A gymnast can complete a routine without falling and still lose more than a point. Judges also watch for bent knees, unfinished handstands, low flight, landing movements and other errors throughout the performance.
These deductions determine the E-Score, short for Execution Score. It starts from 10.00, and the judges subtract for how the routine was performed. On women’s beam and floor, that includes artistry and presentation.
E-Score = 10.00 − the panel’s execution and presentation deductions
This guide covers women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) and men’s artistic gymnastics (MAG) under the 2025–2028 FIG Codes, including official updates in force on September 17, 2026. The tables explain common deductions and the conditions that affect them.
How Judges Calculate the E-Score
The judges responsible for execution form the E-Jury. Each judge evaluates the routine independently and records deductions. The competition then combines those totals to calculate the E-Score shown on the scoreboard.
Difficulty is evaluated separately. The complete calculation is:
D-Score + E-Score + any separately listed bonus − separate penalties = final score
If a separate bonus is awarded, include it once in the final calculation. Men’s results can show an eligible stick bonus in its own SB column; that bonus is added to D + E, then any separate penalties are subtracted. Women’s qualifying two-vault bonus is added to the vault average. These are different from bonuses already included within the D-Score. See the official men’s results format and women’s vault guidance.
The overview of FIG difficulty, execution and deductions explains how these parts fit together.
Small, Medium and Large Errors
The general deduction scale is the same for women and men:
| Size of error | Deduction | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 0.10 | A slight departure from the required technique or position |
| Medium | 0.30 | A more noticeable error |
| Large | 0.50 | A major technical or execution error |
| Fall | 1.00 | Falling on or from the apparatus, including specified support errors |
Judges apply the table for the particular fault. They do not choose freely between all four values for every mistake. For example, women’s crossed legs during a twisting element carry 0.10, while bent knees can receive 0.10, 0.30 or 0.50. Some artistry deductions also use 0.20, outside the general execution scale. These distinctions appear in WAG Section 9 and MAG Section 9.
How the Judges’ Totals Are Combined
The panel size determines which deduction totals are averaged:
| Number of E-judges | Totals removed | Totals averaged |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Two highest and two lowest | Middle three |
| 5 | Highest and lowest | Middle three |
| 4 | Highest and lowest | Middle two |
| 3 | None | All three |
| 2 | None | Both |
The number refers only to E-judges, not everyone judging that apparatus. The calculation is specified in Section 6 of the women’s Code and men’s Code.
For a hypothetical five-judge panel, suppose the deductions are 1.40, 1.50, 1.60, 1.70 and 1.80. Removing 1.40 and 1.80 leaves:
Average deduction = (1.50 + 1.60 + 1.70) ÷ 3 = 1.60
E-Score = 10.00 − 1.60 = 8.40
Judges’ deduction totals are averaged; they are not all added together. A panel of five does not take five separate sets of deductions from the gymnast’s score.
To find the rule for an execution mistake, choose FIG women or FIG men in the deduction finder. Each available reference gives the amount and the conditions that apply.
Common Form and Technical Deductions
Form describes the gymnast’s body position: whether the arms and legs are straight when required, the feet are pointed and the body has the correct shape. Technique includes how the gymnast swings, turns, flies, catches and finishes a movement.
General WAG Deductions
| Error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Bent arms or knees | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50 |
| Leg or knee separation | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Crossed legs during a twisting element | 0.10 |
| Insufficient height under the general element rule | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Losing the required straight body position by bending at the hips too early | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Poor body alignment in a non-dance element | 0.10 |
| Unpointed or relaxed feet in a non-dance element | 0.10 |
| Hesitation during an element | 0.10 |
| Body-shape error in a dance element | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50 |
Apparatus rules can add detail or use a different range. For example, insufficient height on women’s vault can reach 0.50, even though the general height row above lists 0.10 and 0.30. See WAG Sections 9.3 and 10.6.
A single acrobatic skill can have several separate faults, such as bent knees in flight and a step on landing. However, women’s dance elements use a combined body-shape deduction.
Split position, bent legs, unpointed feet and the other listed body-shape faults are assessed together under that rule. Judges can still add separate deductions for height, precision and landing. The distinction is explained in WAG Section 8 and the WAG Help Desk.
