How is bouldering scored?
B · Beginner · The boulder and the score · 4 of 4Each boulder is worth up to 25 points. A top scores 25 and a zone without the top scores 10. Each failed attempt before the top or the zone takes off 0.1. A climber's score for the round is the total across all the boulders, and the highest total wins.
How it works
- A top: "25 points, with a deduction of 0.1 points for each unsuccessful attempt".
- A zone: 10 points, with 0.1 off "for each attempt made before the Zone is awarded".
- Whichever is greater: the boulder's score is the larger of the top value and the zone value.
- Never negative: the score on a boulder cannot go below 0.0.
- The total: climbers are ranked "in descending order of the total number of points".
- A flash: a top at the first attempt scores the full 25.0.
- Not starting: a climber who does not attempt the first boulder is unranked and marked DNS.
- One cancelled: the Jury President may, in exceptional circumstances, cancel one boulder in a round.
The glossary has the boulder score, the top, the zone, the attempt, the flash and the boulder event format.
Tricky cases
A climber tops a boulder on the third attempt. What is the score?
24.8: 25 points less 0.1 for each of the two failed attempts.
A climber gets the zone on the second attempt and never tops. What is the score?
9.9: 10 points less 0.1 for the one attempt before the zone was awarded.
A climber gets the zone on the first attempt and tops on the fifth. Is it 25 plus 10?
No. The score is the greater of the two values, which is 24.6 for the top.
Which is better, two zones or one top?
One top. Two zones score at most 20.0 and a top scores at least 25 less its attempts.
Why the rule exists
A single number is easier to follow than the older count of tops, zones and attempts in separate columns. The values keep the old order of priority: one top beats two zones, and the small deduction means attempts only matter between climbers who achieved the same things.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World championship and series events | 25 and 10 points with 0.1 deductions | WC Event Regulations, Annex C 5.1 |
| The competition rules alone | Record a top with its attempts and any zones; no points | WC Competition Rules 9.6; 9.7 |
| Youth qualification, format A | A limited number of attempts | WC Event Regulations, Annex C note 55 |
From the rule book
World Climbing, Event Regulations (version 3, January 2026), Annex C sections 5 and 7; World Climbing, Competition Rules (version 3, January 2026), Rules 9.6 and 9.7. Checked 14 October 2026. Official documents: World Climbing Competition Rules, January 2026 (PDF) and World Climbing Event Regulations, January 2026 (PDF).