Candidate Scoring

OpenATS gives every candidate a score from 0 to 100. The score helps you see, at a glance, who looks strongest, so you can open the best candidates first instead of reading every profile in order.

This page explains the whole system from start to finish: what goes into the score, who enters what, when it changes, and how to read it. You do not need any technical knowledge.

:::note The score helps you decide. It does not decide for you. OpenATS never rejects, moves or hires anyone because of a score. People make those decisions. Use the score to sort, then read the candidate's answers, test results and interview notes before you decide. :::

The score in one minute

A candidate's score is built from four parts. Each part is worth up to 100 points, and each has a weight that says how much it matters for the job.

Part	What it measures	Who or what provides it	Default weight
Questions	The answers to your application questions	The candidate, when they apply. Worked out automatically.	30
Assessment	The result of the test	The candidate, when they take the test. Mostly automatic. Written answers are marked by a person.	30
Rating	A first impression after reading the CV	Your team, with a 1 to 5 star rating	10
Interview	How the interview went	The interviewers, with a scorecard after the interview	30

The total score is the average of the parts, counting the heavier parts more. Parts that have no result yet are simply left out. They are not counted as zero, with one exception: a test the candidate never opened (see A test that runs out unused).

The score fills in over time

A candidate does not have all four parts on day one. The score grows as they move through your process:

Stage of the process	What gets added	Part that appears
They apply	Their answers are scored	Questions
Your team reads the CV	Team members give stars	Rating
They take the test	The test is marked	Assessment
They are interviewed	Interviewers fill in scorecards	Interview

tip

Because the score grows over time, the list always shows how many parts the score is built from, for example 3/4. A score based on one part is a first impression. A score based on all four is much more reliable. See Reading a score.

Part 1: Set up the job

Scoring is set up per job, so every role can be scored in its own way. Only Super Admins and Hiring Managers can change these settings.

After you create a job, OpenATS shows a green message with two shortcuts: Add questions and Set up scoring. You can also reach everything from the job's tabs.

Tab on the job	What you set there
Custom Questions	The application questions, and points or knockouts for answers
Assessments	Which test to send, at which stage, and the pass mark
Scoring	How much each part matters, and the interview scorecard criteria

You do not have to use everything. A job can use only the parts that make sense for the role. See Using only some of the parts.

Application questions with points

Open the job, go to Custom Questions, and add or edit a question.

Only choice questions can be scored: Single choice (the candidate picks one answer) and Multiple choice (the candidate can tick several). Typed answers, such as a short answer, long answer or a link, are saved so you can read them, but they cannot be scored, because the system has nothing fixed to compare them with.

For a choice question, use the Score this question switch:

Switch	What it means
Off (the default)	The question is for information only. The answer is saved and shown on the candidate, but adds nothing to their score.
On	Every answer option gets a points box and a Knockout box.

For each option you can set:

• Points: how many points the candidate earns for picking this option.
• Knockout: picking this option flags the candidate as "Does not meet requirements". Use it for answers that make someone unsuitable, such as "No, I cannot work on site" for an on-site role.

Example: a single-choice question

"How many years of experience do you have?"

Option	Points	Knockout
0 to 1 years	0	Yes
2 to 4 years	5	No
5 or more years	10	No

A candidate can pick only one option, so they earn that option's points.

Example: a tick-any question

"Which of these do you know?"

Option	Points
Node.js	4
SQL	4
Docker	2
COBOL (not needed for this job)	-3

A candidate can tick several, and their points are added up. Notice the negative points on COBOL. Without them, a candidate could tick every box and get full marks. With them, a wrong tick costs points. Negative points can only be used on tick-any questions.

:::info Candidates never see the points The application form shows only the question and the options. Applicants cannot see points, knockouts or which answers you prefer. :::

The assessment and its pass mark

Create the test and attach it to a stage as described in Assessments. Two scoring details are set there:

• Points per question. Each question in the test has a Points box. A harder question can be worth more.
• Pass mark. When you attach a test to a stage, you also set the pass mark, the percentage a candidate needs to pass. The default is 60%. You can change it later on the job's Assessments tab.

