Scoring system
Learning?
New to ATC? Start with the Learn ATC guides to understand separation, procedures, and handoffs before worrying about scores.
Points for good work, penalties for mistakes. Scores can go negative if you mess up badly enough.
Both center/approach mode and tower/ground mode have their own scoring systems. Final scores are multiplied by a complexity rating based on the airspace or airport.
Center/approach mode
Earning points
| Event | Points | When |
|---|---|---|
| Handoff at correct altitude | +100 | Aircraft exits sector at the required altitude |
| Handoff at wrong altitude | +50 | Aircraft exits, but not at the right altitude |
| Clean handoff bonus | +25 | Full handoff state machine completed smoothly |
| Departure controlled | +75 | You managed a departure from takeoff to handoff |
| Landing | +80 | Aircraft lands successfully |
| ILS established | +30 | Aircraft captures the localizer |
| Emergency resolved | +200 | Emergency aircraft safely handled |
| Constraint met | +40 | Aircraft meets a SID/STAR constraint at a fix |
| Perfect procedure | +100 | All constraints on a SID/STAR met with zero busts |
| Efficient descent | +75 | STAR completed with no level-offs (continuous descent) |
| Time bonus | +25 per 5 min | Up to 60 minutes |
Penalties
| Event | Points | When |
|---|---|---|
| Separation conflict | -200 | Two aircraft projected to lose separation |
| Severe conflict | -150 | Lateral < 2nm or vertical < 500ft |
| Crash | -500 | Aircraft collision |
| Go-around (controller) | -50 | You instruct a go-around |
| Missed approach (auto) | -75 | Pilot goes around - you didn't hand off to tower |
| Exit without handoff | -150 | Aircraft leaves sector without being handed off |
| Handoff rejected | -30 | Adjacent sector rejects your handoff |
| Constraint busted | -60 | Aircraft fails a SID/STAR constraint |
Procedure scoring
SID/STAR procedures are a big scoring opportunity. A STAR with 4 constraints, all met, with an efficient descent:
- 4 constraints met: +160
- Perfect procedure bonus: +100
- Efficient descent bonus: +75
- Total: +335 points from one arrival
Miss a constraint and that same arrival drops to +60 (3 met, 1 busted). Bad procedure management will tank your score.
The efficient descent bonus is hard to earn in busy traffic. It requires keeping the aircraft on a continuous descent without stopping it at an intermediate altitude for spacing. Use holds instead of level-offs when you can - holds don't count as level-offs.
Efficiency bonus
At session end, your command efficiency is evaluated:
| Commands per aircraft | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 3 or fewer (excellent) | +100 |
| 4 or fewer (good) | +50 |
| More than 4 | No bonus |
Fewer commands per aircraft means you're using procedures and automation well. dv plus an ILS clearance plus a tower handoff is 3 commands for a full arrival. Micromanaging every altitude and speed will cost you the efficiency bonus.
Tower/ground mode
Earning points
| Event | Points | When |
|---|---|---|
| Departure | +60 | Aircraft departs the airport |
| Runway vacated | +30 | Arriving aircraft safely exits the runway |
| Gate arrival | +40 | Arriving aircraft reaches its assigned gate |
| Landing clearance | +20 | Landing clearance issued to an approaching aircraft |
| Runway crossing | +15 | Safe runway crossing managed |
| Fast pushback approval | +10 | Approved within 30 seconds of request |
| Fast taxi clearance | +10 | Taxi clearance within 30 seconds of request |
| Time bonus | +20 per 5 min | Up to 30 minutes |
Penalties
| Event | Points | When |
|---|---|---|
| Ground collision | -1000 | Two aircraft collide on the ground |
| Runway incursion | -500 | Unauthorized aircraft on an active runway |
| Gridlock | -200 | Aircraft deadlocked, blocking each other |
| Taxi conflict | -150 | Near-miss between aircraft on taxiways |
| Rejected takeoff | -150 | Aircraft aborts takeoff roll |
| Missed landing clearance | -150 | Go-around because no clearance was issued |
| Controller go-around | -50 | You instruct a go-around |
| Slow pushback | -15 per min | After 2 minutes waiting |
| Slow taxi clearance | -10 per min | After 90 seconds waiting |
| Slow hold short response | -10 per min | After 2 minutes holding |
Complexity multiplier
Busier airspaces and airports earn higher scores. The multiplier is based on complexity rating.
| Rating | Multiplier | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (light) | 1.0x | Small single-runway airports, quiet centers |
| 2 | 1.1x | Medium airports |
| 3 | 1.25x | Busy regional airports |
| 4 | 1.4x | Major airports, busy ARTCCs |
| 5 (heavy) | 1.6x | Multi-runway hubs, New York/Atlanta center |
Score calculation
Final score = (event points + time bonus) × complexity multiplierThe score can go negative. A single crash in ground mode (-1000) wipes out about 16 successful departures. A separation conflict in center mode (-200) costs as much as 5 handoffs.
Tips
A ground collision costs everything. Always maintain separation.
In center mode, learning to use dv (descend via) is the single biggest scoring improvement you can make. One command replaces several manual altitude assignments and earns constraint bonuses on top.
Don't over-control. Three commands per aircraft earns the efficiency bonus. Five doesn't. Let the procedures do their job.
Watch the approach sequence. Hand aircraft off to tower (twr) well before they reach decision height. If you forget, the pilot executes a missed approach automatically (-75 points). A missed landing clearance in ground mode (-150) is even worse. Both are avoidable with good monitoring.