Understanding AI Score vs. Structure Score: Expert Breakdown

Your RankMyCv analysis provides two critical scores: AI Score and Structure Score. Many people don't understand what these mean or how they're different. This guide breaks down both metrics so you know exactly what they're telling you and how to use them to optimize your resume.

The Two Components Explained

AI Score: Does Your Experience Match?

Your AI Score measures how well your background, experience, and skills align with the job requirements.

What it evaluates:

• Keywords and skills mentioned in the job description
• Years of experience in relevant areas
• Job titles and responsibilities that match
• Industry expertise and specializations
• Certifications and qualifications mentioned

What it tells you:

• Whether you have the qualifications the employer seeks
• If your career background aligns with this role
• Whether you're qualified for the position

Score range: 0-100%

Structure Score: Is Your CV Formatted Well?

Your Structure Score measures how well your CV is formatted and organized for both ATS (Applicant Tracking System) computers and human readers.

What it evaluates:

• Section headers (Experience, Education, Skills)
• Formatting consistency (fonts, spacing)
• ATS compatibility
• Document structure and organization
• Use of problematic elements (tables, graphics)
• Overall readability

What it tells you:

• Whether your CV will be read correctly by ATS systems
• If your CV is professionally formatted
• Whether formatting issues could cost you interviews

Score range: 0-100%

Why Both Scores Matter

The two scores serve different purposes:

AI Score importance:

• Tells you if you should apply for this job
• Identifies missing qualifications
• Guides your career development
• Helps you target relevant roles

Structure Score importance:

• Ensures your good qualifications get read
• Prevents ATS rejection
• Improves first impression
• Ensures human reviewers can find information easily

Analogy: Having great qualifications (high AI Score) but a poorly formatted CV (low Structure Score) is like wearing wrinkled, stained clothes to a job interview. Your qualifications are good, but the presentation sabotages you.

AI Score Deep Dive

What Affects Your AI Score

Keyword Matching (40% of AI score)

• Does your CV contain keywords from the job description?
• Are they prominent and naturally integrated?
• How many of the required keywords do you have?

Experience Level (30% of AI score)

• Do you have similar job titles?
• Similar duration of experience?
• Relevant industry background?

Skills Alignment (20% of AI score)

• Does your CV list similar skills?
• Are they relevant and specific?
• Do you have the required technical skills?

Qualifications (10% of AI score)

• Do you have required certifications?
• Required education level?
• Additional credentials mentioned?

Interpreting AI Score Ranges

90-100% (Excellent Match)

• You have most/all required keywords
• Your experience directly aligns
• You're clearly qualified for this role
• Action: Apply immediately

75-89% (Good Match)

• You have most required keywords
• Your experience is relevant but not perfectly aligned
• You're qualified but not an obvious fit
• Action: Make minor CV improvements, then apply

60-74% (Fair Match)

• You have some relevant keywords but missing key ones
• Your experience is tangentially related
• You're qualified but it's a career stretch
• Action: Significant improvements needed; consider if right role

Below 60% (Poor Match)

• You're missing major keywords
• Your experience doesn't directly align
• You're likely underqualified
• Action: Reconsider whether to apply; substantial reframing needed

How to Improve AI Score

1. Add Missing Keywords (Quick Win)

• Find missing keywords in your analysis
• Add them naturally to your CV where relevant
• Focus on "required" keywords first
• Don't force keywords; only add if relevant

2. Reframe Experience (Medium Effort)

• Rewrite job descriptions using job posting language
• Use action verbs from the job description
• Highlight transferable skills
• Emphasize relevant achievements

3. Add Relevant Experience (Long-term)

• Develop certifications mentioned in jobs
• Take courses in required technologies
• Gain industry experience
• Build a track record in your target field

Structure Score Deep Dive

What Affects Your Structure Score

Section Headers (25% of structure score)

• Using standard headers: Work Experience, Education, Skills
• Avoiding creative names: "Where I've Been," "My Toolkit"
• Consistency in naming conventions

Formatting Consistency (25% of structure score)

• Consistent font usage throughout
• Consistent font sizes
• Consistent spacing and indentation
• Consistent bullet point styles

ATS Compatibility (30% of structure score)

• Using simple, standard fonts
• Avoiding tables and graphics
• No unusual formatting or symbols
• Simple, clean layout

Readability (20% of structure score)

• Clear visual hierarchy
• Adequate white space
• Easy to scan
• Information easily findable

