D-score, A-score, E-score: how your RG final mark is built, why the artistry score sets RG apart, plus the strict timing rules.
Direct answer: your final score in RG is made up of three partial scores — not two like in artistic gymnastics. Alongside difficulty (D) and execution (E), there's a third value that sets the sport apart from bars, beam and floor: the artistry score (A).
The formula: final score = D-score + A-score + E-score − deductions. The D-score has no upper limit and grows with every element shown — it's built from Body Difficulty (BD) and Apparatus Difficulty (AD), added together. The A- and E-scores, on the other hand, start at 10.0 points and get reduced by deductions.
For context on why this differs from artistic gymnastics: there, a two-part system judges only difficulty and execution — artistic quality flows in, at most, indirectly through the execution score. In RG, by contrast, dedicated A-panel judges specifically evaluate choreography, musical interpretation and artistic mastery — a standalone scoring system for exactly what sets RG apart from other gymnastics disciplines.
D (Difficulty) measures WHAT you show — body and apparatus difficulties with no cap. A (Artistry) measures HOW the routine works as a whole — music, composition, artistic idea. E (Execution) measures HOW CLEANLY you perform it — every wobble, every missed catch costs here.
Since the D-score is open-ended, more difficulty pays off — but only if execution keeps up. A high D-score with poor execution ultimately scores less than a moderate D-score performed cleanly.
The A-score isn't a side note — it starts at 10.0 and is judged independently. Choreography, use of space and the connection between music and movement count here just as much as technical elements do in the D-score.
Individual routines must run between 1:15 and 1:30 minutes. Every full second outside this window costs 0.05 points — in tight competitions that decides placements.
An introduction without movement is tolerated up to four seconds, after which there's a 0.30-point deduction. Choreographies are built so the first movement lands almost exactly with the first note.
The ambition to raise the D-score quickly sometimes tempts athletes to add new difficulty elements before they're actually ready — that exact move raises injury risk without really improving the final score if execution suffers as a result. Only raise difficulty once the base sits securely.
At international competitions, deliberately watch routines with an unusually high A-score, not just the ones with the highest D-score. You'll learn more about spacing, musical phrasing and transitions there than from pure difficulty showcases.
If you choreograph routines yourself or have them choreographed, note separately for each of the three partial scores where points get lost. That way you quickly see whether a weak D-score, a restless A-impression, or messy E-execution is your biggest lever for next season.
From three partial scores: D-score (difficulty, no upper limit), A-score (artistry, starts at 10.0) and E-score (execution, starts at 10.0), minus deductions. That sets RG apart from artistic gymnastics, where only difficulty and execution are scored.
Between 1:15 and 1:30 minutes. Every full second outside this window costs a 0.05-point deduction — in tight competitions that can decide medals.
Up to four seconds of introduction without movement is allowed, after which there's a 0.30-point deduction. Most choreographies therefore start almost the same moment as the music.
Only if execution keeps up. A very high D-score with many execution faults often scores less in the end than a cleanly performed routine with moderate difficulty.
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Group Competition