# Normalizing Scores
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [May 27, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749 "2014-05-27T11:34:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lypido](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/lypido)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/1 "2014-05-27T11:34:21Z")
Hello,
is it possible to normalize the scores of a query so that the highest
scoring document gets a score of 1 and the others a scaled score \< 1?
Thanks
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### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2014, 11:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/2 "2014-05-27T11:37:13Z")
May be using function\_score? [http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-function-score-query.html#\_using\_function\_score](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-function-score-query.html#_using_function_score)
The new score can be restricted to not exceed a certain limit by setting the max\_boostparameter. The default for max\_boost is FLT\_MAX.
--
David Pilato | Technical Advocate | [Elasticsearch.com](http://Elasticsearch.com)
@dadoonet | @elasticsearchfr
Le 27 mai 2014 à 13:34:26, [lypido@gmail.com](mailto:lypido@gmail.com) ([lypido@gmail.com](mailto:lypido@gmail.com)) a écrit:
Hello,
is it possible to normalize the scores of a query so that the highest scoring document gets a score of 1 and the others a scaled score \< 1?
## Thanks
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### Author:  [@lypido](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/lypido)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/3 "2014-05-27T11:56:29Z")
Sadly, this doesn't work, as max\_boost only cuts the scores off at that
point.
Am Dienstag, 27. Mai 2014 13:37:22 UTC+2 schrieb David Pilato:
> May be using function\_score?
> [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-function-score-query.html#_using_function_score)
>
> The new score can be restricted to not exceed a certain limit by setting
> the max\_boostparameter. The default for max\_boost is FLT\_MAX.
>
> --
> _David Pilato_ | _Technical Advocate_ | _[Elasticsearch.com](http://Elasticsearch.com)_
> @dadoonet [https://twitter.com/dadoonet](https://twitter.com/dadoonet) | @elasticsearchfr[https://twitter.com/elasticsearchfr](https://twitter.com/elasticsearchfr)
>
> Le 27 mai 2014 à 13:34:26, [lyp...@gmail.com](mailto:lyp...@gmail.com) \ (
> [lyp...@gmail.com](mailto:lyp...@gmail.com) \) a écrit:
>
> Hello,
>
> is it possible to normalize the scores of a query so that the highest
> scoring document gets a score of 1 and the others a scaled score \< 1?
>
> ## Thanks
>
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "elasticsearch" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to [elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com) \.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com)[https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com?utm\_medium=email&utm\_source=footer](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer)
> .
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### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/4 "2014-05-27T17:10:23Z")
I think but I might be wrong that you can use a function\_score with a script and run a script like :
"script\_score" : {
"script" : "\_score \> 1.0 ? 1.0 : \_score"
}
--
David Pilato | Technical Advocate | [Elasticsearch.com](http://Elasticsearch.com)
@dadoonet | @elasticsearchfr
Le 27 mai 2014 à 13:56:32, [lypido@gmail.com](mailto:lypido@gmail.com) ([lypido@gmail.com](mailto:lypido@gmail.com)) a écrit:
Sadly, this doesn't work, as max\_boost only cuts the scores off at that point.
Am Dienstag, 27. Mai 2014 13:37:22 UTC+2 schrieb David Pilato:
May be using function\_score? [http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-function-score-query.html#\_using\_function\_score](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-function-score-query.html#_using_function_score)
The new score can be restricted to not exceed a certain limit by setting the max\_boostparameter. The default for max\_boost is FLT\_MAX.
--
David Pilato | Technical Advocate | [Elasticsearch.com](http://Elasticsearch.com)
@dadoonet | @elasticsearchfr
Le 27 mai 2014 à 13:34:26, [lyp...@gmail.com](mailto:lyp...@gmail.com) ([lyp...@gmail.com](mailto:lyp...@gmail.com)) a écrit:
Hello,
is it possible to normalize the scores of a query so that the highest scoring document gets a score of 1 and the others a scaled score \< 1?
## Thanks
## You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearc...@googlegroups.com). To view this discussion on the web visit [https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com](https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elasticsearch/281e7890-01f1-4bcf-bc0f-7a2c95e407be%40googlegroups.com). For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/d/optout](https://groups.google.com/d/optout).
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### Author:  [@harto](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/harto)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/5 "2016-08-02T02:55:33Z")
Hello, sorry for bumping this very old topic.
I'm also interested in knowing if it's possible to normalize `_score` values into the range `0,1.0` (where the top result has score `1.0`).
The proposed solution floors scores above `1.0`, but if I understood correctly the OP wanted to know if all scores could effectively be divided by `max_score`.
The reason this is interesting to me is: I don't know how to determine weights for functions in a `function_score` query. I.e. if a given query can produce `_score` values in an arbitrary range, how can I know if a weight of 1, 5, 100 or 50000 is effective?
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/normalizing-scores/17749/6 "2017-07-05T22:31:01Z")