General MAG Deductions
| Error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Bent arms, bent legs or unintended leg separation | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50, subject to the element’s rules |
| Unclear tuck, pike or straight position | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Poor posture or body position | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Adjusting a hand or grip | 0.10 each time |
| Walking or hopping in handstand | 0.10 per step or hop |
| Touching the apparatus or floor with legs or feet | 0.10 |
| Hitting the apparatus or floor | 0.50 |
| Being touched by a spotter without assistance | 0.30 |
| Interruption of the routine without a fall | 0.50 |
A tuck has bent knees drawn toward the body; a pike bends at the hips with straight legs. Judges need to see the shape required for that skill. Light contact with the apparatus is also distinguished from a definite hit. These general values come from MAG Article 9.4.
How Angles Affect Men’s Deductions
An angle tells judges how far a position differs from the required shape or alignment. In a handstand, for example, 0° represents vertical, while 45° is halfway between vertical and horizontal.
The angle must be measured against the correct reference. Bending an elbow and holding the whole body above the required horizontal position are different faults.
| MAG technical fault | 0.10 | 0.30 | 0.50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General bending of arms, legs or body | More than 0° through 45° | More than 45° through 90° | More than 90°, with loss of recognition under this rule |
| Bending arms/body during a hold or strength press | Discernible bend through 15° | More than 15° through 30° | More than 30°; beyond 45° also loses recognition |
| Deviation from the correct hold position | More than 5° through 20° | More than 20° through 45° | More than 45°, with loss of recognition |
| General swing to/through handstand | More than 15° through 30° | More than 30° through 45° | More than 45°, with loss of recognition |
| Incomplete twist | Missing rotation through 30° | More than 30° through 60° | More than 60° through 90°; beyond 90° also affects recognition |
These are the general guidelines in MAG Articles 9.2 and 9.4. Specific skills can have different rules, especially on horizontal bar and parallel bars. A partially completed twist may sometimes be counted as a different, lower-valued skill.
The stricter strength rule matters on rings. A 25° elbow bend during a strength hold falls in the 0.30 range, rather than the 0.10 range for general bending. The hold’s height and duration are separate checks.
How Landing Deductions Work
A landing is judged for control, body position and foot movement. Staying upright does not automatically produce a clean landing, and a hand brushing the mat is treated differently from a hand supporting the gymnast’s weight.
| Landing error | WAG | MAG |
|---|---|---|
| Small extra step or slight hop | 0.10 each | 0.10 each |
| Very large step/jump in WAG; large step/hop in MAG | 0.30 | 0.30 |
| Extra or excessive arm swing | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Feet apart | 0.10 | 0.10 or 0.30, with the controlled heel-joining exception below |
| Hand brushes/touches the mat without supporting body weight | 0.30 | 0.30 |
| Deep squat in WAG; hips below knees in MAG | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| Support on one or both hands | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Fall to the mat | 1.00 | 1.00 |
The general landing tables are in WAG Section 9.3 and MAG Articles 9.2 and 9.4.
How Big Is a Large Step?
Women’s rules use more than shoulder width as the guideline for a very large step or jump. The Help Desk explains the step measurement as the space between the front foot’s heel and the back foot’s toes.
Men’s rules define a small step or hop as no more than one foot-length. A greater distance receives the 0.30 large-step or large-hop deduction. The women’s and men’s thresholds should therefore be checked separately.
Men can land with their feet up to 10 cm apart without a feet-apart deduction if they bring their heels together in the prescribed controlled way, keeping the fronts of the feet in place. Wider separation, moving a foot or failing to complete that finish changes the evaluation. See the WAG landing guidance and MAG Article 9.2.17–18.
Landing Limits and Falls
For women, landing deductions on an element without a fall are capped at 0.80. Errors during the skill, such as bent knees in flight, are not part of this landing cap. Women’s landing-posture deductions are 0.10 or 0.30, with a separate 0.50 rule for a deep squat.
For men, steps and hops are capped at 1.00 on a landing. That is a cap on those movements, not on every possible landing fault.
A further MAG clarification, effective January 1, 2026, states that when a landing ends in a fall, the deductions for steps, low landing and the fall together are capped at 1.00.
Other deductions, such as poor preparation or feet apart, can still apply. Judges therefore do not add 0.50 for a low landing and 1.00 for the resulting fall as separate, uncapped charges. See MTC Newsletter No. 3.
