In compulsory gymnastics, gymnasts at the same level learn a set routine. Judges check whether each gymnast follows that routine and how well she performs it. Two gymnasts can complete the same skills and still receive different scores.
Most complete compulsory routines begin from 10.0, with points taken off for mistakes. The skills, their order, body positions and movements between skills all matter.
This article covers the women’s USA Gymnastics Development Program exercises for Levels 1–5, using the 2021–2029 compulsory cycle, including the July 2026 correction. Men’s compulsory gymnastics and elite compulsory testing have different rules.
What Makes a Routine Compulsory?
USAG publishes written instructions describing the skills and the movements between them. These instructions are often called the compulsory text. They also identify any allowed choices, so a permitted variation is different from an unapproved change.
Later, in optional gymnastics, gymnasts can build individual routines that meet their level’s requirements. Compulsories focus on performing the set exercise accurately.
USAG’s program labels make a useful distinction:
| Levels | Place in the women’s Development Program |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | Developmental exercises, used for achievement-based preparation or introductory competition |
| 4–5 | Compulsory competition |
| 6–10 | Optional competition, with level-specific requirements |
Although USAG formally calls Levels 1–3 developmental, their prescribed exercises are included in the compulsory materials. Local arrangements for competing those levels can vary. See USAG Women’s Rules & Policies 2026–2027, Chapter 9.
A gymnast can therefore know the major skills but still lose points for how the routine fits together. On Floor, for example, the steps between two skills are part of the exercise rather than empty time between the “important” parts.
The explanation of optional Start Values at USAG Levels 6–10 covers the different system used after compulsories.
Does Every Routine Start From 10.0?
A routine’s Start Value is its highest possible score before deductions for mistakes. USAG gives the prescribed exercises and their allowed choices a 10.0 Start Value, with one Level 5 Bars exception.
The standard Level 5 Bars routine starts from 10.0. A gymnast can instead use the permitted Level 4 dismount, the skill used to leave the bars and land, but that option starts from 9.5. See the compulsory regulations, introductory page vi.
For a hypothetical comparison, assume both permitted Bars routines receive 0.70 in deductions:
| Routine option | Start Value | Deductions | Resulting mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Level 5 routine | 10.00 | 0.70 | 9.30 |
| Level 4 dismount option | 9.50 | 0.70 | 8.80 |
Both gymnasts lose the same amount for mistakes in this invented example. The second score is lower because the allowed routine option begins half a point lower.
Changed, Missing and Incomplete Skills Are Different Errors
The instructions assign a value to each major skill, also called a major element. If the gymnast leaves out or changes that skill, its value helps determine how many points are taken off.
Under the general rules for Bars, Beam and Floor, changing a major element to a variation costs its value. Substituting a different element or omitting it costs double its value.
An incomplete element can lose up to its value. A specific element rule takes priority where one is provided. See General Faults & Penalties, page Pen–10.
A Hypothetical Element Worth 0.40
Suppose a major element has a value of 0.40 and the general rules apply:
| What happens | General content deduction |
|---|---|
| A variation replaces the prescribed version | 0.40 |
| A completely different element replaces it | 0.80 |
| The element is left out | 0.80 |
| The gymnast attempts it but does not complete it | Up to 0.40 |
These are alternative descriptions of what happened, not four deductions to add together. The example also does not assign any execution deductions to an actual performance.
The difference matters when explaining a low score. A failed attempt and a skill that was never attempted are not automatically treated alike. Coaches and judges need to identify the actual error before choosing its deduction.
A Current Example of a Specific Rule
Level 2 Floor requires a backward roll to a push-up position. The July 2026 replacement pages specify a 0.30 deduction when the gymnast instead performs a backward roll to handstand, replacing the previous 0.60 amount. See the official correction, Level 2 Floor page 3 and Pen–39.
The roll to push-up position is still required. The handstand version remains an error, even though it may look harder. Its specific deduction takes priority over the general table above.
Why Small Details Can Change the Score
Judges also assess how well the gymnast moves. This is called execution. The correct skill can still lose points for separated legs, poor control or a body position that does not meet the requirement.
A leap or swing can also be too small. Judges use the term amplitude for the size or extent of a movement, such as its height or the position reached.
The text can specify an arm pathway, foot placement, turn technique or connection. Departures from those instructions are often described as text errors. They concern what the exercise asks the gymnast to show, including movements that are easy to overlook from the stands.
Not every fault has one fixed amount. Some deductions are fixed, while others have a maximum and depend on how far the performance departs from the requirement.
The current Level 2 and Level 3 tables illustrate this distinction: the July 2026 replacement pages list both fixed deductions and “up to” amounts.
For a parent watching two routines, the useful comparison is broader than whether both gymnasts stayed on the apparatus. One may show the required positions more clearly, connect movements with better control and make fewer small errors throughout.
A Worked Score Example
The following invented example uses deductions already assessed for separate faults across a completed routine. It does not suggest that every gymnast with a fall receives these amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Starting score | 10.00 |
| Form errors on several elements | −0.40 |
| Other movements that are too small | −0.20 |
| One movement that does not follow the written instructions | −0.10 |
| One fall | −0.50 |
| Resulting mark | 8.80 |
The errors outside the fall account for 0.70. Watching only for falls would miss more than half the deductions in this example.
The ordinary fall deduction is 0.50. Other errors in the skill can still cost points, but judges do not add balance deductions for the wobbling that leads to that same fall. See General Faults & Penalties, pages Pen–10 and Pen–13.
The broader gymnastics deductions comparison helps distinguish these domestic rules from FIG scoring.
Why Vault Needs Its Own Check
Each level has a required vault or preparation exercise. Its own deduction table covers the relevant parts of the attempt, such as the run, contact with the equipment, flight and landing.
The general skill-change rules for Bars, Beam and Floor do not serve as Vault’s deduction table. See USAG’s compulsory vault penalty tables.
A parent seeing a very low vault result should first establish which vault or progression was required and whether the attempt was valid. A problem with the required vault can have a different consequence from a small landing step.
The guide to vault scoring across gymnastics programs explains those broader event differences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a gymnast add a harder skill for extra points?
Compulsory exercises require the prescribed routine and its permitted choices. An unapproved addition or substitution can cost points. Greater difficulty does not automatically create a bonus opportunity.
Can the routine be performed on the opposite side?
The compulsory regulations allow the entire exercise to be reversed. Reversing only an individual element must be permitted by the text. A left-dominant gymnast should not be judged as wrong simply for performing the allowed reversed routine.
Does finishing without a fall guarantee a high score?
No. Skill accuracy, body positions, connections and smaller performance errors still contribute to the result. The worked example shows how those losses can add up.
Does an all-around score describe one routine?
No. It combines the gymnast’s results across all four women’s apparatus. To understand a particular routine, begin with that event’s score and deductions.
Quick Recap
Compulsory scoring measures how accurately and how well the gymnast performs the prescribed exercise. The major skills matter, but so do their details and the movements between them.