Watching elite gymnastics can be confusing at first. A gymnast finishes a routine and a score such as 14.233 appears, often alongside two smaller numbers labeled D and E.
- FIG Gymnastics Scoring at a Glance
- Who Calculates the D-Score and E-Score?
- What Is the D-Score in Gymnastics?
- What Is the E-Score in Gymnastics?
- How the D-Score and E-Score Work Together
- FIG Scoring Example
- What Are Neutral Deductions?
- How Does Vault Scoring Work?
- Is FIG Scoring the Same for WAG and MAG?
- What Changed for the 2025–2028 FIG Cycle?
Those numbers are the key to understanding FIG gymnastics scoring.
Under the current FIG 2025–2028 Code of Points, an artistic gymnastics score is built mainly from two parts:
D-Score + E-Score − Neutral Deductions = Final Score
The D-Score measures the difficulty and content of the routine. The E-Score measures how well the routine was performed. Separate penalties, commonly called neutral deductions, can then be taken from the combined score.
Unlike the traditional perfect-10 system, FIG scoring does not have a fixed maximum final score. The E-Score starts from 10.0, while difficulty is added separately through the D-Score.
This guide explains the basic scoring system used in both Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG).
FIG Gymnastics Scoring at a Glance
| Part of Score | What It Measures | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| D-Score | Difficulty and routine content | Built upward from credited difficulty and requirements |
| E-Score | Execution | Starts from 10.0 and deductions are taken |
| Neutral Deductions | Certain rule violations | Subtracted separately |
| Final Score | Overall result | D + E − neutral deductions |
For example:
| Score Component | Example |
|---|---|
| D-Score | 5.800 |
| E-Score | 8.300 |
| Neutral Deduction | −0.100 |
| Final Score | 14.000 |
A FIG gymnast therefore does not simply “start from 10.”
Only the execution portion starts from 10.0. The final score combines that execution score with the routine’s difficulty.
Who Calculates the D-Score and E-Score?
FIG gymnastics scores are produced by different groups of judges rather than by a single judge.
The D-panel determines the routine’s difficulty, including credited elements, requirements, connections and applicable bonuses.
The E-panel evaluates execution and presentation. These judges identify mistakes such as bent knees, poor body position, balance errors and landing movements. Their scores are combined according to FIG judging procedures to produce the final E-Score.
Other officials may also be responsible for penalties such as time violations or going out of bounds.
This separation is why the scoreboard can show the D-Score, E-Score and penalties as different numbers, even though they are ultimately combined into one final score.
What Is the D-Score in Gymnastics?
The D-Score, short for Difficulty Score, measures how difficult the routine is and what required content it includes.
Unlike the E-Score, judges build the D-Score upward rather than starting from a maximum and subtracting mistakes.
Depending on the apparatus, the D-Score can include:
- Difficulty Values of individual elements
- required types or groups of elements
- connection value
- dismount-related credit or bonuses
- other apparatus-specific difficulty bonuses
FIG gymnastics skills are assigned letter values, with harder elements receiving more difficulty credit. An A element, for example, is worth less than a D, E or higher-rated element.
For a full explanation of the A–J system, see FIG Difficulty Values.
The D-Score is not simply the value of every skill performed. FIG limits which elements can count and also requires gymnasts to satisfy event-specific composition rules.
For example, WAG routines on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise generally count up to eight eligible elements. MAG also uses eight counting elements on non-vault events under the current Code, although the men’s Element Group system works differently.
This means two gymnasts can perform the same number of skills and still receive very different D-Scores.
One routine may contain:
- harder elements,
- more valuable connections,
- stronger routine construction,
- or more bonus-eligible difficulty.
A higher D-Score gives the gymnast more scoring potential, but it does not guarantee a higher final score.
For the complete calculation, see How the FIG Gymnastics D-Score Is Calculated (WAG & MAG).
What Is the E-Score in Gymnastics?
The E-Score, or Execution Score, measures how well the gymnast performs the routine.
It begins at:
10.00
Judges then subtract execution deductions.
The basic calculation is:
E-Score = 10.00 − Execution Deductions
For example:
10.00 − 1.70 deductions = 8.30 E-Score
Execution deductions can come from mistakes such as:
- bent knees or arms
- leg separation
- flexed feet
- incorrect body position
- insufficient height or amplitude
- balance checks
- steps or hops on landings
- incomplete turns or rotations
- falls
In WAG, judges can also apply artistry-related deductions, particularly on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
The main FIG deduction sizes are:
| Error Size | Typical Deduction |
|---|---|
| Small error | 0.10 |
| Medium error | 0.30 |
| Large error | 0.50 |
| Fall | 1.00 |
A gymnast does not need to fall to lose a large amount from the E-Score.
Several small form errors, landing movements and technical mistakes throughout a routine can quickly add up.
A major mistake can sometimes affect both scores as well. For example, a fall may break an intended connection or affect whether an element receives the expected difficulty credit.
