This article is for administrators.
Overview
A Readability Score shows how easy or hard a job description is to read. In Recruiting, Paycor uses the Flesch Reading Ease test to create this score. The test reviews word count, sentence length, and syllables.
Readability scores help you understand how clear your job description is for applicants. Clear job descriptions can attract more qualified candidates and improve your applicant pool.
What is the Flesch Reading Ease Score
The Flesch Reading Ease test gives a score from 0 to 100.
- Higher scores mean the text is easier to read.
- Lower scores mean the text is harder to read.
A high score is not always good, and a low score is not always bad. Always consider the intended audience.
Most popular books, blogs, and newspapers score between 50 and 80. Legal, technical, or academic writing often scores between 20 and 60.
Readability score ranges
Score Range |
School Level (U.S.) |
Description |
100–90 |
5th grade |
Very easy to read. |
90–80 |
6th grade |
Easy, conversational English. |
80–70 |
7th grade |
Fairly easy to read. |
70–60 |
8th–9th grade |
Plain English. |
60–50 |
10th–12th grade |
Fairly difficult to read. |
50–30 |
College |
Difficult to read. |
30–10 |
College graduate |
Very difficult to read. |
10–0 |
Professional |
Extremely difficult to read. |
Why readability matters in Recruiting
Your job description is often the first impression a candidate has of your company. If it is hard to read, some candidates may choose not to apply.
The Check Readability feature helps you review and improve your job description so it is clear and accessible to more applicants.
Where you can use Check Readability
The Check Readability feature is available in these areas:
- Create a Job tab
- Request Job Approval tab
- Activate This Job screen
- Job Newsfeed & Description tab in the Job Record
- Job Templates
Use Check Readability
- Go to People > Hiring > Applicant Tracking to open the Recruiting platform.
- Create a new job or open an existing job.
- Enter or review the job description. On the Job Description screen, select Check Readability in the upper-left area.
- Review the Improve Readability pop-up. This screen shows:
- The Readability Score
- Word, sentence, and syllable counts
- A simple rubric to explain the score
- Links to related knowledge base articles
- Select OK to close the pop-up and return to the Job Description screen.
- To improve the score, edit the job description using the guidance provided. For more details, refer to Job description readability best practices.
Updated: May 15th, 2026 5315 views 0 likes
*This content is for educational purposes only, is not intended to provide specific legal advice, and should not be used as a substitute for the legal advice of a qualified attorney or other professional. The information may not reflect the most current legal developments, may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct, or up-to-date.