Contest Scoring Explained: QSO Points, Multipliers and Final Score
A contest looks simple from the outside: work as many stations as you can. After a first weekend with a logger, the rules start to matter. Why does the same number of contacts produce such different scores? Why do experienced operators give up a loud run on one band to chase a single weak station? And why does the final result, published months later, often differ from the score you claimed on the night? The answers lie in the scoring system, and contest scoring explained in a few paragraphs gives you a better strategy than any amount of extra power. This guide shows how most contests combine QSO points and multipliers, how to work out the value of a new multiplier in contacts, what happens when the log is checked and how to use the numbers to plan your hours.
The Basic Formula
Most amateur radio contests use the same basic formula. Every valid contact earns a number of points, and a second number, the multiplier, counts something that is new: a country, a zone, a state, a prefix. The final score is the total of the QSO points multiplied by the multiplier total. Written as an equation, it is simply score equals points times multipliers. A station with 600 contacts of 3 points each and 100 multipliers scores 600 times 3 times 100, which is 180,000.
The structure explains many habits. Because the multiplier multiplies everything, an addition of one multiplier raises the whole score by a fraction, and the effect grows as the number of points grows. Because the points come from every contact, a contact that earns no new multiplier still adds points. The contest is the balance between the two, and that balance is the topic of the strategy articles on running and search and pounce and on band changes and multipliers. The scoring rules of a particular contest decide how big each part is.
Two Real Examples
The scoring of two popular DX contests shows how the formula works in practice. In the CQ World Wide DX Contest, the points for a contact depend on where the other station is: a contact with a station in your own country earns no points, a contact with another country on your own continent earns one point, with a different continent three points, and, for stations in North America, a contact within the continent earns two points. The multipliers are the CQ zones and the countries, counted separately on each band. The final score is the points multiplied by the sum of the zones and countries over all bands. The article on the CQ WW DX Contest explains the exchange and the zones.
The ARRL DX Contest is simpler. Stations in the United States and Canada earn three points for each contact with a station outside the continental US and Canada, and the multiplier is the number of countries worked on each band. The mirror image applies to DX stations. The article on the ARRL DX Contest describes the exchange. The comparison shows that two contests can use the same formula and still reward different behaviour, because the points and the multipliers are defined differently, so always read the rules of the contest that you enter.
What Counts as a Multiplier
The multiplier is what the contest wants you to find. It can be a geographic unit, such as a DXCC country, a CQ or ITU zone, a section, a state or a province, or a property of a callsign such as a prefix. It can count once for the whole contest or once per band, and that choice matters a great deal. A multiplier that counts once rewards a wide net on any band. A multiplier that counts per band rewards the same net on every band, so an entity worked on 20 metres and again on 15 metres counts twice. Per-band multipliers are one of the reasons for the band changes that you see in contests, which are the subject of the article on band change strategy.
| Multiplier type | Counts | Effect on strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Country, once per contest | One time in the whole contest | Find each country once, then ignore it |
| Country, per band | Once on every band | Revisit every band to find new ones |
| Zone, per band | Once on every band | Rare zones are valuable on every band |
| State or section, once | One time in the whole contest | Work the sections you still need |
| Prefix, once | Each prefix counts once | Wide variety of calls matters |
The Value of a New Multiplier
The useful question is how many ordinary contacts a new multiplier is worth. The answer comes from the formula. Take a score of P times M, where P is the total QSO points and M is the number of multipliers. A new multiplier raises the score by P. A new contact of p points raises the score by p times M. The new multiplier is worth as many contacts as P divided by (p times M). If all contacts have the same points, P equals the number of contacts times p, and the expression reduces to the number of contacts divided by the number of multipliers.
With 600 contacts and 100 multipliers, one new multiplier is worth six contacts. With 1,200 contacts and 100 multipliers it is worth twelve contacts. With 600 contacts and 200 multipliers it is worth three. That is the guide to behaviour. Early in the contest, with few multipliers, each new one is worth many contacts, so hunting for multipliers pays. Later, when the multiplier count is high and growing slowly, the value of a new multiplier in contacts is smaller, but a new multiplier is rare and may take many minutes to find. Compare the worth of a multiplier in contacts with the time it takes. If six contacts take two minutes on a good run and the multiplier takes ten minutes of searching, the run is the better use of the time.
