Free ATS CV checker — see exactly what the ATS reads.
Upload your CV as a PDF and get a score out of 100, a grade, and a plain-English reason and fix for every point you lost. It uses fixed, published rules, so you can see how every mark was awarded.
What happens to your CV before anyone reads it
When you apply through a job board or a company careers page, your CV often goes into an applicant tracking system first. The software pulls the text out of your file, sorts it under headings such as Employment and Education, and works out a timeline from your dates. A recruiter then searches and reads the result, not the page you designed.
That is why a CV can look perfect to you and still arrive in pieces. Text inside tables, columns or graphics can come out in the wrong order or not at all, and a scanned PDF may give the software nothing to read. This checker tests whether your CV survives that first step, before you send it anywhere.
See every rule and weight in the scoring methodology →Applying in the US? Use the resume version →Six checks, one score out of 100
Your score adds up six factors: standard sections and parseability at 20 points each, then contact details, dates, length and formatting at 15 points each. You get an A at 90 or above, a B from 75, a C from 60 and a D below that.
Each factor comes with the reason it passed or lost marks and what to change. Because the score comes from rules and not from an AI model, the same CV always gets the same result, so if the number moves after an edit, your edit moved it. It says nothing about whether you suit a particular role; for that, run a match analysis against the job advert.
How the score treats UK CV habits
We would rather be plain about this: the check does not have special rules for UK CVs. It tests whether software can read your file, so UK habits generally make no difference to your score. Here is how the common ones play out.
Two A4 pages: the score does not count pages or look at paper size. It counts words, with full marks for length between 400 and 1,200, so most two-page CVs should sit comfortably inside that range. Under 400 words or over 1,200 costs you marks, and so does having no bullet points at all.
Personal profile: this is not scored, so it neither earns nor loses points. Keep it if it helps a recruiter place you quickly.
Photo, date of birth and marital status: most UK employers do not expect these, and it is usually best to leave them out. The check will not tell you if they are there, so this one is down to you. A photo placed in the text flow or a page built around images can still affect how cleanly the rest parses.
Dates and phone numbers: "March 2021", "03/2021" and "2021" all count as dates, and numbers written as 07700 900123 or +44 7700 900123 count as a phone number. UK spelling is not checked either way.
The headings the score looks for
On an uploaded PDF, the sections factor looks for one of these words or phrases: experience, employment, work history, career history or professional history (8 points); education, academic or qualifications (6 points); and skills (6 points).
So the usual UK headings, such as "Employment History", "Career History", "Qualifications" and "Key Skills", are all recognised. A creative heading such as "Where I have made an impact" may not be. If your report says a section is missing and you can see it on the page, rename the heading and run the check again.
CV checker or resume checker: what is different?
The scoring is identical, because the rules are about how software reads a file, not which country you are applying in. What this page adds is advice on how those rules meet a UK CV.
What a good score does and does not mean
A high score means your CV should come through parsing cleanly. It does not mean you will get an interview, and it cannot promise how any one employer's system behaves, since each is set up differently. Treat it as removing an avoidable problem, then put your time into the content: the roles, the results and how closely they answer the job advert.
Is the ATS CV checker free?
Yes. The free plan gives you 3 checks a month with the full report, and no card is needed to sign up. Pro makes checks unlimited.
Do UK employers use ATS software?
Many do, particularly larger employers and recruitment agencies, while smaller companies often read applications by hand. You usually cannot tell which from the job advert, so it is worth making sure your CV can be read either way.
Is a CV the same as a resume?
In the UK, a CV is the standard name for the document you send with a job application. In the US that document is usually called a resume, and a CV often means a longer academic record. As far as this check is concerned they are the same thing: a file software has to read.
Is my CV stored?
Your score and report are saved to your account so you can compare checks over time. Your data is stored in Azure's UK region and is not used to train AI models, and you can delete your account yourself at any time. Our privacy policy has the full retention details.
What file can I upload?
A text-based PDF up to 10 MB. If your CV is a Word document, save it as a PDF first. You can also check any CV version already saved in your account.