Figure Skating Rules: How Judging, Jumps and Falls Are Scored

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The skater lands a triple Lutz, the crowd roars, and then everyone stares at the scoreboard waiting for a number that seems to come from nowhere. Two minutes later the score flashes up: 89.47. Where did that come from? Figure skating rules look mysterious from the stands, but the system is logical once you know the pieces. This guide explains the ISU Judging System as it stands for the 2026–27 season: what the technical panel and the judges do, how much each jump is worth, how Grade of Execution works, what falls cost, and the basic rules for singles, pairs, ice dance and synchronized skating. Rules for US youth tests and competitions follow U.S. Figure Skating’s rulebook, which builds on the same system.

The two parts of every score

Each program (the short program and the free skate in singles and pairs, the rhythm dance and free dance in ice dance) gets a segment score. It’s made of three things:

• Technical Element Score (TES): the sum of every jump, spin, step sequence, lift and other element. Each element is worth its base value plus or minus the judges’ Grade of Execution (GOE).
• Program Component Score (PCS): three components, each marked from 0.25 to 10 in quarter-point steps, then multiplied by a factor.
• Deductions: points taken off for falls, time violations, costume problems and illegal elements.

Add the short program and free skate segment scores together and you have the total. Two groups of officials do the work. The technical panel (a technical controller and two technical specialists, with replay) identifies each element, its level and any errors such as under-rotation or a wrong take-off edge. The judges, nine per segment at ISU championships, grade the quality. For both GOE and components, the highest and lowest marks are dropped and the rest are averaged, a “trimmed mean.”

Grade of Execution: −5 to +5

Every element starts at its base value. Each judge then gives a GOE from −5 to +5, and each step is worth 10% of the base value (choreographic elements use a fixed, larger step). A triple Lutz has a base value of 5.90, so a +3 adds 1.77 and a −3 takes 1.77 away. Positive GOE comes from “bullets” the judges look for, such as height and distance, a clean take-off and landing, flow and matching the music. For 2026–27, the ISU tightened the rules: if an element has a fall, a two-foot landing, a step-out, a wrong edge, a downgrade, a poor take-off or several of these problems, the starting GOE cannot be higher than +2 before the judges subtract for the error.

The six jumps and what they’re worth

There are six main jumps. Three take off with help from the toe pick of the free foot (toe loop, flip, Lutz) and three take off from an edge (Salchow, loop, Axel). The Axel is the only one that takes off forward, so it has an extra half rotation: a triple Axel is three and a half turns. The technical panel checks the take-off edge on the flip (it should leave from a back inside edge) and the Lutz (a back outside edge). Here are the base values from the ISU’s 2026–27 Scale of Values (Communication 2786):

Jump	Single	Double	Triple	Quad
Toe loop (T)	0.40	1.30	4.20	9.50
Salchow (S)	0.40	1.30	4.30	9.70
Loop (Lo)	0.50	1.70	4.90	10.50
Flip (F)	0.50	1.80	5.30	11.00
Lutz (Lz)	0.60	2.10	5.90	11.50
Axel (A)	1.10	3.30	8.00	12.50

New for 2026–27: quint jumps. For the first time the Scale of Values lists five-rotation jumps, each with a base value of 14.00. They’re not allowed in the short program, and in the free skate they can only be done as solo jumps, not in combinations.

Under-rotations, edges and the symbols on the protocol

• q (quarter): the jump is missing a quarter rotation. It keeps its full base value, but the judges reduce GOE.
• < (under-rotated): missing more than a quarter but less than half a rotation. The jump gets a reduced base value, about 80%: a triple Lutz drops from 5.90 to 4.72.
• << (downgraded): missing half a rotation or more. It’s scored as the jump with one fewer rotation, so a downgraded triple Lutz is worth a double Lutz, 2.10. A clearly forward take-off on a toe loop (a “cheated” take-off) also counts as a downgrade.
• e and !: a wrong take-off edge on a flip or Lutz. “e” means a clear error and lowers the base value; “!” means an unclear edge and only lowers GOE.

Second-half bonus: in singles, jumps started in the second half of a program get their base value multiplied by 1.1, but only for the last jump element in the short program and the last three in the free skate. That’s why many skaters stack their hardest jumps late.

Program components

There are three components, used in singles, pairs, ice dance and synchronized skating:

• Composition: how the program is built, with connections between elements, use of space and pattern, and choreography that follows the music’s phrasing.
• Presentation: expression and projection, musical sensitivity and timing, and (for partners and teams) unison.
• Skating Skills: variety and clarity of edges, steps and turns, balance and glide, flow, power and speed.