The test question types are:

Type	How it is marked
Multiple Choice	Automatically. One correct answer. Right is full points, wrong is zero.
True/False	Automatically. Same as above.
Multiple Select	Automatically, with partial credit. Several answers are correct, and the candidate can tick several.
Short Answer	By a person. You decide the points when you read the answer.
Long Answer	By a person. You decide the points when you read the answer.

Weights and scorecard criteria

Open the job and go to the Scoring tab. It has two cards.

Score weights. This sets how much each part counts. You can start from a template and adjust it:

Template	Questions	Assessment	Rating	Interview	Good for
Balanced (default)	30	30	10	30	Most roles
Skills first	25	45	5	25	Roles where a test says the most
Interview led	15	15	10	60	Roles where the conversation matters most
Screening only	60	0	40	0	Roles with no test and no interview stage

Next to each part you see its share, the percentage of the total score it makes up. Weights do not have to add up to 100. Only their proportions matter, so 60 / 0 / 40 / 0 behaves exactly like 30 / 0 / 20 / 0.

Interview scorecard. This is the list of things interviewers will score, for example Technical skill, Communication and Problem solving. You can add up to 10. If you leave it empty, interviewers give one overall star rating instead.

tip

Click Save weights or Save scorecard after changing anything. Changing weights or points re-scores every candidate on the job.

Using only some of the parts

You do not need all four parts for every job.

Your job	What to do
Only collecting information (GitHub link, portfolio, notice period)	Leave Score this question off. Set Questions to 0 on the Scoring tab.
No test for this role	Do not attach a test. Set Assessment to 0.
No formal interview scoring	Leave the scorecard empty and set Interview to 0.
Everything	Keep the defaults.

A part with a weight of 0 is shown as "not used" on the candidate, and the other weights share its place. The parts count, such as 3/4, then becomes 3/3.

Part 2: How each part is worked out

Questions (automatic)

The score is created the moment a candidate applies, with nobody doing anything.

1. OpenATS looks only at scored questions, the ones with points on at least one option.
2. For each one, it works out the most the question can give:
   • Single choice: the points of the best option.
   • Tick-any: the points of all the positive options added together.
3. It adds up what the candidate earned. A question never scores below zero.
4. Questions score = earned ÷ most possible × 100.

Example. Using the two example questions above, the most possible is 10 (years of experience) + 10 (skills: 4 + 4 + 2) = 20 points.

Candidate	Years	Skills ticked	Earned	Questions score
Nimal	5 or more (10)	Node.js, SQL (8)	18	18 ÷ 20 = 90
Kamal	2 to 4 (5)	Node.js, SQL, Docker, COBOL (4 + 4 + 2 − 3 = 7)	12	12 ÷ 20 = 60
Sunil	5 or more (10)	Only COBOL (−3, so zero)	10	10 ÷ 20 = 50

If no question in the job has points, the Questions part is left out of the total.

Knockouts. If a candidate picks a knockout option, they are flagged Does not meet requirements. The flag does not change their score. See Flags.

Assessment (mostly automatic)

Sending the test. Nothing to do. When you move a candidate into the stage the test is attached to, they receive an email with a private link automatically. The link works for 7 days.

Marking the test. When the candidate submits, OpenATS marks it instantly:

• Multiple Choice and True/False: full points for the right answer, zero for a wrong one.
• Multiple Select: partial credit. Every correct tick earns an equal share of the points, and every wrong tick removes one share. The result never goes below zero.

Example: a Multiple Select question worth 3 points, with two correct answers (A and B) and two wrong ones (C and D):

The candidate ticks	Working	Points
A and B	Both correct	3
A only	One of two correct = half	1.5
A and C	One right, one wrong: 1 − 1 = 0	0
C and D	Only wrong ones, never below zero	0

• Short and long answers are marked by a person. After the candidate finishes, a reviewer opens the candidate's Scores tab, selects View answers, reads each written answer, and types the points to give (from 0 up to that question's points), then saves.

:::caution Written answers hold the score back Until every written answer has been graded, the test has no score and no pass or fail result, and it is left out of the total so it does not drag the candidate down unfairly. The results view shows a notice saying how many answers are waiting. Once the last one is graded, the score appears and the total updates.

A blank written answer is simply worth 0 and does not wait for anyone. :::

Result and pass mark.

Test score	Pass mark	Result
75%	60%	Passed
55%	60%	Failed. The candidate gets a "Failed assessment" flag.