Women also have specific rules for evaluating failed skills. For example, when a release skill clearly receives no value because the gymnast never catches the bar, the Help Desk directs judges to take the fall deduction alone for that failed element.
A recognized skill followed by a fall can be evaluated differently. The WAG Help Desk’s execution principles explain why deductions cannot always be stacked mechanically.
Women’s E-Score by Apparatus
Bars, beam and floor share general execution rules, then add their own technical and presentation requirements. Vault is covered in the shared women’s and men’s section below.
Uneven Bars
Judges look for extended body positions, accurate handstands, clear flight and continuous swing. Flight is the airborne part of a release or transfer; amplitude describes the size or height of a movement.
| Uneven bars error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Adjusting the grip | 0.10 |
| Brushing the mat | 0.30 |
| Hitting a bar with the feet | 0.50 |
| Hitting the mat with the feet, treated as a fall | 1.00 |
| Poor rhythm in an element | 0.10 |
| Insufficient height in a flight element | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Insufficient extension in a kip | 0.10 |
| An unnecessary empty or intermediate swing | 0.50 |
| Poor body alignment in handstand or a cast to handstand | 0.10 or 0.30 |
A kip brings the gymnast from hanging below the bar into support above it. An empty swing adds a swing without the required element or change; an intermediate swing is an extra swing needed before continuing.
The Code identifies exceptions, so every visible swing is not automatically an error. See WAG Sections 11.4–11.6.
Handstand-angle deductions depend on the element. For a plain cast to handstand, finishing more than 30° through 45° from vertical receives 0.10, and more than 45° receives 0.30.
Certain circle elements instead use 0.10 beyond 10° through 30°, 0.30 beyond 30° through 45°, and 0.50 beyond 45°. Difficulty recognition is checked separately. These are different rules in WAG Section 8.4.
Bars also has a 0.80 execution cap per element without a fall. It covers general and apparatus faults occurring during that element. It does not absorb every fault afterward, such as an extra swing or a subsequent hit.
The Help Desk’s bars execution principles explain the boundaries of this cap.
Balance Beam
Beam deductions reflect both the gymnast’s balance and how smoothly the routine moves from one skill to the next.
| Beam error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Balance correction or wobble | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50 |
| Grasping the beam to avoid a fall | 0.50 |
| Extra support of a leg against the beam’s side | 0.30 |
| Poor rhythm in a connection of elements with difficulty value | 0.10 each time |
| Unnecessary adjustment movements | 0.10 each time |
| Excessive arm swing before a dance element | 0.10 each time |
| Preparation pause reaching two seconds | 0.10 each time |
A small correction costs less than a large body movement used to stay on the beam. Grasping the beam is also different from falling onto it. The values come from WAG Section 12.6.
Beam’s E-Score also includes artistry and composition deductions. Artistry concerns how the movement is presented; composition deductions address particular features missing from the exercise.
Poor posture and insufficient variation in rhythm can each receive 0.10 or 0.20. Other listed faults, including limited movement amplitude, poor footwork, missing sideways movement and missing the required movement close to the beam, carry 0.10. These are separate from the Composition Requirements used to build difficulty. See WAG Section 12.5.
Floor Exercise
Women’s floor combines tumbling and dance with music. Judges evaluate the skills and landings, as well as how the gymnast connects movements and responds to the music.
| Floor execution or presentation fault | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Adjustment steps without choreography | 0.10 each time |
| Excessive arm swing before a dance element | 0.10 each time |
| Preparation pause reaching two seconds | 0.10 each time |
| Starting immediately with an acrobatic line or element | 0.10 |
| Ending with an acrobatic element and no choreography afterward | 0.10 |
| Poor body posture | 0.10 or 0.20 |
| Poor expressive engagement with the music’s style | 0.10 / 0.20 / 0.30 |
| Weak connection between the music and exercise | 0.10 / 0.20 / 0.30 |
| Movement not synchronized with the final musical beat | 0.10 |
| Poor music editing | 0.10 |
| Poor or repetitive choreography in the corners | 0.10 |
The two musicality categories are distinct. A gymnast can have limited expression and also perform movements that do not clearly relate to the music. Each category has its own assessment; there is no single 0.30 cap covering all artistry.
Floor also has deductions for features such as poor footwork, insufficiently varied body movement and missing movement that touches the floor with the specified body parts. The full artistry and exercise-distribution tables appear in WAG Sections 13.5–13.6.