Each component is multiplied by a factor. For 2026–27, senior and junior men use 1.67 in the short program and 3.33 in the free skate; women and pairs use 1.33 and 2.67. Falls matter here too: with one serious error, such as a fall, the most a judge can give for each component is 9.50; with two or more, 8.75.

Falls and other deductions

The ISU defines a fall as losing control so that most of the skater’s body weight is on the ice, supported by anything other than the blades: hands, knees, back, hips or arms. A fall is costly three ways: the element gets negative GOE, the components are capped, and there’s a deduction from the segment score:

Who	Fall deduction (ISU Rule 353)
Senior singles	−1.0 for the first and second fall, −2.0 for the third and fourth, −3.0 for the fifth and any more
Junior singles	−1.0 for every fall
Pairs and ice dance	−1.0 for a fall by one partner, −2.0 for a fall by both

Other deductions include −1.0 for every 5 seconds a program runs too short or too long (programs may finish within 10 seconds either side of the required time), −2.0 for each illegal element, −1.0 for a costume or prop violation and −1.0 if part of a costume falls on the ice. In a jump combination, if a skater falls on the first jump and then does another jump right after, the panel calls it a combination with no credit for the second jump.

What each program must contain

Singles

The short program lasts 2 minutes 40 seconds and has seven required elements. For senior women: a double or triple Axel, a triple jump, a jump combination (double plus triple or two triples), a flying spin, a layback, sit or camel spin, a spin combination with one change of foot, and a step sequence. Senior men have the same layout but may use quads. The free skate lasts 4 minutes for seniors and 3½ for juniors. From 2026–27, a well-balanced free skate has a maximum of six jump elements (one must be an Axel type), three spins (a combination, a flying spin and a new choreographic spin of at least three revolutions), one choreographic sequence and, for seniors only, one step sequence. Only two triple, quad or quint jumps may be repeated, and only one of those can be a quad or quint.

Pairs

Pairs follow the same program lengths. The senior short program for 2026–27 requires a hip-lift take-off lift, a double or triple twist lift, a double or triple throw jump, a side-by-side solo jump, a pair spin combination, a forward inside death spiral and a step sequence; the ISU rotates some of these each season. Pairs score twist lifts, throws and lifts on the same base-value-plus-GOE system.

Ice dance and synchronized skating

Ice dance has a rhythm dance of 2 minutes 50 seconds, skated to dance music with rhythms or themes the ISU picks every season, and a free dance of 4 minutes for seniors. Couples must skate primarily to the rhythmic beat, and elements include pattern dance sections, twizzles, step sequences, dance lifts and dance spins. Synchronized skating has its own ISU rules and Scale of Values; the same three program components apply.

Costumes, music and rink etiquette

ISU rules say competition clothing must be modest, dignified and suitable for athletic competition, not garish or theatrical, though it may reflect the character of the music. Men must wear full-length trousers, and props aren’t allowed. Vocal music with lyrics is allowed in singles and pairs. On practice sessions, a few safety habits are common at most rinks: the skater whose program music is playing usually has the right of way, look before you move backward, don’t stand in the jump corners, and get up quickly after a fall. Ask your club for its session rules.

Falls are part of learning, and a lot of skaters practice spins and rotations off the ice first. Two helpful picks: the CRS Cross figure skating spinner, a metal 8-inch off-ice spin trainer at about $60, and CRS Cross padded figure skating shorts with ¾-inch pads over the hips and tailbone, about $45. More in our figure skating gear guide.

Keep going: the figure skating hub, leagues and associations for who writes these rules, figure skating training for off-ice jump work, figure skating injuries for what all those landings do to the body, and gymnastics rules to compare another judged sport.

Figure skating rules FAQs

How much does a fall cost in figure skating?

For senior singles skaters, −1.0 for each of the first two falls, −2.0 for the third and fourth and −3.0 after that. On top of that, the element gets negative GOE and the program components are capped at 9.50 (one serious error) or 8.75 (two or more).

What is the hardest jump in figure skating?

By base value, the quadruple Axel (12.50) is the hardest jump with four rotations or fewer, because it has an extra half turn. For 2026–27 the ISU also lists quint jumps at 14.00, allowed only as solo jumps in the free skate.

What does GOE mean in figure skating?

Grade of Execution. Judges grade each element from −5 to +5, and each step adds or removes 10% of the element’s base value. The highest and lowest grades are dropped before averaging.

What is the difference between under-rotated and downgraded?

An under-rotated jump (<) is missing more than a quarter but less than half a turn and gets a reduced base value. A downgraded jump (<<) is missing half a turn or more and is scored as the jump with one fewer rotation.

How long is a figure skating free skate?

Four minutes for senior singles and pairs and 3½ minutes for juniors, with 10 seconds allowed either way. The short program is 2 minutes 40 seconds for both.