Final Scoring Explained (Relative Placement)
How the final ranking is calculated: the majority placement, the point totals, and the exact tie-break order.
In the final, each judge places every finalist (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on). The app turns those placements into a single ranking using a fixed order of tie-breaks. Every step is visible in the results table, so if a dancer asks how their result was decided, the answer is on the screen.
Step 1: each judge's placements
For each finalist, collect every judge's placement. If one judge ties two finalists (puts both at the same rank), both get the midpoint; for example, a judge who places two finalists at "2nd" gives each an effective placement of 2.5.
Step 2: the majority test
For a finalist, look at the sorted list of their effective placements across judges. Walk the ranks from 1 upward; the first rank R where a majority of judges (more than half) placed them at R or better is their majority placement. Fewer judges and a closer result, the fallback is the rank where the largest share of judges lands them.
- A finalist whom 2 of 3 judges placed at rank 1 (and the third at rank 3) has a majority placement of 1.
- A finalist whom no majority has settled by ranks 1 to 2 falls back to the rank at which the most judges collectively place them.
The ranking starts here. The finalist with the best (lowest) majority placement ranks first.
Step 3: tie-breaks, in order
If two finalists are still tied, the app applies tie-breaks in this fixed order:
| Order | Tie-break | Plain English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Majority placement | Who reached the best rank that a majority of judges agrees on. |
| 2 | Majority count | More judges agreed on the better side. |
| 3 | Point sum at majority | At the majority rank, the lower (better) sum of those best placements wins. |
| 4 | Next score | Look at the next rank down: whoever has more judges at or before that rank. |
| 5 | Head-to-head | Judge by judge, count how often one finalist was placed above the other. |
| 6 | Tied | Still tied; the two share the same rank. |
The results table shows which tie-break decided each tie, and (for the numeric ones) the value and the column. That is what you explain to a dancer if asked.
The head judge in the final
If the final's configuration sets a head judge, one of two modes applies:
- Head judge scores are included in base calculation (the default): their placements count like everyone else's.
- Head judge scores only used for tie-breaks: their placement is excluded from the base ranking and only settles a tie.
"Total points" and "average" in the table
For each finalist:
- Total points is the sum of that finalist's effective placements across judges. Lower is better.
- Average is the total divided by the number of judges. Lower is better.
These columns are reference numbers; the order itself is set by the majority and tie-break sequence above.
A worked example (3 judges, 4 finalists)
Suppose the judges placed the field this way:
| Finalist | Judge A | Judge B | Judge C |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| #2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| #3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| #4 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
The app works each finalist's majority placement in turn. With 3 judges, a majority is 2+.
- #1: placements (1, 2, 2). Two judges place #1 at rank 1 (one at rank 2), so the majority placement is 1, two judges at or before it, point sum at that rank = 1 + 2 = 3.
- #2: placements (2, 3, 1). Sorted (1, 2, 3). One at rank 1, two at or before rank 2, so the majority placement is 2, point sum = 1 + 2 = 3.
- #3: placements (3, 1, 4). Sorted (1, 3, 4). One at rank 1, so no majority until rank 3, where two judges land: majority placement 3, point sum = 1 + 3 = 4.
- #4: placements (4, 2, 3). Sorted (2, 3, 4). No majority until rank 3, where two judges land: majority placement 3, point sum = 2 + 3 = 5.
The base ranking is therefore #1, #2, #3, #4 (by majority placement, 1, 2, 3, 3). Because #3 and #4 share a majority placement, the app falls through the tie-break chain:
- Majority placement: 3 = 3, tie.
- Majority count: #3 had 2 judges, #4 had 2, tie.
- Point sum at majority: #3 had 4, #4 had 5. #3 wins on this tie-break (order 3, SUM_TOTAL).
The results table will show the tie-break reason as Point sum at the majority rank, with the value for each finalist and the column in the grid that mattered. That is the explanation a dancer can be handed.
Common questions
- "Why did dancer X beat dancer Y?" Open the results table. The tie-break column tells you which tie-break decided, and (for numeric ones) with what value and in which column.
- "Can two dancers share a rank?" Yes. If every tie-break is exhausted and they still tie, they are marked TIED and share a rank.
- "Does the head judge win more?" Only if the head judge is set to tie-break-only mode. Otherwise the head judge votes like anyone else.