

• Keyword match: how many of the job's key skills, tools and phrases appear in your CV, in the same wording.
• Format: whether the software can read your contact details, job titles, dates and sections.
• Content basics: a summary, bullet points, dates on every role, a sensible length.

What's a good score?

Don't chase 100. A CV stuffed with every keyword reads badly, and anything you add has to hold up in an interview.

• 75 or higher: a strong match. Your CV covers most of what the job asks for and is easy to read. Focus on making the top of the CV compelling to a human.
• 50 to 74: worth fixing before you apply. You're probably missing several keywords you could honestly add.
• Below 50: likely to be overlooked. Either the CV hasn't been tailored at all, or the job is a stretch for your current experience.

How to raise your score honestly

• Use the job's exact words for skills you have. If the job says "stakeholder management" and you wrote "worked with clients", change it.
• Add a skills section near the top with the job's keywords that you genuinely have, in the job's wording.
• Put the job title in your headline or summary if it honestly describes you.
• Make sure every role has a title, company and dates.
• Move contact details out of headers, footers, tables and images.
• Start bullets with action verbs and add real numbers where you have them.

What a low score can't tell you

A score can't judge whether your experience is impressive, whether your achievements are relevant, or whether you'd be good at the job. It only tells you whether you're easy to find. Use it to catch missing keywords and formatting problems, then write for the person who reads your CV next.