Men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics use the same basic FIG scoring system:
D-Score + E-Score − Penalties = Final Score
But the routines are not judged in exactly the same way.
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) has four events, while Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) has six. Each discipline also has its own routine requirements, connection rules, bonuses and apparatus-specific judging standards.
The biggest difference is in how the D-Score is built:
WAG uses Composition Requirements.
MAG uses Element Groups.
Both systems make sure a gymnast shows enough variety, but the actual rules are designed around very different events.
This article compares the main WAG and MAG scoring differences under the current 2025–2028 FIG Codes of Points.
MAG vs WAG Scoring at a Glance
| Scoring Feature | WAG | MAG |
|---|---|---|
| Events | 4 | 6 |
| Final score | D + E − penalties | D + E − penalties |
| D-Score | Open-ended | Open-ended |
| E-Score | Starts from 10.0 | Starts from 10.0 |
| Main routine requirements | Composition Requirements | Element Groups |
| Counting difficulty | Up to 8 on UB, BB, FX | 8 on non-vault events |
| Dance content | Important on Beam and Floor | No comparable requirement |
| Artistry | Explicitly judged on Beam and Floor | Different technical/aesthetic standards |
| Connections | Event-specific | Event-specific |
| Vault | Predetermined DV | Predetermined DV |
| All-around | 4 events | 6 events |
So the basic scoring language is the same, but the way gymnasts build difficulty and lose execution points can be quite different.
What Is the Same in WAG and MAG Scoring?
Both disciplines separate difficulty from execution.
The D-Score measures the difficulty and required content of the routine. It has no fixed maximum.
The E-Score measures how well the routine is performed. It begins from 10.0, and judges subtract for errors.
For example:
D-Score: 5.8
E-Score: 8.4
Final Score: 14.2
This basic idea works the same way in WAG and MAG.
A gymnast can increase scoring potential with a harder routine, but difficulty alone does not guarantee a better final score. A slightly easier routine performed cleanly can still beat a harder routine with larger execution deductions.
For the full scoring system, see How FIG Gymnastics Scoring Works.
The Biggest Difference: How the D-Score Is Built
The main difference between WAG and MAG appears in the D-Score.
For WAG Bars, Beam and Floor, the simplified formula is:
Difficulty Values + Composition Requirements + Connection Value + Applicable Bonuses
For MAG non-vault events, it is better summarized as:
Difficulty Values + Element Group Credit + Connection Points + Applicable Bonuses
Both systems reward difficult gymnastics and varied routine construction. They simply use different rules to achieve it.
For the complete calculation in both disciplines, see How the FIG Gymnastics D-Score Is Calculated (WAG & MAG).
WAG Composition Requirements vs MAG Element Groups
The two systems serve a similar purpose but work differently.
| WAG Composition Requirements | MAG Element Groups | |
|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CR | EG |
| Purpose | Required types of routine content | Required movement groups |
| Used on | UB, BB, FX | FX, PH, SR, PB, HB |
| Credit | 0.50 per CR | Depends on group and difficulty |
| Part of | D-Score | D-Score |
In WAG, the gymnast needs the required mix of flight, dance, acrobatics, turns or tumbling depending on the event.
In MAG, the gymnast must show the movement families expected on that apparatus.
For example, Rings naturally emphasizes a very different mix of strength and swing elements than Beam, so the requirement systems cannot be directly compared skill for skill.
Do WAG and MAG Use the Same Difficulty Values?
Both disciplines use the familiar FIG letter-value system.
| Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|
| A | 0.10 |
| B | 0.20 |
| C | 0.30 |
| D | 0.40 |
| E | 0.50 |
| F | 0.60 |
| G | 0.70 |
| H | 0.80 |
| I | 0.90 |
| J | 1.00 |
The important point is that the numerical value is comparable, but the skills are not.
A D-rated Rings skill and a D-rated Beam skill both contribute 0.40 in difficulty, but they involve completely different physical and technical demands.
So the letter tells how the skill is valued within its own event, not that two D-rated skills are equivalent movements.
For more on the FIG letter system, see FIG Difficulty Values.
WAG Floor vs MAG Floor
Floor Exercise exists in both disciplines, but the routines look and score very differently.
WAG Floor
Women’s Floor combines:
tumbling + dance + choreography + music
The routine can last up to:
90 seconds
Its D-Score includes acrobatic and dance Difficulty Values, Composition Requirements, Connection Value and applicable bonuses.
Artistry also contributes to the execution evaluation.
MAG Floor
Men’s Floor does not use music and does not have the same dance or choreography requirements.
The routine focuses much more heavily on acrobatic difficulty together with required non-acrobatic content and Element Groups.
The current maximum time is:
70 seconds
So even though both are called “Floor Exercise,” they should be treated as two distinct events rather than male and female versions of exactly the same routine.
How Vault Scoring Differs
Vault is one of the easiest events to compare because both WAG and MAG use a predetermined Difficulty Value.
The basic idea is:
Vault DV + E-Score − Penalties = Final Score
But the actual vault tables and some competition rules differ.
One major MAG change for 2025–2028 was that all vault Difficulty Values were reduced by 0.40.
WAG did not receive the same across-the-board reduction.
Instead, the current WAG cycle includes a special +0.20 two-vault bonus when an eligible gymnast performs two qualifying contrasting vaults under the required conditions.
So although the scoring formula looks similar, WAG and MAG still use different vault tables and event-specific rules.
For a broader comparison, see Gymnastics Vault Scoring Compared: USAG, Xcel, NCAA & FIG.
What Changed for the 2025–2028 Cycle?
The current cycle brought several noticeable changes, particularly in MAG.
MAG reduced the number of counting elements from 10 to 8, shortened Floor Exercise to 70 seconds, changed many element values and reduced all vault values by 0.40.
These changes were designed in part to shorten routines and place more emphasis on strong technical execution.
WAG remained closer to its previous structure, but the current cycle still brought changes to artistry, individual skill values, connection rules and bonuses.
The +0.20 Dismount Bonus remains important on Bars, Beam and Floor, while the current Vault rules include the new two-vault bonus.
Because FIG can also release clarifications during the cycle, the Code of Points and current Help Desk or newsletter updates should always be checked together for detailed judging questions.