A failed test does not reject anyone. It only adds a flag so you can decide.

More than one test. A job can send several tests at different stages. Each test counts once, using the candidate's latest attempt, and the Assessment part is the average of them. If any of the tests was failed, the candidate is flagged as having failed the assessment. If the same test is attached at two stages with different pass marks, the stricter (higher) mark applies.

A test that runs out unused

If a candidate never opens the test and the link expires, that part is not left out. It counts as 0, and the candidate is flagged Assessment expired. This is deliberate: otherwise a candidate could end up ahead of someone who took the test and scored badly, just by skipping it.

A test that is only waiting (the link is still valid, or the candidate has finished and a reviewer has not yet graded the written answers) is still left out. It turns into a 0 only after the link has actually expired. OpenATS checks for expired links about every 15 minutes.

Rating (a person gives it)

This is for the first impression of the CV. Anyone on the team who can see the candidate can give one.

1. Open the candidate and select View CV. If your team has turned on AI CV analysis, the AI analysis tab also has notes on the CV. Those notes are not part of the score.
2. Open the Scores tab.
3. Under Your rating, click the stars. The stars change on screen right away, but nothing is saved yet.
4. Select Update score (top right of the Score card). This button is greyed out until you change something.
5. Click the same star again to clear your rating, then select Update score to save that.

Stars turn into points like this:

Stars	Label shown	Rating points
1	Poor	0
2	Below average	25
3	Average	50
4	Good	75
5	Excellent	100

One star means "no", so it adds nothing. It does not still add a few points.

Everyone has their own rating, and the part is the average. If one person gives 4 stars (75) and another gives 5 stars (100), the Rating part is 87.5. You only ever change your own stars.

Interview (the interviewers give it)

After an interview, each interviewer fills in a scorecard.

1. Open the candidate and go to the Interviews tab.
2. On that interview's card, select Add feedback. The Interview scorecard window opens.
3. Give 1 to 5 stars for each criterion you set up (for example Technical skill, Communication, Problem solving). If the job has no criteria, give one overall rating.
4. Choose a recommendation: Strong no, No, Yes or Strong yes.
5. Add notes about how it went, then select Submit scorecard.

If you submit again later, you edit your own scorecard. You never create a second one.

How it becomes a score. Each scorecard is the average of its stars, turned into points with the same table as the Rating (1 star = 0 up to 5 stars = 100). The Interview part is the average of all submitted scorecards.

Example.

Interviewer	Technical	Communication	Problem solving	Average stars	Scorecard score
Interviewer A	5	4	3	4.0	75
Interviewer B	3	4	3	3.3	58

The Interview part is the average of 75 and 58: about 67. The candidate's page also shows how far apart the interviewers were ("2 scorecards, from 58 to 75"), because an average can hide a big disagreement.

:::info The recommendation is for people, not for the score Strong no / No / Yes / Strong yes is shown to the team to read. It is not counted in the score. Only the stars are. :::

Blind review: nobody is influenced by anyone else

To keep interviewers honest, scorecards are hidden from the interviewers until they have submitted their own.

Who	What they see before submitting their own scorecard	After submitting
Interviewers, and anyone assigned to that candidate's interview (even a manager)	Other scorecards, the Interview part and the total are hidden	Everything is visible, with names
Super Admins and Hiring Managers who are not interviewing that candidate	Everything	Everything

"Highest score" sorting is also switched off for the Interviewer role, because the order of the list would give the hidden numbers away.

Part 3: How the total is worked out

The rule

1. Take each part that has a score and a weight above 0.
2. Multiply each part's score by its weight.
3. Add them up and divide by the weights you used. Parts without a score are ignored, so the remaining weights stretch to fill the gap.

In short: the total is the average of the parts you have, with the heavier parts counting more.

Example: the same candidate as parts arrive

Nimal applies for a job with the default weights (30, 30, 10, 30). The numbers below come from the examples above: Questions 90, Rating 87.5, Assessment 75, Interview about 67.

