How to Use Descriptive Scoring

In this article: 

• Overview
• Why It Matters 

• How It Works 

• Setting Up Descriptive Scoring 

• Example Mapping 
• Things to Know 
• FAQs
  
  

Overview 

With Descriptive Scoring, organizations can replace traditional numerical ratings in Performance Reviews with text-based scores. This approach can help create a more meaningful review experience and reduces the unintended “grading effect” that can be associated with numeric scores. 

Instead of managers worrying whether a “3/5” feels like a “60%,” using descriptive results — like Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, or Needs Improvement — can provide clearer context for both employees and managers. 

This feature is available to all organizations with Reviews enabled. 

 

Why Descriptive Scoring Matters 

Many organizations have shared that numeric scores can unintentionally feel like school grades, which skews performance ratings. For example: 

• On a 5-point scale, a score of 3.0 (Meets Expectations) may be perceived as “average” or even negative because it feels like a 60% grade. 

• Employees and managers may avoid using mid-range scores, leading to inflated or inconsistent ratings. 

With Descriptive Scoring, words provide clarity and context, helping both managers and employees understand the criteria and meaning for each rating level. This allows employees and managers to describe performance in meaningful ways — rather than reducing it to a number. 

The result? More constructive and confidence-inspiring conversations when it matters most. 

 

How It Works 

• Admins set scoring ranges within a Performance Review template. 

• Each range maps a numeric score to a descriptive label. 

• Admins have the flexibility to include an Overall Score or show Descriptive Scoring only at the question level. 

• Once the template is active, participants see descriptive scores instead of raw numbers. 
• Updating score mappings in a template automatically applies to all instances of that template — past and future. 

 

Setting Up Descriptive Scoring 

Let's dive in. Click here for a step-by-step walkthrough, or check out a visual guide below. ⬇️

 

1. Open the Review Template 
   1. From the left-hand navigation, go to Administration > Performance Reviews > Templates. 
   2. Click New Template or copy an existing template.
2.  Toggle on Descriptive Scoring 
   1. View Template settings on the right-hand side 
   2. Toggle “Descriptive Scoring Enabled?” ON 
   3. Decide whether to include the Overall Score  
      1. (Selecting “No” will remove the numeric score entirely) 
3. Optional: If this is a new template, add Review questions 
4. Setup Descriptive Score Mapping 
   1. Once the template is setup, click Save and Continue. 
   2. Next, it’s time to select (or build) your Descriptive Score Map.  
5. Creating the Score Map 
   1. When setting up Overall Scoring, there are two main approaches depending on your review template: 
      1. Single Question: If there’s only one question that determines the overall score, the simplest option is to map the overall score directly to the scale used in that question, (e.g., 4 = Exceeds Expectations). Here's an example.
      2. Multiple Questions: If multiple questions roll up into the overall score, you’ll need to define score ranges (buckets). See an example here. 
         1. Set your Map Values and ranges (e.g., 4.0–5.0 = Exceeds Expectations). 
         2. Enter descriptive labels for each range. 
         3. Be mindful to align scores with the Favorability indicator bar for consistency. 
6. Check the Score Map for accuracy 
   1. Click Preview Score Map 
   2. Enter an example score 
   3. Click Show Preview 
   4. Adjust the Score Map as needed based on results
      1. Note: This is only an example. If you aren’t displaying an Overall Score, Descriptive Scoring will only appear on individual questions. 
   5. Then, click Save and Continue to apply the mapping. 
7. Save & Activate 
   1. Click Finalize & Activate once your mapping is complete. 
   2. Descriptive scoring will display in reviews launched with this template. 

 

Example Mappings 

1. Example: This setup uses the Single Question option, where the selected score maps directly to a description — no ranges or averages required.

 

Numeric Range	Descriptive Score
1	Does Not Meet Expectations
2	Partially Meets Expectations
3	Fully Meets Expectations
4	Partially Exceeds Expectations
5	Consistently Exceeds Expectations

 

2. Example: This setup uses the Multiple Questions option, where responses roll up into an Overall Score based on the Numeric Range. Each range is mapped to a description, so the average score automatically aligns with the correct label.

Numeric Range	Descriptive Score
1.0 – 1.9	Does Not Meet Expectations
2.0 – 2.9	Partially Meets Expectations
3.0 – 3.9	Fully Meets Expectations
4.0 – 5.0	Exceeds Expectations

 

Things to Know 

• Template-Level Settings: Descriptive scoring is configured via the template. 

• Exports: Descriptive scores appear in non-analytics exports and PDFs. 

• Consistency: Changing score mappings in a template will update all past reviews using that template. 

• Limitations: Analytics dashboards currently do not support descriptive scoring. 

• Supported Use: Only available for Performance Reviews at this time. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: Can I still see the numeric scores behind the descriptions? 
A: It depends. If Descriptive Scoring is enabled, admins can opt to include or exclude each question in the Overall Score, and admins can also configure exports to include both.  

Q: Can I add Descriptive Scoring after a review has launched? 
A: While you can technically enable it after launch, we recommend setting it up beforehand. Once reviews are in progress, participants will already be providing feedback and viewing numeric scores, so configuring it early helps create a more consistent experience.  

Q: What if I change the mapping after a review has launched? 
A: Updates apply retroactively to all reviews using that template. 

Q: Can descriptive scoring be used in 1-on-1s?  
A: Not at this time - descriptive scoring is currently only supported in Reviews. 

Q: Will descriptive scores show up in Analytics? 
A: Not at this time. They will appear in non-analytics exports and PDFs.