A gymnast can complete an Uneven Bars routine without falling and still lose points for short handstands, low releases, extra swings and landing errors. Judges also check which skills and connections she actually completed before calculating difficulty.
FIG separates these decisions into two scores: the D-Score for difficulty and the E-Score for execution. The final calculation is:
D-Score + E-Score − separate penalties = Final Score
This article covers women’s Uneven Bars under the 2025–2028 FIG Code of Points, using published rules and clarifications checked through September 14, 2026. For the wider system across all events, see how FIG gymnastics scoring works.
Uneven Bars Scoring at a Glance
| Scoring component | How it works on FIG Uneven Bars |
|---|---|
| Counting skill difficulty | Up to eight eligible Difficulty Values, including the dismount |
| Composition Requirements | Four requirements worth 0.50 each, for up to 2.00 |
| Connection Value | 0.10 or 0.20 for qualifying direct combinations |
| Dismount Bonus | 0.20 for a recognized D-or-harder dismount performed without a fall |
| E-Score | Begins from 10.00; execution deductions are subtracted |
| Fall deduction | 1.00 from execution |
| Separate penalties | Applied for certain timing, assistance and other rule violations |
| Maximum final score | No fixed 10.0 ceiling |
Only the execution portion begins from 10.00. A gymnast who earns 6.0 difficulty and an 8.5 execution score receives 14.500, assuming there are no separate penalties.
How the Uneven Bars D-Score Is Built
Bars difficulty combines four parts:
Counting Difficulty Values + Composition Requirements + Connection Value + Dismount Bonus
The judges responsible for difficulty, called the D-Jury, identify the skills performed and award the appropriate credit. They score the routine that meets the recognition rules, rather than the routine the gymnast intended to perform.
1. Up to Eight Skills Count for Difficulty
FIG assigns each recognized element a Difficulty Value (DV). Letter ratings increase in steps of 0.10: a C element is worth 0.30, a D is worth 0.40, an E is worth 0.50, and an F is worth 0.60.
Judges count up to eight of the highest eligible values, including the dismount. Other movements may help the gymnast travel between skills or prepare for the next element without adding another counting difficulty value.
Performing more skills does not automatically increase the D-Score. The same element generally receives its individual difficulty credit only once, and Bars has additional restrictions on repeated skill families.
The Three-Element Root-Skill Rule
A root skill describes the underlying entry and movement family. The Code and Help Desk distinguish roots using the entry, direction of rotation and grip.
Only the first three elements from the same root skill, in performance order, can count for difficulty, Composition Requirements and Connection Value. Kips, forward and backward giants, and casts to handstand have stated exceptions to this limit.
An element that receives no difficulty credit because of technical failure does not use up one of those three places. A repeated recognized element does, even though it cannot earn its individual difficulty again.
The Code also restricts Tkatchev-type releases from the same difficulty-table line and permits only one Jaeger variant under its Jaeger rule. Routine construction therefore involves choosing varied skills, as well as choosing difficult ones.
These counting rules appear in Section 11.2 of the FIG Women’s Code of Points, with examples in the August 2026 WAG Help Desk.
2. Four Composition Requirements Add Up to 2.00
Bars routines must show particular types of movement. These are the Composition Requirements (CR):
| Requirement | What the gymnast must show | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| High-to-low flight | A recognized flight element from the high bar to the low bar | 0.50 |
| Same-bar flight | A recognized flight element that releases and regrasps the same bar | 0.50 |
| Different grips | Qualifying work using different grips; casts, mounts and dismounts do not fulfill this requirement | 0.50 |
| A full non-flight turn | A non-flight element with at least 360° of turning; a mount does not fulfill it | 0.50 |
| Maximum CR credit | All four requirements fulfilled | 2.00 |
For example, a Pak salto travels from the high bar to the low bar. A qualifying same-bar release provides a different kind of flight. Simply moving between both bars does not fulfill both flight requirements.
Missing one CR removes 0.50 of available difficulty credit. It is not a 0.50 deduction from the E-Score.
A gymnast who receives difficulty credit for all eight counting skills can still miss a Composition Requirement if those skills do not provide the required movement or grip variety.
3. Direct Connections Earn Extra Credit
Connection Value (CV) rewards qualifying skills linked directly together. The individual elements keep their own values, while the combination earns an additional 0.10 or 0.20.
The main Bars formulas are:
| Direct combination | Connection Value |
|---|---|
| D + D or harder, when a 0.20 formula does not apply | 0.10 |
| D flight + C or harder, under the conditions below | 0.20 |
| E + E, with at least one flight element | 0.20 |
| F + D, with both elements having flight | 0.20 |
For the D-flight-plus-C formula, the first element must be a same-bar flight or a low-to-high-bar flight. The second element must be performed on the high bar, in that order. C- and D-rated elements used for CV must include flight or at least a half turn.
