How Passthrough scores resume formatting
The short answer
The formatting part of a Passthrough scan starts at 100 and subtracts points for each problem it finds, never going below zero. The table below lists every deduction, and it is generated from the same numbers the scoring engine uses.
Every deduction
Measured
Each row below is a problem the format check can find, the files it can find it in, and the points it takes. Formatting is one of the scan's scoring categories and counts for 25 percent of the overall ATS score.
| What the check finds | In which files | Points lost |
|---|---|---|
| One or two tables used for layout | Word files only | −10 |
| Three or more tables | Word files only | −20 |
| Content inside text boxes | Word files only | −15 |
| Two or more page columns | Word and PDF | −15 |
| Columns that were merged when the text was extracted | Word and PDF | −15 |
| More than two kinds of bullet symbol | Word and PDF | −15 |
| Images or graphics | Word and PDF | −5 |
| Hidden text (white, tiny, off the page or marked hidden), 20 or more characters | Word and PDF | −25 |
| A PDF with no real text (a scan or a picture of a page) | PDF files only | −60 |
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How to read the table
Word files and PDFs expose different facts. A Word file stores tables, text boxes and columns explicitly, so the check can count them. A PDF stores where text sits, so the check can see columns, images, hidden text and whether the page has real text at all, but not tables or text boxes. A few checks work on the extracted text of either kind of file.
When one row replaces another, the table says so. Three or more tables cost 20 points in place of, not on top of, the 10 for one or two. Otherwise costs add up, and a score is never negative.
What this is and is not
Measured
These are the rules of Passthrough's own scan. They are not a feed from any employer's applicant tracking system, no employer has confirmed how its system scores or treats a file, and formatting is only one part of a scan. Keyword and requirement matching is scored separately.
See your own number
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Keep reading
- Do tables break ATS?A plain answer on tables in resumes: when our check takes points off, how many, and why a single column of plain text is the safer choice.
- Does hidden text help a resume pass ATS?White, tiny or off-page text does not help. Our check flags it, takes points off and cuts the keyword score. Here is what counts as hidden.