A Worked Example
Suppose that after the first night of a DX contest you have 400 contacts of 3 points each, which is 1,200 points, and 80 multipliers. The score is 96,000. In the next hour, you have two options. On a good run you can make 90 contacts, which add 270 points and, at 80 multipliers, 21,600 to the score. Or you can search for multipliers and find 5 new ones along with 25 contacts. The 25 contacts add 75 points, so the score becomes 1,275 times 85, which is 108,375, a gain of 12,375. The run is the better choice in this case. Now change the numbers: with only 30 multipliers and 400 contacts, each multiplier adds 1,200 and the search wins easily. Doing this arithmetic during a contest is not necessary at every step, but a quick estimate once an hour tells you which way to lean.
Rate and the Mix of Run and Search
The comparison above explains why strong operators alternate between running on one frequency and searching the band. Running produces a high rate of contacts at the same time. Searching produces multipliers at a lower rate. The best mix depends on the numbers: when the rate on a run is high and the multiplier is worth few contacts, stay on the run and return to hunting when the rate drops. When the multiplier is worth many contacts, make a quick search through the band after each run period. The article on where rate comes from and the practice of reading your own rate sheet help you to see where your time went.
Claimed Score and Final Score
The score you see in the logger at the end of the contest is the claimed score. The score that the organizers publish is the result of a check, and it is nearly always lower. The sponsors compare every log with the logs of the other stations. A contact in your log with a station that has no matching entry in the other log, with an incorrect callsign or exchange or with a time that does not match is removed. Additional penalties can be applied for errors. The removal also affects the multipliers: a multiplier supported by a single removed contact is lost, and with it a proportion of the score. In close contests, a few percent separate places, so accuracy is worth more than a handful of risky contacts.
The mechanics of the check, with its categories of errors, are described in the article on Cabrillo logs and the UBN process. The practical conclusion from the point of view of scoring is simple: a contact that you copied wrongly is worth less than nothing. Ask for repeats when you are unsure. Log the call as you heard it and correct it when you learn the right one. And use a logger with a call history or a Super Check Partial database that warns you when a call is not in the list of known active stations.
Dupes, Bonus Points and Other Details
- Dupes. A repeated contact on the same band and mode usually gives no points, and some contests deduct a penalty. A logger marks the duplicates, and it is often faster to say “you are a dupe” and move on than to work again.
- Bonus points and bonus multipliers. Some contests add points for special stations, for a certain mode or for an activity such as a message or a rare category. Read the list of bonuses.
- Different point values by band or mode. A contact on 160 metres may be worth more than one on 20 metres, or a CW contact more than a phone one. The loggers have a table for each contest, and the contest must be selected correctly at the start.
- Time limits and off-times. Several contests limit the operating hours of a category and require rest periods, and a contact outside the allowed hours is not counted.
- Power and assistance categories. Scores are compared inside a category, as the article on log analysis and the overview of contesting describe, so the formula is not the only difference between entries.
Using the Numbers in Planning
Before the contest, read the rules and fill in a small table with the points per contact for your location, the kinds of multipliers and whether they count per band. From that, work out which bands will give most of your multipliers at your time of day, and which will give the most contacts. During the contest, check the multiplier count and the contact count every few hours, work out what one multiplier is worth, and decide how to spend the next hour. After the contest, compare your claimed score with the result when it is published and look at the lost contacts, because each one shows a mistake that can be avoided next time.
The Bottom Line
Contest scoring explained in one line: the score is the total QSO points times the multipliers. A new multiplier is worth about the number of contacts divided by the number of multipliers, expressed in ordinary contacts, which tells you when to run and when to search. Per-band multipliers reward visits to every band, and rules differ between contests, as in the CQ World Wide DX Contest and the ARRL DX Contest. Your claimed score is reduced by checking, so accuracy is part of strategy: ask for repeats, use call history files and treat dupes with care. Read the rules, use the numbers and plan your hours around the value of each multiplier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a contest score calculated?
In most contests it is the sum of the QSO points multiplied by the number of multipliers, such as countries, zones, states or prefixes, counted as the rules say.
How many contacts is one multiplier worth?
About the number of contacts divided by the number of multipliers, if all contacts have equal points. With 600 contacts and 100 multipliers, it is worth six contacts.
Why is my final score lower than my claimed score?
The sponsors check your log against others and remove contacts that do not match or are invalid, along with the multipliers that depended on them, and may add penalties.
What is the difference between a per-band and a once-only multiplier?
A per-band multiplier counts once on each band, so a country worked on three bands counts three times. A once-only multiplier counts a single time in the whole contest.
Do dupes count?
Usually not. A repeated contact on the same band and mode earns no points, and some rules apply a small penalty. Your logger should warn you of dupes.
Where can I find the points and multipliers for a contest?
In the rules of the contest on the sponsor’s website. Check the points per contact for your location, the multiplier types and the bands.