Free ATS resume checker

The checker needs JavaScript. You paste your resume text and, optionally, a job description; the result appears on this page and nothing leaves your browser.

What the checker measures

Four groups of checks, all run on the text you paste. Each one is something a person can verify by reading their own resume.

• Job keywords (needs a job description). Which of the job's skills and tools appear in your resume. Each keyword counts once, required ones count more than preferred ones, and soft skills like teamwork count least.
• Bullet strength. Whether each bullet starts with an action verb, contains a number or measurable result, is a sensible length, and avoids phrases like "responsible for" and "worked on".
• Structure. Standard headings (Experience or Projects, Education, Skills), a name and email, dates on your roles, and a skills list with at least five items.
• Format flags in the text. A phone number, a length that fits one or two pages, and signs of tables, columns, tab alignment, decorative symbols or broken characters.

The score combines these with the same weights as the LogicWiz Resume Optimizer, minus its writing-quality part. The same text and job description always give the same result. There is no AI in the checker.

What it does not measure

• Any employer's ATS. We do not have access to one, and no outside checker does. The score is not what a company's system would give you.
• Hiring outcomes. A higher score does not mean you will be shortlisted or interviewed, and a lower one does not mean you will be rejected.
• Your file layout. Pasted text carries no fonts, columns or images. Signs of columns and tables are guesses from the text, so the checker can miss a layout problem or flag one that is not there.
• Whether your experience is strong. It checks how the resume is written, not how good you are.
• Truth. It will never tell you to add a skill you do not have.

How ATS parsing works, and what is only rumour

An applicant tracking system is software employers use to collect, sort and organise applications. Indeed describes it that way, and says a recruiter or hiring manager usually reviews applications more closely afterward. MIT's career office compares it to a database and notes that some systems can score applicants against the job posting.

When you upload a file, the system tries to read out your name, contact details, roles, dates and skills. Plain text under standard headings is the easiest to read. Indeed warns that tables, text boxes, columns, headers, footers and graphics can be harder for some systems to parse, and MIT advises avoiding graphics, icons and tables because a system may distort or drop them. Both say "some" and "may": parsers differ, and nobody outside a given employer can tell you how theirs behaves.

What we could not find a neutral source for: how many resumes are rejected by software, and any rule that a particular score gets you through. Figures like that circulate widely online. We leave them out. For more detail with each source linked, read our ATS resume checklist.

What to do with your result

Start with the high-priority items, since they are the ones most likely to matter to a parser or a recruiter. Fix keywords only where you really have the experience. If a bullet has no number, add one only if you measured it; otherwise describe what changed in plain words. Run the checker again after each edit: the result updates the moment you click.

Want more than a check?

The LogicWiz Resume Optimizer goes further: it reads your whole resume, shows your ATS-style score moving as you edit, and rewrites weak bullets for the job you are applying to without inventing results. It is free to start and needs no card. It does use AI to write the suggestions and stores your resume text in your account, which is the reason it asks you to sign in. This checker never does either.

Try the Resume Optimizer, free to start

Related reading

• How to pass ATS with your resume: a checklist, with sources: What Indeed and university career offices actually say, and what is only common advice.
• STAR method examples for software engineers: Turn a weak bullet or answer into one that shows what you did and what came of it.
• How to prepare for an AI interview: For the step after the resume gets read.

Frequently asked questions

Is this ATS resume checker really free?

Yes. There is no login, no email gate and no limit on how many times you run it. The Resume Optimizer it links to is free to start, with no card needed.

Is my resume uploaded or saved anywhere?

No. The scoring runs in your browser on the text you paste. The text is not sent to a server, not stored and not included in analytics. Close the tab and it is gone. Pasting is also why the checker cannot see your file layout.

What does the score mean?

It is the share of the checks on this page that your text passes, weighted the way the LogicWiz Resume Optimizer weights them: job keywords, bullet strength, structure and format. It is a way to find weak spots. It does not predict whether you will be shortlisted, and it is not the score any employer's system gives you.

Does this tell me whether I will pass a company's ATS?

No. Every employer configures its own system, and no outside tool can see those settings. The checker measures things that are true of any resume: whether the job's keywords appear, whether bullets start with a verb and show a result, whether standard headings and contact details are present, and whether the text contains table or symbol habits that parsers often handle badly.

Does an ATS automatically reject most resumes?

Indeed describes an ATS as software that collects, sorts and organises applications, with a person usually reviewing afterward. MIT's career office notes that some systems can score applicants against the posting. We have not found a neutral source for a rejection rate, so this page does not quote one. Be wary of any site that does.

How do I add keywords without stuffing?

Take the tools and skills from the job description, keep only the ones you can honestly claim, and use each where you did the work. The checker counts each keyword once, so repeating a word does not raise the score. A hiring manager will read the resume too.

Which file format should I submit?

Follow what the application asks for. MIT's career office says .doc, .docx and .pdf are usually safe, and advises avoiding PDFs made from scans or images. This checker works on pasted text, so it cannot test your file. To check a PDF yourself, copy all the text out of it and paste it here: if the text comes out scrambled or missing, a parser will likely struggle too.

Why does it find few keywords in my job description?

The checker recognises a built-in list of technical skills, tools and a few common workplace skills. For jobs outside that list it says so, skips the keyword score, and shows words the job description repeats that your resume does not contain, so you can judge for yourself.

What is a good score?

There is no verified number that gets a resume through any system, so we do not draw a pass line. Use the score to compare your own edits: run it, fix the high-priority items, run it again. A resume for a different field can honestly score lower on keywords, and that is fine.

Why is my score low?

The usual reasons are no job description pasted (so keywords are not scored), bullets with no numbers or that start with phrases like "responsible for", missing standard headings, or text that came out of a PDF with columns or odd symbols. The list under your score names the exact checks that failed.

How is this different from the Resume Optimizer?

The checker uses the same keyword matching and bullet checks, and nothing else. The Resume Optimizer reads your whole resume more carefully, checks writing quality, shows how your score moves as you edit, and can rewrite weak bullets for a specific job. Rewrites use AI and your resume text is stored in your account there, which is why it needs sign-in. The checker does neither.