Interpreting Structure Score Ranges

90-100% (Excellent Format)

• Professional, clean CV
• Excellent ATS compatibility
• Easy to read
• Action: Don't change the format; focus on AI score

75-89% (Good Format)

• Generally professional
• Likely ATS compatible
• Minor formatting tweaks possible
• Action: Make small format improvements if easy

60-74% (Fair Format)

• Some formatting issues
• May have ATS problems
• Visual presentation could improve
• Action: Significant format overhaul needed

Below 60% (Poor Format)

• Significant formatting problems
• Likely ATS rejection
• Difficult to read
• Action: Complete format redesign required

How to Improve Structure Score

Quick Fixes (Add 5-10 points):

• Fix inconsistent font usage
• Adjust spacing and margins
• Remove unnecessary formatting
• Clean up bullet point inconsistencies

Medium Improvements (Add 10-20 points):

• Redesign section headers to be standard
• Remove tables or complex formatting
• Simplify overall layout
• Reduce graphic elements

Complete Overhaul (Add 20+ points):

• Use ATS-friendly template
• Restructure entire document
• Remove all graphics/tables/creative formatting
• Start fresh with clean design

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: High AI + High Structure

Your scores: AI 88%, Structure 92%

Interpretation: Your CV is excellent. You're well-qualified and professionally presented.

Action: Apply immediately. You're competitive.

Scenario 2: High AI + Low Structure

Your scores: AI 82%, Structure 45%

Interpretation: You're qualified, but your formatting is hurting you. ATS might reject you despite being a good fit.

Action: This is urgent. Fix your format immediately. You could lose qualified interviews due to formatting issues.

Specific steps:

1. Download an ATS-friendly template
2. Rewrite your CV using only standard formatting
3. Remove graphics and tables
4. Re-analyze and verify Structure score improves

Scenario 3: Low AI + High Structure

Your scores: AI 48%, Structure 89%

Interpretation: Your CV is professional, but you're not qualified for this role.

Action: Don't apply unless you're willing to significantly improve your qualifications or this is a moonshot.

Scenario 4: Low AI + Low Structure

Your scores: AI 35%, Structure 42%

Interpretation: Both your qualifications and formatting need significant work.

Action: This is a major overhaul situation:

1. Redesign your entire CV format
2. Rewrite job descriptions with relevant keywords
3. Consider if you're applying to appropriate roles
4. Re-analyze after changes

The Relationship Between Scores

While independent, the scores influence each other:

Example 1:

• If your Structure score is low, ATS might not parse your CV properly
• This could artificially lower your AI score
• Fixing structure might improve apparent AI score

Example 2:

• If your AI score is low, rewriting (to add keywords) often improves formatting
• The reverse is also true

Pro tip: If scores are both low, start with Structure. A better format often reveals opportunities for AI improvement.

Common Misconceptions

"I have a 95% AI score, so I'm guaranteed an interview" False. AI score only measures one factor. Human judgment, competition, and other factors matter too.

"My 75% Structure score means my CV will fail ATS" Not necessarily. 75% is still good for most ATS systems. It's not a pass/fail; it's a quality metric.

"I can ignore AI score if my Structure is perfect" No. Poor qualification match (low AI) means you probably shouldn't apply regardless of format.

"These scores are perfect predictors of interview success" No. They're indicators, not predictors. They help you optimize, not guarantee outcomes.

Using Both Scores Together

Step 1: Review AI Score

• Is it above 75%? If yes, continue.
• If no, either improve your CV or reconsider this role.

Step 2: Review Structure Score

• Is it above 75%? If yes, format is fine.
• If no, redesign your CV format.

Step 3: Implement Improvements

• Focus on whichever score is lowest
• Make changes to that metric
• Re-analyze to verify improvement

Step 4: Repeat for Similar Jobs

• Analyze against 3-5 similar jobs
• Look for patterns in scores
• Adjust your general CV based on patterns

The 80/20 Rule

For most job applications:

• 80% AI Score: You're qualified
• 80% Structure Score: Your format is professional

If you can hit these benchmarks, you're in good shape for most competitive positions.

Final Thoughts

Both scores serve a purpose:

• AI Score tells you if you're right for the job
• Structure Score tells you if your CV will get seen

Together, they give you a complete picture of your resume's effectiveness. Use both to optimize your job search strategy.

Ready to see your scores? Analyze your CV for free → - Understand exactly how your resume aligns with your target role.