What is an ATS Score? How to Check Yours for Free

ATS score explained

An ATS score is a measure of how well your resume matches the requirements a company has set for a role. The higher your score, the more likely your resume passes the automated filter and reaches a recruiter.

Different ATS systems score differently, but they all check similar things:

• Keyword match — Does your resume contain the skills and terms from the job description?
• Format compliance — Can the system parse your resume correctly?
• Section completeness — Do you have the expected sections (experience, education, skills)?
• Qualification match — Do your years of experience and education level match?

How ATS scoring works

Most ATS systems work in two stages:

Stage 1: Parsing. The system extracts text from your resume and tries to identify sections, job titles, dates, skills, and education. If your formatting is unusual (tables, graphics, non-standard fonts), parsing fails and your score drops to near zero.

Stage 2: Matching. The parsed content is compared against the job description. Keywords, required skills, experience levels, and education are weighted and scored.

What is a good ATS score?

• 80-100: Excellent. Your resume will likely reach a human reviewer.
• 60-79: Good, but there are gaps. Review missing keywords.
• 40-59: Risky. Significant mismatches or formatting issues.
• Below 40: Unlikely to pass. Major revision needed.

Check your ATS score for free

Carve scores your resume against 25+ rules covering:

• Section completeness and ordering
• Bullet point quality and action verb usage
• Contact information presence
• Formatting and structure compliance
• Keyword and skills coverage

How to check:

1. Build or paste your CV at carve.careers/start

2. Open the editor

3. Click the ATS button in the toolbar

4. See your score, grade, and specific improvement suggestions

The basic score check is free and requires no account. AI-powered analysis against a specific job description is available with sign-in.

Tips to improve your ATS score

• Mirror the job description language — if they say "project management", do not just say "managed projects"
• Use standard section headings
• Include a skills section with explicit keyword lists
• Quantify achievements with numbers
• Keep formatting simple and clean