What has happened	Parts with a score	Working	Total	Shown as
Nimal applies	Questions (90)	90	90	90 1/4
The team rates his CV	Questions, Rating	(30 × 90 + 10 × 87.5) ÷ 40	89	89 2/4
He passes the test	Questions, Rating, Assessment	(30 × 90 + 10 × 87.5 + 30 × 75) ÷ 70	83	83 3/4
He is interviewed	All four	(30 × 90 + 10 × 87.5 + 30 × 75 + 30 × 67) ÷ 100	78	78 4/4

Notice that the total went down as more evidence arrived. His first score of 90 was based only on his answers. After the test and the interview, it settled at a more honest 78. This is exactly why you should look at the parts count (1/4, 2/4...) and not only the number.

When a part is switched off

If you set a weight to 0, that part is ignored for every candidate on the job. For example, with Screening only (60 / 0 / 40 / 0) and a candidate with Questions 80 and Rating 50:

Total = (60 × 80 + 40 × 50) ÷ 100 = 68

Flags

Flags are warnings for you. They never change the score.

Flag	When it appears	What you usually do
Does not meet requirements (shown as Knockout in tight spaces)	The candidate picked a knockout answer	Check the answer, then reject them if you agree. You can reject several at once (see below).
Failed assessment	The candidate scored below the pass mark	Read their answers and decide. They are not rejected automatically.
Assessment expired (shown as Test expired)	The test link ran out unused	To send the test again, move the candidate out of the test stage and back in. Or decide to move on.

Rejecting flagged candidates in bulk

On the Candidates page, if some candidates are flagged "Does not meet requirements", a bar appears: "N candidates do not meet the requirements".

1. Select Select them (or tick candidates yourself).
2. Select Reject selected.
3. Confirm the reason. It starts as "Did not meet the requirements" and you can change it.

They move to Rejected. No email is sent, and you can restore any of them later.

Reading a score

You will see the same small badge in several places:

83 3/4

• 83 is the total score out of 100.
• 3/4 means the score is built from 3 of the 4 parts the job uses. If a job uses only three parts, it reads n/3.
• Red, amber and green are only a rough guide: 70 and above is green, 40 to 69 is amber, and below 40 is red. A grey dash means nothing has been scored yet.

Where	What you see
Candidates page	A Score column with the badge and any flags
Hiring pipeline cards	The badge on each card, shown only once a candidate has a score or a flag
Candidate profile, top	The badge next to the status. Select it to jump to the Scores tab.
Candidate profile → Scores tab	The full breakdown (see below)

The Scores tab

This is the complete picture of one candidate:

• The total in large type, with "3 of 4 parts scored so far".
• Any flags.
• One row per part showing its share of the total (for example 30%), a bar, and its score out of 100. A part with no result says Not yet, and a part that is switched off says not used.
• For the Interview part, how many scorecards there are and their range, for example "2 scorecards, from 58 to 75".
• Your rating and the Update score button.
• Below, the candidate's test attempts, with a View answers button.

Sorting by score

On the Candidates page, set the sort menu to Highest score. The order is:

1. Flagged candidates ("Does not meet requirements") go to the bottom.
2. Among the rest, candidates further along your hiring process come first.
3. Within the same stage, the highest score comes first.

Why the stage comes first. A candidate who has only answered the questions might have a perfect 100 based on one part. Someone who has been through the test and the interview and scored 80 is far more proven. Ranking by stage first stops the half-scored candidate from jumping the queue.

Candidate	Stage	Score	Parts	Position in the list
Ben	Interview	80	4/4	1st
Asha	Applied	100	1/4	2nd
Chen	Applied	60	1/4	3rd
Dilan	Applied	95	1/4	Last: he is flagged

Dilan has a score of 95, but he is flagged, so he sits at the bottom whatever his score is.

Filtering the candidates list

Sorting puts the best first. Filters narrow the list down. At the top of the Candidates page there is a search box, a Position button, a Filters button and the sort menu.

Position. Select Position to open a list of your jobs. Type to search it, then pick one. The position then appears as a chip under the search box, for example Software Engineering Intern ×, and the list shows only that job's candidates. The chip stays there until you remove it with the ×, so you always see what the list is narrowed by.

Filters. The Filters button opens a small menu. A number on the button shows how many of its filters are on.

