What Is a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)?
BARS ties ratings to specific behaviors—making reviews objective. See how a "4" actually means the same thing across all your managers.
What Is a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)?
I spent three years at a company where performance reviews were basically a coin flip. My manager would say I was a “4 out of 5” on communication, and I’d nod like I understood what that meant. I didn’t. He didn’t either, honestly. He just picked numbers that felt right.
Then I moved to a place that used BARS, and suddenly the whole thing made sense.
A Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale is what happens when someone finally admits that “excellent” and “needs improvement” are meaningless. Instead of vague labels, BARS defines what each rating actually looks like. A “3” isn’t just “meets expectations”—it’s “responds to customer inquiries within 24 hours, follows standard procedures, escalates complex issues appropriately.”
The difference? Now when your manager gives you a 3, you know exactly why. And more importantly, you know exactly what a 4 looks like, so you can actually work toward it.
SHRM’s research backs this up—BARS makes reviews feel less like your manager’s mood and more like an actual assessment. Whether that’s good news depends on how you’ve been performing.
What Does a BARS Rating Scale Actually Look Like?
Here’s a real example for customer service. Notice how each level describes specific behaviors—not vague judgments:
| Rating | What It Actually Looks Like |
|---|---|
| 5 | Resolves issues on first contact. Customers mention them by name in feedback. Anticipates problems before customers even notice. |
| 4 | Handles most issues without escalation. Gets occasional positive feedback. Always follows up. |
| 3 | Handles routine stuff fine. Follows the script. Needs help with anything unusual. |
| 2 | Struggles without supervision. Some complaints. Forgets to follow up. |
| 1 | Regular complaints. Doesn’t follow procedures. No improvement despite coaching. |
When your manager evaluates you, they’re matching what they’ve observed to these descriptions—not deciding whether they “feel” like you’re a 3 or a 4.
Why Companies Use BARS (And Why Some Don’t)
The good stuff:
BARS makes reviews defensible. When someone challenges their rating, you can point to specific behaviors—not “I just feel like you’re a 3.” That matters for promotions, raises, and avoiding legal headaches.
It also makes feedback conversations actually useful. Instead of “you need to improve your communication,” you can say “here’s what a 4 looks like—let’s work on anticipating customer needs before they escalate.”
The not-so-good stuff:
Building a BARS system takes time—usually 3–8 weeks per role. You can’t just copy someone else’s scale because the behaviors need to match your specific jobs. And once you build it, you have to maintain it. When job responsibilities change, your anchors need updating.
There’s also training overhead. Managers need coaching to apply the scales consistently, or you end up right back where you started—with different managers rating the same behavior differently.
How Do You Build a BARS System?
If you’re creating BARS for your team, here’s the process:
Step 1: Pick your dimensions. What actually matters for this role? Customer service? Safety? Teamwork? Productivity? Most roles have 5–8 critical areas.
Step 2: Collect real examples. Ask your best performers: “What does great customer communication look like?” Ask managers: “What separates a good shift from a bad one?” You need concrete behaviors, not abstract traits.
Step 3: Sort into levels. Take all those examples and organize them into 5–7 rating levels. Research from the Journal of Applied Psychology shows more than 7 levels creates distinctions too subtle to apply consistently.
Step 4: Test it. Have two managers independently rate the same employees. If they’re more than one level apart, your anchors aren’t clear enough.
Step 5: Train and maintain. Walk managers through the scales. Review annually—or sooner when processes change.
BARS vs Other Performance Review Methods
| Method | What It Measures | The Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic rating scales | ”Excellent” to “Poor” | Nobody agrees what “excellent” means |
| MBO (objectives) | What you accomplished | Doesn’t capture how you did it |
| 360 feedback | Input from everyone | Can be inconsistent without anchors |
| BARS | Specific behaviors | Takes time to build, but ratings are defensible |
BARS works well combined with other methods. Use MBO to track what people accomplish, BARS to evaluate how they work, and 360 feedback to get multiple perspectives—all using the same behavioral anchors.
Where Does BARS Work Best?
BARS shines in roles where you can actually see the behaviors:
Customer-facing jobs: Retail, hospitality, call centers, healthcare. Clear interaction patterns make anchors easy to define. If you’re evaluating how someone handles a difficult customer, BARS gives you concrete criteria instead of “seemed professional.”
Safety-critical environments: Manufacturing, construction, aviation. Precise behavioral standards protect people and support compliance. You can track progress during job training using the same anchors you’ll use for annual reviews.
Shift-based teams: When you have rotating schedules and multiple supervisors, BARS ensures everyone’s rated the same way—regardless of which manager happens to observe them.
Where it doesn’t work as well: Highly creative or autonomous roles where success depends on innovation rather than repeatable behaviors. Researchers, designers, executives—these roles might need a different approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to create a BARS system?
Expect 3–8 weeks per role. You’re collecting behavioral examples, sorting them into levels, testing with managers, and refining. It’s an investment, but you only do it once per position.
What’s the ideal number of rating levels?
5–7 works best. Fewer than five and you can’t distinguish between good and great. More than seven and the differences become too subtle to apply consistently.
Should employees see the BARS before evaluations?
Absolutely. Sharing the anchors ahead of time helps people understand exactly what’s expected. It also makes the review conversation easier—everyone’s working from the same playbook.
How often should you update BARS?
At least annually. Update sooner if job responsibilities change—new technology, new processes, or shifting priorities can make your anchors outdated fast.