Men’s E-Score by Apparatus
Men’s events use the same subtraction from 10.00, but the technical demands differ. A rings hold, a pommel horse circle and a horizontal bar release each have their own standards.
Floor Exercise
Men’s floor emphasizes clear tumbling shapes, height, controlled landings and purposeful transitions between passes. It also includes artistry expectations despite having no music.
| Men’s floor error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Insufficient height in acrobatics | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Insufficient flexibility in a static element | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Pause of two seconds or more before an element or series | 0.10 |
| Uncontrolled momentary landing during a transition | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50 |
| Deviation from the intended plane of movement | 0.10 or 0.30 |
The last row describes the gymnast moving away from the intended alignment of the skill. These values appear in MAG Article 10.3.
The September 1, 2026 updates add specific guidance for corner transitions. For example, a scissor-kick transition that fails to lift the legs above horizontal receives 0.10, and an incomplete turn in a step-and-jump spinning transition receives 0.10.
The routine must also meet separate rules on varying its corner transitions; a repeated transition can trigger a neutral penalty rather than an E-Score deduction. See MTC Newsletter No. 4 and the earlier transition clarification.
Pommel Horse
Judges look for continuous circles with an extended body and controlled changes of direction and support. Repeated small hip bends or poorly aligned circles can become expensive over a full routine.
| Pommel horse error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Insufficient height in scissors or single-leg swings | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Bending at the hips during circles or flairs | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Insufficient body extension in circles or flairs | 0.10 per element |
| Unintended leg separation through 30° | 0.10 |
| Unintended leg separation beyond 30° through 60° | 0.30 |
| Unintended leg separation beyond 60° through 90° | 0.50 |
| Circle/travel alignment beyond 15° through 30° | 0.10 |
| Circle/travel alignment beyond 30° through 45° | 0.30 |
| Circle/travel alignment beyond 45° | 0.50, with loss of recognition under the rule |
Flairs are circles performed with the legs deliberately separated. Required leg separation is not itself a form error; judges apply the standard for the movement being performed. See MAG Article 11.3.
Still Rings
Rings requires a gymnast to move between swings and strength positions while keeping the body, and often the apparatus under control. A prescribed hold must last at least two seconds, timed from the complete stop.
| Hold performance | Deduction for duration |
|---|---|
| Held for at least two seconds | 0.00 |
| Visible stop, but held for less than two seconds | 0.30 |
| No stop | 0.50 and no difficulty recognition |
Completing two seconds avoids the duration deduction; it does not remove deductions for bent arms or an incorrect position. The timing rule is in MAG Article 9.2.15.
For example, a recognized hold performed 25° above its required position, with a visible stop lasting less than two seconds, can receive 0.30 for position + 0.30 for duration = 0.60. One strength element can therefore lose several tenths without a fall.
Other rings faults include excessive cable swing (0.10 per element), touching the cables or straps (0.30), and supporting or balancing on the cables with the legs or feet (0.50 and no recognition).
The angle guidelines above explain how judges assess hold positions and arm bends. See MAG Article 12.3.
Parallel Bars
On parallel bars, judges watch for controlled handstands, extended swings and secure catches. Small hand adjustments can accumulate even when the gymnast completes every difficult skill.
| Parallel bars error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Stepping or swinging one leg into the mount | 0.30 |
| Uncontrolled momentary handstand on one or two rails | 0.10 |
| Step or hand adjustment in handstand | 0.10 each time |
| Unnecessary backswing that drops into a lower support/hang position, called a layaway | 0.30 |
| Insufficient extension at horizontal and/or uncontrolled catch after a salto | 0.10 / 0.30 / 0.50 |
| Bending the legs before the body reaches horizontal in Moy or giant swings | 0.10 or 0.30 |
A salto is a flip. Moy and giant refer to particular swinging elements; their leg-bend rules are exceptions to the general angular table. The apparatus deductions appear in MAG Article 14.3.
Horizontal Bar
Horizontal bar requires continuous swing, sufficiently high releases and accurate turning positions. Catching the bar successfully is only one part of the execution assessment.
| Horizontal bar error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Poor execution during the jump or lift to the bar | 0.30 |
| Lack of swing or an unnecessary pause | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Insufficient height in a flight element | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Deviation from the intended plane of movement through 15° | 0.10 |
| Deviation from that plane beyond 15° | 0.30 |
| Bent arms when catching after a flight element | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Bent knees during the swing | 0.10 or 0.30 each time |
| Additional starting swings | 0.30 |
The plane-of-movement rows concern alignment, rather than whether a turning skill finishes at handstand. Handstand completion, grip and body shape have their own rules. See MAG Article 15.3.