One example is Maloney → Pak salto. Both are D-rated flight elements, and the combination can earn 0.10 CV when the connection and swing conditions are met.
Bars uses direct connections. An unnecessary swing can prevent CV, including a disqualifying swing after the last element of a combination. The Code makes exceptions for specified transitions, so judges apply the detailed swing rules rather than treating every visible swing as an error.
4. A Qualifying Dismount Adds 0.20
A recognized D-or-harder dismount performed without a fall earns 0.20 Dismount Bonus. This is added to the D-Score, alongside the dismount’s own Difficulty Value.
The gymnast does not have to stick the landing to earn this bonus. A landing step may receive an execution deduction while the 0.20 remains available. A fall prevents the bonus.
The guide to calculating the FIG D-Score explains how these components work across the other events.
How Judges Deduct From the E-Score
The execution judges, called the E-Jury, begin from 10.00 and subtract for errors throughout the routine. They assess body form, handstand positions, height, rhythm, swings, technical precision and the dismount landing.
Common Uneven Bars Deductions
| Error | FIG deduction |
|---|---|
| Bent arms or knees | 0.10, 0.30 or 0.50, depending on severity |
| Leg or knee separation | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Unpointed or relaxed feet | 0.10 |
| Poor rhythm within an element | 0.10 |
| Insufficient height in a flight element | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Under-rotation of a flight element | 0.10; the flight rule excludes dismounts |
| Brush against the mat | 0.30 |
| Hit the apparatus with the feet | 0.50 |
| Hit the mat with the feet during the routine | 1.00, treated as a fall |
| Empty or intermediate swing | 0.50 |
| Fall from the apparatus | 1.00 |
These are individual fault values, not instructions to add every possible deduction from one incident. The Code specifies when deductions replace one another or are limited. For example, hitting the bar and then falling is not automatically a separate 0.50 plus 1.00 for the same incident.
Release height is also judged according to the type of flight. Judges use the relevant body position and flight phase; catching the bar successfully does not by itself establish that the release was high enough.
Why Extra Swings Are Costly
An empty swing is a forward or backward swing without a recognized element before the gymnast reverses direction. An intermediate swing is an unnecessary pump or long swing used between elements.
A qualifying extra-swing fault costs 0.50 in execution and may also remove planned Connection Value. Losing 0.10 CV alongside that deduction can reduce the final score by 0.60, assuming the rest of the routine is unchanged.
The Help Desk distinguishes an unnecessary extra swing from the movements needed to restart after a fall. It also specifies exceptions for certain transitions. These details prevent judges from penalizing every preparation swing in the same way.
Dismount Landing Deductions
| Landing error | Deduction |
|---|---|
| Extra step or slight hop | 0.10 each |
| Very large step or jump | 0.30 each |
| Lack of balance | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Landing posture error | 0.10 or 0.30 |
| Deep squat | 0.50 |
| Supporting the body with the hands on the mat, or falling to the knees or hips | 1.00 |
A stuck landing can still receive deductions for poor posture, insufficient height or other faults. Conversely, a gymnast can keep her dismount difficulty and fall-free bonus while losing a tenth for a small step.
What Does the 0.80 Deduction Cap Cover?
On Bars, execution deductions during a non-falling element are capped at 0.80. This does not cap the entire routine’s deductions at 0.80.
The Help Desk excludes certain faults occurring after the element, such as a mat brush or an extra swing, from that element’s cap. The general landing rules also cap landing deductions at 0.80 when there is no fall; a fall follows the separate 1.00 rule.
The tables and combination rules are in Sections 9 and 11.6 of the WAG Code, with Bars examples on pages 64–70 of the WAG Help Desk.
Why Handstand Angles Affect Both Scores
A handstand is reached when the body aligns vertically above the bar. A short cast or late turn can affect execution, difficulty recognition, or both, but different types of elements use different rules.
Cast to Handstand
For a cast to handstand without a turn, the gymnast must reach within 10° of vertical to receive its Difficulty Value. The specific cast-amplitude deductions use different thresholds:
| Deviation from vertical | Cast-to-handstand difficulty credit | Cast-amplitude deduction |
|---|---|---|
| Within 10° | Awarded | 0.00 |
| More than 10° through 30° | Not awarded | 0.00 |
| More than 30° through 45° | Not awarded | 0.10 |
| More than 45° | Not awarded | 0.30 |
A cast that stops 20° short can therefore lose its difficulty credit without receiving this particular amplitude deduction. Other form errors can still be deducted.
Losing the cast’s value does not always lower the total D-Score: that depends on whether it would have been one of the counting elements and whether another eligible skill takes its place.
