What this tool does
This tool scores up to four options against up to five weighted criteria, multiplies each score by its criterion's weight, and ranks the totals.
Weighted scoring does not make a decision for you. What it does is separate two questions that get muddled — what matters, and how each option performs — so they can be answered one at a time.
Weighted decision matrix
Add up to four options and score them against weighted criteria. Use 1–10 scores, where 10 is best.
| Criterion | Weight | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before you score anything
- Set the weights before scoring the options. Deciding what matters after seeing the scores is how a matrix becomes a justification rather than an analysis.
- Use criteria that genuinely differ between options. A criterion where everything scores the same adds nothing but noise.
- Keep criteria independent. Scoring cost, price and value separately triple-counts the same thing.
- Five criteria is usually enough. Beyond that, the weights become guesses and the differences wash out.
If the matrix produces an answer that feels wrong, that reaction is information. Either a criterion is missing, a weight is wrong, or you had already decided and the matrix has revealed it. All three are worth knowing, and the last is the most common.
How this calculator works
Weighted scores summed by option:
For each criterion: points = score out of 10 × weight
Option total = sum of points across all criteria
Ranked, with each shown as a percentage of the highest totalShowing totals as a percentage of the leader is what makes the result readable. A winner 3% ahead is a tie in practice; one 40% ahead is a clear answer. The gap matters more than the ranking.
Worked example: a close result
With four options scored equally at 5 out of 10 across criteria weighted 5, 5, 3, 4 and 2, every option totals 95 and shows as 100%.
That is the tool telling you something true: on these criteria, at these scores, there is nothing to choose between the options. The response is not to pick one — it is to find the criterion that actually differs between them, which is the one the decision genuinely turns on. A matrix where everything scores the same has identified that you are comparing on the wrong things.
Common mistakes
- Setting weights after scoring. It turns analysis into justification.
- Using overlapping criteria. They double-count and distort the result.
- Including criteria that do not differ between options. They add nothing.
- Trusting a narrow margin. A few per cent apart is a tie.
- Ignoring a deal-breaker. Some criteria are thresholds, not scores.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose weights?
Distribute a fixed total — say 20 points across five criteria — rather than rating each independently, which tends to produce everything at eight or nine. Forcing a total makes trade-offs explicit, which is what weighting is for. If two criteria genuinely matter equally, give them equal weight rather than inventing a difference.
What if one criterion is a deal-breaker?
Handle it before the matrix, not inside it. A weighted score lets a strong performance elsewhere outweigh a failure on something non-negotiable, which is exactly wrong for a threshold. Eliminate options that fail the deal-breaker first, then score what remains.
Does this work for group decisions?
Well, and it is one of its better uses. Agreeing weights as a group before anyone scores separates disagreement about values from disagreement about facts, which are usually tangled together. Where scores differ widely between people, that identifies where more information is needed.
Is a decision matrix better than intuition?
For complex multi-factor decisions it is a useful check, and it documents the reasoning, which matters when a decision has to be explained later. For decisions where you have deep experience, intuition often performs well and the matrix serves mainly to test it. The two disagreeing is a prompt to look harder rather than a verdict for either.
Is what I enter stored?
No. Options, criteria and scores are processed in your browser and never transmitted or retained.
Related tools
References
- GOV.UK — guidance on options appraisal and structured decision-making
- MoneyHelper — frameworks for major financial decisions
Sources are checked at publication and can change — how I choose and check references.