---
id: correctness.scoring
title: Rubric Points and Benchmark Scores
summary: Interpret earned points, penalties, mandatory gates, negative percentages, and incomplete benchmark results.
kind: reference
product_area: correctness_governance
status: stable
updated: 2026-10-30
canonical: /docs/correctness-governance/scoring
---

# Rubric Points and Benchmark Scores

## Definition

A binary rubric judgment describes observed behavior. The Regime determines how that judgment contributes to a Case and Benchmark score. Positive points, penalties and mandatory gates have distinct meanings.

## Fields, states, or lifecycle rules

- Positive points are earned when the relevant Rubric passes.
- Penalty points are deducted when its Rubric fails.
- A mandatory gate determines eligibility in a gated framework.
- Missing or incompatible judgments remain incomplete.
- Exact recorded fractions are displayed as percentages.

## Case score

For current point-based configuration, the Case score is:

```text
(earned positive points - triggered penalty points)
  / total applicable positive points
```

If there are no applicable positive points, the denominator is the total applicable penalty points. If that denominator is also zero, the Case is unscored.

A penalty-only Case ranges from 0% when no penalty triggers to -100% when all trigger. A mixed Case can score below -100%. There is no per-Case floor, cap or output scaling in the current configuration.

{% example-demo title="A valid negative score" %}
A Case has 2 applicable positive points and 6 penalty points. It earns both positive points and triggers every penalty. Its score is (2 - 6) / 2, or -200%. The negative result preserves the configured consequence rather than being clamped to zero.
{% /example-demo %}

## Gates and incomplete judgments

A completed mandatory-gate failure contributes zero to the benchmark score. Its rubric calculation remains available for diagnosis. Missing judgments do not become zero merely because another gate failed.

Benchmark and repeated-Trial means retain the entire frozen population. An unresolved Case or Trial makes the evaluation incomplete and unrankable. Technical execution failure is not a valid rubric failure.

## History and configuration

Project Settings → Regime configures point ranges, increments and guidance. New settings affect future captured work. Earlier Benchmark Versions retain their accepted scoring configuration; historical scaling rules are interpreted under that configuration.

Use **Correct judgment** for an attributable correction to an exact result. Use the governing Policy, Rubric or Regime settings when the intended standard is what needs to change.
## Related task pages

{% related-card-grid title="Related task pages" %}
- [Regime Settings](/docs/project-settings/regime)
- [Inspect Evaluation Results](/docs/benchmark-evaluations/inspect-results)
- [Write Binary Rubrics](/docs/correctness-governance/binary-rubrics)
{% /related-card-grid %}