Circle and Turning Elements
Many circle and turning elements use this angle-of-completion scale:
| Completion outside the permitted vertical position | Execution deduction |
|---|---|
| More than 10° through 30° | 0.10 |
| More than 30° through 45° | 0.30 |
| More than 45° | 0.50 |
Difficulty recognition is a separate decision. Judges consider whether the gymnast passed through vertical, when the turn occurred, and whether the skill meets its particular definition.
Depending on the element, the result may be the intended value, a lower value, a different recognized skill or no difficulty credit.
Some elements have specific exceptions. The cast table should therefore not be applied to every circle, turn or high-to-low handstand transition. Section 8.4 of the WAG Code separates these categories.
Falls, Interruptions and Separate Penalties
A fall costs 1.00 from execution, but its total effect can be larger if the gymnast also loses skill difficulty, a requirement, connection credit or dismount bonus.
Does a Missed Release Lose Its Difficulty?
The answer depends on the grasp and the element’s recognition:
| What happens on the release | Difficulty treatment |
|---|---|
| Both hands grasp the bar, with momentary hang or support, before the gymnast falls | The flight element can retain its Difficulty Value |
| The gymnast falls without grasping the bar with both hands | No Difficulty Value for the flight element |
| One hand grasps first, then the other joins and the gymnast continues without falling | The flight element can receive Difficulty Value |
Touching the bar is not automatically the same as grasping it. The judges apply the specific recognition standard.
When the element receives no difficulty credit, it may be performed again to earn that credit. When it has already received its value, repetition does not provide the same individual difficulty again.
Connection credit involving the fall is assessed separately. In a longer sequence, a successfully completed earlier connection may remain even when the gymnast falls on a later flight element. Section 11.7 and the Help Desk explain these cases.
How Long Can a Gymnast Take to Remount?
After a fall, the gymnast normally has 30 seconds to resume. The clock starts once she is back on her feet, and the exercise resumes when her feet leave the floor.
Exceeding the permitted recovery time and continuing can bring a separate 0.30 penalty. If she has not resumed within the 60-second limit, the exercise is terminated.
Bars does not have the 90-second routine limit used on Beam and women’s Floor. Its fall-recovery and start-signal rules still apply.
Other Situations That Affect the Final Score
Starting more than 30 seconds after the green signal can cost 0.30 separately. A permitted second running approach for a mount carries a 1.00 penalty; whether another approach is allowed depends on what happened during the first attempt.
Actual coach assistance can incur a 1.00 separate penalty and affect skill or connection credit. An authorized coach standing nearby to spot is a different situation.
If the gymnast makes no attempt to dismount, the Code specifies a 0.50 no-dismount penalty, a fall deduction and no dismount difficulty. Attempting a salto dismount but failing to land feet first is treated differently: the dismount receives no difficulty credit and the fall is deducted.
FIG also applies substantial penalties for a short exercise. Seven or more elements avoid the short-exercise penalty; five or six bring 4.00, with larger penalties for fewer elements. This assessment is separate from selecting the highest eight values for difficulty.
These are examples of why some losses appear outside the E-Score. The guide to neutral deductions in gymnastics explains that distinction across FIG events.
A Complete Uneven Bars Scoring Example
Suppose judges recognize a hypothetical routine with the following eight counting difficulty values. Assume its skills satisfy the Bars construction rules and its dismount qualifies for the bonus.
| Counting skill ratings | Difficulty total |
|---|---|
| One F | 0.60 |
| Two E elements | 1.00 |
| Three D elements | 1.20 |
| Two C elements | 0.60 |
| Eight counting elements | 3.40 |
The completed D-Score is:
| Component | Credit |
|---|---|
| Counting Difficulty Values | 3.40 |
| All four Composition Requirements | 2.00 |
| Qualifying Connection Value | 0.40 |
| Dismount Bonus | 0.20 |
| D-Score | 6.00 |
If the combined execution evaluation produces 1.50 in deductions, the E-Score is:
10.00 − 1.50 = 8.50
With no separate penalties, the final score is:
6.00 + 8.50 = 14.500
This is an arithmetic example, not a specific athlete’s routine. The letter totals alone do not establish that a real routine meets every requirement or connection formula.
How Do Several Execution Judges Produce One E-Score?
The procedure depends on the judging panel. With seven E-judges, FIG uses the middle three deduction totals after excluding the two highest and two lowest. With five E-judges, it excludes one highest and one lowest and averages the remaining three.
For example, seven judges might record deductions of 1.30, 1.40, 1.40, 1.50, 1.60, 1.60 and 1.70. The middle three average 1.50, producing the 8.50 E-Score above.
Smaller panels follow the applicable FIG averaging procedure. The FIG E-Score guide covers the judging process in more detail.