Vault Execution for Women and Men
Both women’s and men’s vault execution is judged through four phases:
| Phase | What judges assess |
|---|---|
| First flight | Movement from the springboard to the table, including body shape and required turning |
| Support | Hand contact, arm position and the action through the table |
| Second flight | Height, rotation, body shape and preparation for landing |
| Landing | Control, posture and foot or hand movements |
Insufficient height can receive 0.10, 0.30 or 0.50 in either vault table. Form errors during flight and landing errors are evaluated separately, with the relevant limits and exceptions.
For a hypothetical valid vault, suppose the panel’s deductions consist of 0.10 for bent knees, 0.30 for insufficient height and 0.10 for a small landing step, with no other faults. The E-Score is:
10.00 − 0.50 = 9.50
An invalid vault is different from a valid vault followed by a fall. Failure to land feet first is a reason for a zero vault score, rather than simply subtracting 1.00 and continuing the usual calculation. The rules appear in WAG Section 10 and MAG Section 13.
To work through a vault score, open the score calculator, choose FIG and Vault, then enter the awarded difficulty and execution. “More detail” also accepts the total execution deductions used for the E-Score.
Putting the Deductions Into a Score
The arithmetic becomes easier once each fault is placed in the correct part of the score.
Example: A Beam Routine Without a Fall
Suppose an E-judge records the following in a hypothetical beam routine. These are separate faults, and no cap changes their total:
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Five separate small form errors | 0.50 |
| One medium balance correction | 0.30 |
| One preparation pause reaching two seconds | 0.10 |
| One small step on the dismount landing | 0.10 |
| Poor posture across the routine, assessed under artistry | 0.20 |
| Total | 1.20 |
That judge’s execution evaluation is 10.00 − 1.20 = 8.80. If the panel’s counted deductions also average 1.20, the displayed E-Score is 8.800.
The gymnast stayed on the beam throughout, but several smaller errors still reduced execution by more than a point.
What Stays Outside the E-Score?
Boundary and certain time or procedural penalties are taken separately. For example, assuming no separate bonus:
5.800 D + 8.400 E − 0.100 neutral penalty = 14.100
The E-Score remains 8.400. The separate penalty lowers the final result. The guide to out-of-bounds, time and other neutral penalties explains those rules.
Difficulty can also change independently. A skill might receive a lower value, a connection might fail, or required content might be missing.
A short-exercise penalty is another separate issue: performing too few elements can bring a substantial deduction from the final score. It is not a shortcut to a high result through fewer execution mistakes. Both Codes distinguish short-exercise penalties from the ordinary E-Score calculation in Section 6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Routine Without a Fall Have a Low E-Score?
Yes. Form errors, poor positions, pauses, uncontrolled landings and applicable artistry deductions can accumulate throughout the exercise. A fall is only one type of execution error.
Do Judges Evaluate Only the Eight Skills That Count for Difficulty?
No. The difficulty-counting limit does not restrict execution judging to those eight skills. Other performed elements and movements are also evaluated under the apparatus rules.
Does a Stuck Landing Automatically Earn a Perfect E-Score?
No. A gymnast can land without moving the feet and still lose points for body position, height or earlier errors. Men’s eligible 0.10 stick bonus is awarded through the D-Jury; it is not added to the E-Score.
Does One Fall Always Cost Exactly One Point Overall?
The FIG fall deduction is 1.00, but the total effect can be larger if difficulty, connections or bonuses are lost. Other execution faults may also apply, subject to the rules for that element and any relevant cap.
Are These the Same Deductions Used in NCAA or Xcel?
No. This article explains FIG artistic gymnastics. Domestic programs have their own scoring rules and deduction values, even when they penalize similar mistakes.
A Quick Summary
The E-Score begins at 10.00. Judges assess the routine independently, combine their deduction totals according to the panel rules, and subtract the resulting amount.
Accurate calculation depends on identifying the specific fault, applying the correct apparatus rule and respecting any grouping or cap. That is why a strong execution score reflects the whole performance, from body position and rhythm to the final landing.