Free CV Checker
Upload your CV or resume and see what a recruiter would notice in the first minute: the length, the missing details, the bullet points that say nothing. Every problem comes with the lines that caused it, so you know exactly what to change.
Free with a CogniPrep account. No card needed.
How it works
- 1
Upload your CV
A PDF or Word file up to 4 MB, or paste the text. The scan reads the words, so the design you chose stays as it is.
- 2
Get the instant scan
A score out of 100 and every one of the 15 checks below, with the lines from your CV that tripped each one. It takes a few seconds and costs nothing.
- 3
Fix the worst first
Problems are sorted into what to fix first, what is worth fixing and small improvements, so a short evening goes on the changes that matter.
- 4
Get a full review for a role
With any purchase, a full review scores impact, relevance, clarity and structure, rewrites your weakest bullet points and, if you name the role, says how well the CV fits it.
What the scan checks
These are the things that get a CV skimmed past before anyone reads what you did. None of them needs judgement to spot, so the scan checks every one in seconds.
Length
Page count, or word count for a Word file, against what recruiters expect.
Readable text
Whether the text can be read by a screening system, or is locked in images.
Contact details
An email address and a phone number.
LinkedIn link
A link to your LinkedIn profile.
Sections
Experience, education and skills, under headings a recruiter can find.
Repeated opening words
Bullet points that keep starting with the same word.
Duty phrases
Bullets that open with "Responsible for", "Helped" or "Worked on".
Numbers in your bullets
How many of your points give a figure: a count, a percentage, a sum.
Bullet length
Bullet points too long to skim.
Blocks of text
Paragraphs long enough to be skipped.
Date formats
Whether dates follow one style, such as "Sep 2024" throughout.
Spelling convention
British and American spellings mixed in one CV.
Overused phrases
Claims like "team player" and "hard-working" that recruiters skip.
First person
"I" and "my" inside bullet points.
References line
"References available on request", which uses space for nothing.
The free scan and the full review
The scan finds the problems any recruiter would spot. The full review reads your CV the way a recruiter for a particular role would, and is included with any purchase on CogniPrep.
Instant scan
Free with an account
- All 15 checks, scored out of 100
- The exact lines behind each problem
- Problems sorted by how much they matter
- PDF, Word or pasted text
Full review
Included with any purchase. See pricing
- Scores for impact, relevance, clarity and structure
- The fixes that would change most, in order
- Rewrites of your weakest bullet points, with gaps marked for your own figures
- Fit with a role: tailor it to an application you track, or any role and employer
- Reads the job advert too, if you paste it in
- Saved to your account, so you can compare drafts
After the CV
A strong CV gets you to the next stage, which for most graduate schemes, internships and apprenticeships is a set of online tests. Keep each application and its deadlines in the application tracker, then practise the online tests by provider and the interviews that follow.
See what a recruiter sees before you apply
Upload your CV and get your score in seconds, free with an account. Your CV is read once and never stored.
Check my CV freeFrequently asked questions
Is the CV checker free?
Yes. The instant scan comes with a free CogniPrep account, with no card needed and no limit on how many CVs you check. The full review, which reads your CV in context and rewrites parts of it, is included with any purchase on CogniPrep. There is no subscription.
Does it work for a resume as well as a CV?
Yes. In the US and Canada the document is usually called a resume; in the UK, Ireland, Australia and much of Europe it is a CV. For an early-career application they do the same job, and every check applies to both. The scan also notices when one document mixes British and American spellings, whichever you use.
How long should my CV be?
For a student or graduate, one page is common in the US and two pages is the usual ceiling in the UK and Australia. The scan flags three pages or more as a problem anywhere, and warns when a CV runs past about 1,000 words, because a recruiter skimming a pile of applications rarely reads that far.
Will it tell me if my CV passes an ATS?
It checks the thing an applicant tracking system needs first: that the text in your file can actually be read, rather than being locked inside images or an unusual layout. No tool can promise a pass, because each employer configures its own system and recruiters still read what it lets through. A clear, readable CV is what works for both.
What happens to my CV?
The scan reads your CV once to check it and does not store the file or its text. A full review sends the text to our AI provider to write the review, and keeps only the results: the scores, fixes and rewrites. Saved reviews are visible only to you, can be deleted at any time and are removed automatically after 365 days.
Can it tailor the review to a particular job?
Yes. Pick an application from your tracker, or type the role and employer, and the review judges your CV against that role. Paste in the job advert as well and it reads the requirements directly, so the relevance score reflects what that employer asked for.
Does the review rewrite my CV for me?
It rewrites a handful of your weakest bullet points to show how they could read, using only what your CV already says. Where a figure would help but your CV does not give one, the rewrite leaves a gap such as [number] for you to fill in, so nothing invented ends up in your application.
How many full reviews can I run?
Up to 5 in any 24 hours, which is enough to review a draft, change it and review it again for a couple of different roles.