How Gymnastics Scores Are Determined

For the uninitiated, scoring a gymnastics routine is more complicated than you might think. A gymnast’s total score is the result of two separate components: a content score (Difficulty Score) and an execution score (E Score). Both scores are judged out of a perfect 10. Combined, they determine a final individual or team score. The Difficulty Score is determined by the judges who evaluate a routine’s content, and includes difficulty value for skills, compositional/element group requirements and connection value. It is a separate component from the Execution Score, which encompasses execution and, for women on the balance beam and floor, artistry.

To receive a high D Score, each skill has to be difficult. Beginner level skills have a value of 0.0, while more advanced elements are assigned a value of A through E. The highest-value skills count for the most towards a woman’s and men’s total score. The Special Requirements on vault, uneven bars and balance beam are worth 0.5 points each, while the element group requirements and connections earn one point each. Gymnasts can also earn bonus marks by linking certain skill combinations – such as two release and catch moves on the bar or a double-flip salto on the vault – which adds 0.1 to 0.2 points to the D Score.

In order to qualify for a high E score, gymnasts must execute their routine with good technique. This is why even the best gymnasts in the world are not always as competitive as they could be: A major error, such as a fall, can cost a gymnast a full point. Minor errors, such as a bent leg or arm, will result in a 0.1 deduction. Gymnasts can also lose points for not completing all of their required skills or not completing them with clean form. There are also flat deductions for stepping out of bounds, going overtime and presenting to the judge.

All of the deductions are added together to come up with a final score, which is displayed at the judges’ table and sometimes on digital scoring displays. In the past, a gymnast’s start value was determined by her difficulty score minus deductions for the content of her routine. A typical start value for the elite level is 10.0, but this can be reduced for things like a fall or unclean execution.

A separate group of judges, known as Jury B, evaluates a gymnast’s artistic performance on the floor and beam. The jury is made up of six judges, and their scores are averaged to create the final score. Jury B’s score can be dropped if there is a significant difference in the two highest and lowest scores, and its total can be subtracted from the final score of the first-placed gymnast. This is how we know that Simone Biles, for example, is the best in the world despite falling multiple times and incurring huge deductions for her execution. It is a complicated system, but it gives the judges a much more accurate way to assess each gymnast’s performance.