> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.equip.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scorecards

> Score candidates consistently on criteria you define, at phone screening, video interview, and custom stages.

**Scorecards** are structured questionnaires your team fills in after evaluating a candidate. Instead of free-form impressions, every interviewer rates the same criteria, so candidates are compared fairly and hiring decisions are backed by data.

## Creating Scorecards

Scorecards are managed as reusable **templates**. Create a template once, then attach it to as many pipeline stages as you like.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Scorecards templates page">
    Go to **Account → Templates → Scorecards**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a new template">
    Give the template a name, for example "Technical Interview Scorecard". Names can be up to 100 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define the criteria">
    New templates start with four default criteria. Add your own, remove ones you do not need, and drag to reorder them. At least one criterion must remain.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save the template">
    The template is now available in the scorecard dropdown when you configure supported pipeline stages.
  </Step>
</Steps>

The default criteria gives you a sensible starting point:

| Criterion            | What it measures                 |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **Communication**    | Clarity and articulation         |
| **Technical Skills** | Domain expertise and knowledge   |
| **Problem Solving**  | Analytical and critical thinking |
| **Cultural Fit**     | Alignment with team values       |

<Tip>
  Create separate templates for different rounds, such as a phone-screen template with broad criteria and a technical-round template with deeper ones. Interviewers then rate only what their round is designed to assess.
</Tip>

## Attaching Scorecards to Stages

Scorecards attach to the pipeline stages where a human evaluates the candidate. Assessments and AI interviews are scored automatically, so they do not use scorecards.

| Stage type                        | Scorecard support                |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **Phone Screening**               | Yes                              |
| **Video Interview**               | Yes                              |
| **Custom**                        | Yes                              |
| Assessment, AI Interviews         | No, these stages are auto-scored |
| Applied, Offered, terminal stages | No                               |

To attach a template, open the job's **Candidate Pipeline** settings, select a supported stage, and pick the template from the scorecard dropdown. See [Pipeline Stages](/pipeline-stages) for the full stage configuration options.

<Note>
  The same template can be attached to stages across multiple job openings. Alongside the scorecard, each stage can also have its own email templates and an assignee.
</Note>

## Filling In a Scorecard

When a candidate reaches a stage with a scorecard attached, evaluators fill it in from the candidate's profile.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the candidate">
    From the applications dashboard, open the candidate details panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Rate each criterion">
    Give a star rating for every criterion on the scorecard. Equip computes an overall score from your ratings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    The submission is logged in the candidate's **Candidate Journey** timeline as a "submitted scorecard" event, attributed to the team member who filled it in.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Opening an existing scorecard and submitting it again always creates a new scorecard event. It does not overwrite the earlier submission, so treat each submission as a fresh evaluation.
</Warning>

## Scores in Analytics

Scorecard results do not stay siloed on individual profiles. They roll up in two places:

* **Candidate profile**: submitted scorecards appear on the **Candidate Details** tab alongside test scores, fit score, and other evaluation data, and every submission is logged in the Candidate Journey.
* **ATS Insights**: The **Avg scorecard by recruiter** chart in the Team section averages scorecard results per recruiter, so you can spot evaluators who rate consistently harsher or more leniently than the rest of the team.

<Tip>
  Reviewing average scores by recruiter is a quick calibration check. If one interviewer's averages drift far from the team's, align on what each star rating should mean before your next round of interviews.
</Tip>

## Related Resources

* [Pipeline Stages](/pipeline-stages) - Configure the stages where scorecards can be attached
* [Candidate Profile](/candidate-profile) - Where submitted scorecards and the Candidate Journey live
* [ATS Insights](/ats-insights) - Team analytics, including the average scorecard by recruiter chart
* [Email Templates](/email-templates) - The other reusable templates you can attach to pipeline stages