What is a good ATS score?
Short answer: 70 or more on a formatting checker, and 75% or more on a job-match tool, is a sound target. But scores aren’t standard: every tool measures something different, and no employer publishes a pass mark.
What does my score mean?
The file is readable, but a few checks cost points. Fix any red items, then the quick yellow ones, and apply.
Format bands are ResumeATS’s own; the 75% match target is Jobscan’s published advice.
Get your score nowTwo kinds of “ATS score”
Resume or format scores rate how cleanly software can read your file: selectable text, a single-column reading order, standard headings, dates on roles, contact details in the body, plus some writing checks. That is what the ResumeATS checker measures first.
Match rates compare your resume to one job ad and report how many of its skills and phrases you use. That number changes with every ad. Our keyword scanner shows it term by term.
Neither is the employer’s view. Applicant tracking systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or iCIMS parse your resume into a profile and let recruiters search and filter it; how a given company configures that is not public. Read how an ATS reads a resume for the mechanics.
ResumeATS score bands
| Score | Band | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 85–100 | Strong | Clean parsing and structure. Tailor keywords per job and apply. |
| 70–84 | Good, with fixes | Readable; a few checks cost points. Fix red items first. |
| 50–69 | Needs work | Missing headings or dates, weak bullets, or a layout that may scramble. |
| 0–49 | At risk | Often an image-only PDF or a multi-column design template. |
Every check and its weight is listed on how the score works.
How to raise a low ATS score
- Make the text readable. Export from Word or Google Docs with “Save as PDF” or “Download as PDF”, never a scan or a “print to image”.
- Use one column. Move sidebars, tables and text boxes into the main flow. The ATS-friendly template does this for you.
- Use standard headings: Experience, Education, Skills.
- Date every role with month and year, and keep contact details out of the page header.
- Match the ad’s wording for skills you have, and spell out acronyms once.
- Lead bullets with a verb and a result. The bullet point generator helps.
When to stop optimising
Once your resume parses cleanly and covers the job’s must-have skills honestly, extra points rarely change the outcome. A person reads it next, and stuffed keywords or a copied job description work against you there.
Spend the remaining time on the application itself: answer the screening questions accurately, since years of experience, work authorisation and licences are often asked as yes/no questions that filter before anyone searches by keyword.
Questions people ask
What is a good ATS score?
It depends on what the tool measures. On ResumeATS, 85 or more is Strong and 70–84 is Good, with fixes. For job-match tools that compare your resume to one ad, Jobscan suggests aiming for a match rate of 75% or higher. No employer publishes a pass mark.
Is 80% a good ATS score?
Usually, yes. On ResumeATS, 80 sits in Good, with fixes: the file reads cleanly and a few checks cost points. On a keyword match-rate tool, 80% means you cover most of the ad’s terms. Fix any red items, then stop polishing and apply.
Is 77% (or 72%) a good ATS score?
Both are workable. On our scale they fall in Good, with fixes. Look at which checks failed rather than the number: one missing section heading or an unreadable layout matters more than a few points.
Is 60% a bad ATS score?
It means there is real work to do. Typical causes are a two-column or table layout, missing dates or headings, or low keyword coverage for the specific job. Each is fixable in an evening.
Do employers see my ATS score?
Not the score from a checker like this one. Employers’ systems store your parsed profile and let recruiters search, filter and sometimes rank applicants with their own settings. Checker scores are an estimate of how well that process can read and find you.
Why do different checkers give me different scores?
Each tool weights different things. Some score only formatting, some only keyword overlap with one job ad, some mix in writing quality. A number from one tool can’t be compared with a number from another.
Can I get a 100% ATS score?
On ResumeATS, yes, when every applicable check passes. On match-rate tools 100% usually means you copied the ad, which reads badly to the human who opens your resume next. Aim for honest coverage of the must-haves.