Filter	What it does	Example
Status	Shows all, active or rejected candidates	Choose Active to hide rejected candidates.
Flags	Shows only candidates with a certain flag: Flagged (any flag), Does not meet requirements, Failed assessment, Assessment expired, or No flags	Choose No flags to see only clean candidates.
Minimum score	Shows only candidates whose total score is at least the number you type. Candidates with no score yet are left out.	Type 70 to see only candidates scoring 70 or more.
All parts scored	Hides candidates whose score is built from fewer parts than the job uses	Tick it to see only candidates who have been through every scored step.

Every filter that is on shows as a chip, and each chip has its own ×. Clear all removes everything at once.

A common combination is Min score 70, No flags and All parts scored, sorted by Highest score: strong candidates, with nothing against them, whose score rests on everything the job measures.

:::tip Your filters are remembered The position and filters are saved in your browser and in the page address. They are still there if you open a candidate and close their profile, reload the page, or visit another page such as Jobs and come back later. You can also copy the address to share a filtered view with a teammate. They stay until you remove them with the × on each chip, or Clear all. Only what you typed in the search box is not kept. :::

note

• While a score or flag filter is on, the Select all matching shortcut for deleting is switched off. You can still tick individual rows. This stops a delete from reaching candidates that the filtered list is not showing.
• Interviewers can use only the Position, Status and Flags filters. The score filters are hidden for them, because the total includes scorecards they are not allowed to see yet.

When does the score change?

Scores update by themselves. You never press a "calculate" button.

What happens	What changes
A candidate applies	The Questions part appears
A candidate finishes the test	The Assessment part and the pass or fail result appear (after any written answers are graded)
A reviewer grades a written answer	The score appears once the last one is graded
A test link expires unused	The Assessment part becomes 0 and the flag appears
Someone saves a rating	The Rating part changes
An interviewer submits or edits a scorecard	The Interview part changes
You change the weights, question points, scorecard criteria or a pass mark	Every candidate on that job is re-scored

Seeing changes made by others. Changes you make yourself show up immediately. If someone else changes a candidate while you have the same candidate open, your page does not refresh by itself, so it stays steady while you read. Reload the page, or open the candidate again, to see the latest numbers. The Candidates list and the pipeline pick up the changes the next time you open them.

Common questions

A job only collects information, like a GitHub link. What do I do? Leave Score this question off, or use typed answers, and set Questions to 0 on the Scoring tab. The answers are still saved and shown on the candidate.

A candidate has a score of 100 but only 1/4. Is that good? It is a good start, but only a first impression. Wait until more parts arrive, or compare with others at the same stage.

Why did a candidate's score go down after the test? The first score only knew about their answers. A weaker test result pulled the average toward the truth. See the example above.

A candidate did not take the test. Did that help them? No. Once the link has expired they get 0 for that part and a flag. While the link is still valid, the part is left out because they may still take it.

Can an interviewer see what the others scored? Not until they submit their own scorecard. After that, yes.

Does the recommendation (Strong yes, No...) change the score? No. Only the stars count. The recommendation is there for people to read.

I changed the weights. What happens to people already scored? Everyone on that job is re-scored with the new weights. Nobody is moved or rejected.

Why does the Assessment part say "Pending review"? The test has written answers that nobody has graded yet. Open the candidate's Scores tab, select View answers, and grade them.

Can a candidate see their score? No. Scores are only for your team.

Quick reference: where do I do each thing?

I want to...	Go to
Give an answer points or a knockout	Job → Custom Questions → edit the question → Score this question
Set the pass mark	Job → Assessments
Change how much each part counts	Job → Scoring
Set what interviewers score	Job → Scoring → Interview scorecard
Rate a candidate after reading the CV	Candidate → Scores → stars → Update score
Fill in an interview scorecard	Candidate → Interviews → Add feedback
Grade a written test answer	Candidate → Scores → View answers
Sort by best candidates	Candidates → sort menu → Highest score
Show only one job, or only candidates above a score or without flags	Candidates → Position, then Filters (Flags, Minimum score, All parts scored)
Reject everyone who did not meet requirements	Candidates → "do not meet the requirements" bar → Select them → Reject selected

For administrators

Scoring needs one database change, which is applied with the normal migration command described in the deployment guide. After you upgrade an installation that already has candidates, run the score backfill once so that earlier candidates get scores calculated with the current rules:

cd backend
pnpm tsx src/db/backfill-scores.ts

It is safe to run again at any time. OpenATS also checks every 15 minutes for test links that have expired, so no extra scheduled job is needed.