For the complete breakdown of small, medium and large errors, landings, artistry and apparatus-specific deductions, see How the FIG Gymnastics E-Score Is Calculated (WAG & MAG).
How the D-Score and E-Score Work Together
Understanding the relationship between difficulty and execution is the most important part of FIG scoring.
Gymnasts want to perform enough difficulty to build a competitive D-Score without creating so many mistakes that the E-Score falls too far.
Consider two gymnasts:
| Gymnast | D-Score | E-Score | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gymnast A | 6.4 | 7.8 | 14.2 |
| Gymnast B | 5.9 | 8.5 | 14.4 |
Gymnast A has a 0.50 advantage in difficulty.
However, Gymnast B earns 0.70 more in execution and finishes with the higher final score.
This is why the gymnast performing the hardest routine does not automatically win.
The opposite can also happen. A gymnast with slightly weaker execution may still win if the routine has enough additional difficulty to make up the difference.
The goal is therefore not necessarily to perform the hardest possible routine. It is to perform the most difficult routine the gymnast can execute consistently well.
FIG Scoring Example
A simple example brings the whole system together.
Suppose a gymnast receives:
- D-Score: 5.900
- E-Score: 8.250
- Neutral deduction: 0.100
The calculation is:
5.900 + 8.250 − 0.100 = 14.050
The final score is therefore:
14.050
On the scoreboard, it may appear roughly as:
| Score | Result |
|---|---|
| D | 5.900 |
| E | 8.250 |
| Penalty | 0.100 |
| Final | 14.050 |
Once the D-Score, E-Score and neutral deductions are separated, FIG scores become much easier to read.
What Are Neutral Deductions?
Not every penalty comes from the E-Score. Some rule violations are deducted separately from the combined D-Score and E-Score. These are commonly called neutral deductions.
Examples can include:
- going out of bounds
- exceeding a routine time limit
- certain equipment violations
- other competition-rule penalties
The calculation remains:
D-Score + E-Score − Neutral Deductions = Final Score
The important difference is that a neutral deduction does not reduce the E-Score itself. It is subtracted separately when the final score is calculated.
For exact OOB, time and other penalties, see the full guide to neutral deductions in gymnastics.
How Does Vault Scoring Work?
Vault is the major exception to the usual D-Score calculation.
On Bars, Beam, Floor and most MAG events, gymnasts build difficulty from several individual elements.
On Vault, each recognized vault already has a predetermined Difficulty Value.
The basic calculation is:
Vault Difficulty Value + E-Score − Penalties = Vault Score
For example, if a gymnast performs a vault worth 5.4 and receives an 8.900 E-Score:
5.4 + 8.9 = 14.300
The gymnast does not build the Vault D-Score from eight separate skills.
Instead, the vault itself provides the D-Score, and the E-panel evaluates how well it is performed.
FIG has additional rules when two vaults are required for Vault qualification and event finals. For a full breakdown, see how gymnastics vault scoring works.
Is FIG Scoring the Same for WAG and MAG?
The basic scoring formula is the same in Women’s and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics:
D + E − penalties
However, the way difficulty is constructed differs.
| Feature | WAG | MAG |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | D + E − penalties | D + E − penalties |
| E-Score | Starts from 10.0 | Starts from 10.0 |
| Counting elements | 8 on UB, BB and FX | 8 on non-vault events |
| Routine requirements | Composition Requirements | Element Groups |
| Connections and bonuses | Event-specific | Event-specific |
| Vault D-Score | Predetermined | Predetermined |
WAG routines on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise use Composition Requirements along with difficulty, connections and applicable bonuses.
MAG uses Element Groups and its own apparatus-specific difficulty and connection rules.
These differences are covered in more detail in How the FIG Gymnastics D-Score Is Calculated (WAG & MAG).
What Changed for the 2025–2028 FIG Cycle?
The current FIG Code of Points covers the 2025–2028 Olympic cycle, leading toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The basic scoring formula remains the same:
D + E − penalties
However, many of the rules used to calculate those scores were updated.
Major MAG Changes
Men’s Artistic Gymnastics received some of the largest structural changes.
Important updates include:
- routines now count eight elements instead of 10 on non-vault apparatuses,
- changes to Element Group requirements,
- changes to the Difficulty Values of many elements,
- a 0.10 stick bonus under qualifying conditions,
- and a general 0.40 reduction in MAG Vault Difficulty Values from the previous cycle.
The reduction in Vault values does not mean the vaults became easier. FIG simply adjusted the numerical difficulty scale.
Major WAG Changes
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics kept more of its previous scoring structure.
Gymnasts still count up to eight elements on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
The current cycle also includes updates to:
- some element Difficulty Values,
- connection and composition rules,
- Balance Beam and Floor artistry evaluation,
- dismount and other event-specific bonuses,
- and rules surrounding qualifying two-vault combinations.
Overall, WAG mainly refined the existing system, while MAG introduced larger changes to routine construction and difficulty.
