What an ATS score means, and what it doesn't

An ATS score is a number an online checker works out with its own tests. Each checker measures different things, so the same CV gets different scores, and an employer's system doesn't send you a score at all. What matters is text a machine can read, clear sections and an honest match with the job ad.

By Paul and the c-v.ai team, drawing on years of hiring across industries and of writing CVs professionally. Published 10 November 2026.

What an ATS score is

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is the software many employers use to collect applications, store them and help recruiters search them. An "ATS score" doesn't come from that software. It comes from an online CV checker, which reads your file, runs its own tests and turns the result into a number.

There is no shared standard behind the number. Two well-known checkers show how far apart the methods are:

Jobscan compares your CV with a job ad you paste in. It looks at the hard skills, soft skills and other terms in the ad and shows how often each one appears in your CV. Its blog says it generally recommends a match rate of 80%, and that many users do well with 75%.
Enhancv doesn't need a job ad. Its score combines how much of your CV it could parse with the issues found by 27 checks, and it says a score above 80 is mostly good. Its own page also says there is no such thing as an ATS score, and that no online tool gives an actual one.

So a 70% from one tool and a 70 from another are measuring different things. Neither is a number an employer has seen.

Why the score can mislead you

Each checker invents its own score. The tests, the weighting and the scale are chosen by the company that built the tool. Run one CV through three checkers and you can get three different verdicts.
The employer's system doesn't show you a score. The UK Government's JobHelp service describes an ATS as software that scans CVs for key words and selects those that best match the job description. Which words a recruiter searches for, and which filters they set, is up to each employer. You can't see it, and neither can an online checker.
It can reward the wrong things. A keyword count goes up when you repeat terms from the ad, whether or not they describe your work. CareerOneStop, run by the US Department of Labor, warns that keywords hidden in white text won't trick an ATS. A recruiter still reads what you send.
It can punish the right things. A checker may mark you down for leaving out a skill the ad mentions. If you don't have that skill, leaving it out is correct. Adding it would make your CV untrue.
It can apply rules from another country. Some checkers expect a one-page résumé. In the UK, JobHelp says the ideal CV is no more than two sides of A4. Length norms differ by country, as our guide on how to write a CV shows.

What actually matters

Text a machine can read. Your PDF should contain selectable text, with your name and contact details as text. Youth Central, a Victorian Government service, notes that recruitment software sometimes has trouble reading headers and footers, so keep your contact details in the main body.
Clear structure. Use headings people expect, such as Experience, Education and Skills, and a reading order that keeps each job's title, dates and bullet points together.
An honest match with the ad. Use the ad's terms where they describe what you have done. Cover the must-haves first. Our guide to tailoring your CV to a job description walks through it.
Correct spelling. JobHelp points out that a misspelt key word may be missed. Check job titles, software names and qualifications with extra care.
The file type the ad asks for. If the ad names a format, use it. If it doesn't, a PDF with selectable text is widely accepted.

How to test your own PDF without a score

You can check the things that matter yourself in a few minutes.

Select a line of text. Open the PDF and try to highlight a sentence. If you can't, the page is an image and a system may read nothing.
Copy and paste the whole CV into a plain text editor. Read it top to bottom. Your name and contact details should come first, each heading should come before its section, and every job should read in one piece. The ATS-friendly CV checklist explains what to look for.
Search the pasted text for each must-have from the ad. Use Find to look for the skill or qualification by name. If it's missing and you have it, add it where it's true. If you don't have it, leave it out.
Check the words a recruiter might search for. Job titles, licences, software and qualifications should be spelt the way the ad spells them.
Check the file. Use the format the ad asks for and a clear file name, such as your name and the word CV.

A worked example: reading a checker report

Kieran Walsh, a fictional warehouse worker, is applying for a team leader role. He runs his CV through a free online checker, gets a low score and a list of comments. Here is how he sorts them.

Checker comment	What Kieran does
"Missing keyword: counterbalance forklift"	He holds that licence but wrote "FLT licence". He adds the ad's wording next to it, because it is true.
"Missing keyword: SAP"	He has never used SAP. He leaves it out and plans to mention his experience with another stock system in his cover letter.
"Heading not recognised: Where I've worked"	He renames it Experience, so both people and software find it.
"Add more measurable results"	He adds the size of the shift team he covered for, because he knows the number. He doesn't guess figures he can't back up.
"Your CV should be one page"	He is applying in the UK, where two sides of A4 is normal. He keeps two pages.
"Two-column layout detected"	He runs the copy-and-paste test. Each job reads in one piece, so he keeps the layout.

Three of the six changes improve the CV. Two comments he rightly ignores, and one he answers with the copy-and-paste test. His score might go up or stay where it was. The CV is clearer and still true, and that is what a recruiter reads.

What c-v.ai checks instead of a score

c-v.ai reads back every PDF it exports, on your iPhone. It checks for a text layer on every page, embedded fonts, your name and contact details as text, each section heading on its own line and the reading order of every section. It then tells you the CV is readable by applicant tracking systems, or shows what it found and how to fix it.

It doesn't give a score, a match percentage or a prediction about shortlisting. When you tailor a CV to a job ad, the app shows which of the role's requirements your CV already covers and where it doesn't, as a list you can act on. Systems differ, so no check can guarantee how a particular employer's software will read your CV.

Questions

Is a 70% ATS score good?

It depends on the checker, because each one measures something different. On Jobscan, 70% is its estimate of how well your CV's keywords match one job ad, and Jobscan suggests aiming for 80%. No employer sees that number. Check that your text reads cleanly and that the ad's must-haves are covered honestly, then stop chasing points.

What is a good ATS score?

There is no shared scale. Jobscan recommends a match rate of 80% against a job ad you paste in. Enhancv says a score above 80 on its own checker is mostly good, and it doesn't need a job ad at all. Both numbers belong to the tool that made them.

Do employers see my ATS score?

Not the one an online checker gives you. An employer's applicant tracking system stores applications and helps recruiters search and filter them. How a particular employer has set that up isn't visible to you or to any outside tool.

Why do different ATS checkers give my CV different scores?

They run different tests and weigh them differently. Some compare your CV with a job ad and count matching keywords. Others score how much of the file they could read and how many writing issues they found. A different method gives a different number.

Can I get a 100% ATS score?

Only by copying the job ad, which helps nobody. A recruiter reads what you send, and claims you can't back up tend to come out at interview. Aim to cover the must-haves with true evidence, using the ad's terms where they fit.

Does c-v.ai give my CV an ATS score?

No. c-v.ai checks every PDF on your iPhone for what applicant tracking systems rely on: selectable text, embedded fonts, contact details as text, standard headings and reading order. It tells you what it found and how to fix it. Systems differ, so nothing is guaranteed.