Want "Innovation" to count more than "Presentation"? There's no separate weight setting in the evaluation form. Instead, a criterion's weight is the number of points its answers give. The cleanest way is to show evaluators a simple 1 to 5 on every criterion and set the points behind each choice to match the weight.
How scores are calculated
Each evaluator's score for a submission is one total: the sum of the numbers from every scoring question in the form.
Avg Score is the average of the evaluators' totals. For example, totals of 19 and 18 give an Avg Score of 18.50.
Score Gap shows how far apart the evaluators' totals are.
Rank orders submissions by Avg Score.
Only Evaluation Fields (Rating Scale, Rating Slider, Dropdown, Radio Button Group, Yes/No) can count. Feedback and the fields under Other Fields → Misc never affect the score.
Step 1: Plan your weights
List your criteria and give each a percentage that adds up to 100%.
Turn each percentage into a maximum number of points. Using a total of 100 points keeps it simple: 25% = 25 points.
Split each maximum into 5 steps. For 25 points that's 5, 10, 15, 20, 25; for 10 points it's 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
Step 2: Show 1 to 5, score with points (recommended)
Evaluators see the same 1 to 5 on every criterion, so the form stays easy to use. Behind each choice, the value carries the weight.
Open the round and click the Evaluation Form tab, then click the Rating Scale question.
In the property panel, open Scale.
Under Rating configuration, click Manual. A Custom rating values table appears with a Value column (the points) and a Text column (what evaluators see).
For each row, click the pencil icon, enter the points in Value and the label in Text (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), then click the pencil again to close it.
Check the question in the designer: it should show 1 to 5. The builder saves automatically.
Good to know: typing straight into a table cell changes the Value, even in the Text column, so use the pencil to set the Text. If you see "Please enter a unique value", two rows have the same points.
Alternative: use the scale range
If you'd rather let evaluators see the points directly (for example 5, 10, 15, 20, 25), keep Auto-generate and set Maximum rating value first, then Minimum rating value and Step value. Check Rating count equals the number of options you want; if the last value is missing, type the right count.
Either way, switch on Required under General so evaluators can't skip a criterion.
Step 3: Set values on choice questions
For a Radio Button Group or Dropdown, the score comes from each choice's number.
Click the question and open Choices in the property panel.
In the Value / Text table, enter a number in Value for each choice. The Text is what evaluators see.
Use bigger numbers for more important questions.
Example: a "Recommendation" question with Advance to next round = 20, Borderline = 10, Do not advance = 0.
Worked example (100 points)
This is a hackathon idea-scoring form. Every criterion shows 1 to 5 to evaluators; the points behind each choice carry the weight. With the Recommendation question, the form adds up to exactly 100 points, so Avg Score reads as a percentage.
Innovation & Originality (25%): 1 to 5 worth 5, 10, 15, 20, 25.
Technical Feasibility (20%): 1 to 5 worth 4, 8, 12, 16, 20.
Potential Impact (15%): 1 to 5 worth 3, 6, 9, 12, 15.
Problem Clarity (10%): 1 to 5 worth 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
Clarity of Submission (10%): 1 to 5 worth 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
Recommendation (20%): Advance to next round = 20, Borderline = 10, Do not advance = 0.
This is how the form looks to evaluators (the red labels are added here for explanation; they aren't shown on the form):
Evaluator A gives 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 and recommends Advance: 20 + 16 + 12 + 8 + 8 + 20 = 84. Evaluator B gives 3, 3, 3, 3, 4 and recommends Borderline: 15 + 12 + 9 + 6 + 8 + 10 = 60. The submission's Avg Score is 72.00, and its Score Gap is 24.
Tip: write the weight in each question's description (for example "25% of the score") so evaluators know what each criterion is worth.
For power users: paste the values as JSON
The builder's Code Editor tab shows the form as JSON and accepts edits; the form saves when you switch back to Designer. A rating question with 1 to 5 worth 5 to 25 looks like this:
{ "type": "rating", "name": "score_innovation", "title": "Innovation & Originality", "isRequired": true, "autoGenerate": false, "rateValues": [ { "value": 5, "text": "1" }, { "value": 10, "text": "2" }, { "value": 15, "text": "3" }, { "value": 20, "text": "4" }, { "value": 25, "text": "5" } ] }Copy the whole form JSON somewhere safe before you edit it, and keep the question names unchanged.
Common challenges
Mixing question types
Rating questions and choice questions add up together. Before you mix them, write down each question's maximum so the totals still match your weights. If you're unsure what a Yes/No answer adds, use a Radio Button Group with Yes and No and set their Values yourself (for example 5 and 0).
Text and comment questions
Feedback and Other Fields → Misc fields are for comments only and never count. On choice questions, a Value must be a number to count. A text value such as "Advance" adds nothing to the score.
Unequal scales by accident
A question worth 1 to 10 counts twice as much as one worth 1 to 5, even if both show 1 to 5. If you want criteria to count equally, give them the same points. If you use separate evaluation forms for different tracks, their maximum scores can differ, so compare scores within a track.
The minimum also counts
The weakest answer still adds its points (for example 5 on a 5-to-25 criterion). Set each minimum in proportion too, as in the example, or keep in mind that no submission can score below the sum of the minimums.
Optional questions
If an evaluator skips an optional scoring question, it adds nothing and lowers the total. Make every scoring question Required.
Changing the form after evaluations have started
Finish and test your points before the evaluation period opens. Changing values afterwards doesn't re-score evaluations that are already in, so old and new evaluations end up on different scales. If you must change the form, check the scores in Round Scores and ask evaluators to review the evaluations they've already submitted.
Decimals
Avg Score is shown with two decimals (for example 72.00), so averages may not be whole numbers.
Tips
Use the Preview tab in the builder to check what evaluators will see.
Score a test submission yourself to check the total. See Judging Submissions as an Admin.
Check results in the round's Submissions tab: in the view selector, choose Round Scores. See Reviewing Round Scores and Evaluations.
Still not adding up? Message us in chat with the round name and we'll take a look.
For the basics of building the form, see Building Your Evaluation Form.