How Cinova scores work: buckets, head to head picks, decimals
A Cinova score is a decimal from 1.0 to 10.0 that comes from ranking, not from picking a number. You choose a bucket for a title (Exceptional, Excellent, Good, Mediocre or Poor), answer a few head to head questions against titles you've already rated, and Cinova slots the new one into your personal ranked list and reads the score off its position.
That's the whole idea. The rest of this page walks through each step, then explains the two other numbers you'll see on every title: the Cinova Score and the Critic Score.
Step 1: pick a bucket
After you watch something, Cinova asks one easy question: how was it? You answer with a bucket. Exceptional, Excellent, Good, Mediocre or Poor. Nobody agonises over this the way they agonise over 3.5 versus 4 stars, because a bucket is a feeling, not a measurement.
The bucket sets the neighbourhood. It tells Cinova which of your existing ratings the new title should be compared against.
Step 2: answer a few head to head questions
Now Cinova shows you the new title next to something you've already rated in the same bucket and asks which is better. Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street? Interstellar or Inception? You tap one. It asks again with a different title, each time narrowing down exactly where the new one belongs.
This is the part that makes the score yours. You're not translating a feeling into a number. You're making the kind of call you already make with friends, and Cinova is keeping the ledger.
Step 3: the decimal
When the questions are done, the title has a position in your personal ranked list, and its decimal score is read off that position, from 1.0 at the bottom to 10.0 at the top. Titles near your very favorites score high. Titles that landed below most of your Good bucket sit in the middle.
Two things follow from this. First, scores can move. When a new film slots in above an old one, the old one nudges down a touch, which is exactly what should happen. Second, there are no half stars and no ties you're forced into. Every title is somewhere specific.
Disagree with the number? Set it manually. Changed your mind? Re-rank the title anytime and answer the questions again.
Three scores, one scale
Every movie and show page on Cinova shows up to three numbers, all on the same 1 to 10 scale.
| Score | What it is | When you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Your score | Your decimal, read off your own ranked list | Once you've rated 5 movies, and separately 5 shows |
| Cinova Score | The community average for the title across Cinova users | Once 5 or more Cinova users have rated it |
| Critic Score | A calibrated critic style score on the same 1 to 10 scale | On movie and show pages |
Because the three numbers share a scale, you can read them at a glance. Your 8.7 next to a Cinova Score of 7.9 says something about you, not about a conversion table. The Cinova Score is only ever Cinova users. It isn't imported from anywhere.
Unlocking at 5, and movies versus shows
A ranking with one title in it isn't a ranking. Cinova keeps your decimals hidden until you've rated 5 movies, and separately 5 shows, so the first number you see already means something. Until then you'll see your bucket for each title. Rating your first five takes a few minutes, and if you're stuck for candidates the top movies on Cinova is a good place to start.
Movies and TV shows are ranked separately, because comparing a two hour film against a five season show is a different kind of question. Individual episodes can be rated too. Your ranked lists live on your profile, along with shelves like a Top 10 or comfort watches that you curate by hand.
See it in action on a title page: Inception, Band of Brothers or Hot Fuzz. And if you're weighing Cinova against a star based app, why decimals beat stars covers that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cinova rating scale?
1.0 to 10.0, in decimals. There are no stars and no half stars. The number comes from where a title sits in your own ranked list.
Can I just type a score?
You can set a score manually if you disagree with the result of the head to head questions. Most of the time the questions get it right, because the answers came from you.
Do my old scores change?
A little, sometimes. When a new title slots in above an old one, the old one nudges down slightly. That is the ranking staying honest. Your list order is always exactly what you chose.
What is the Cinova Score?
The community average for a title across Cinova users, shown once 5 or more people on Cinova have rated it.
What is the Critic Score?
A calibrated critic style score on the same 1 to 10 scale as everything else on Cinova, so you can read it next to your own score without converting.
Why can I not see my scores yet?
Scores unlock after you have rated 5 movies, and separately 5 shows. Until then you will see your bucket for each title.
