How the API score is calculated: points, yearly caps and a worked example

An API score is a sum of points. Every countable activity earns points by a rule, and most rules stop counting at a yearly maximum. This guide shows the idea with real rules from the CAS Manager catalogue.

Last reviewed 2026-10-26 · Written by the CAS Manager team

The three layers of an API score

1. Activity rule: points per unit (per lecture, per contact hour, per paper…).
2. Activity cap: the most that one activity can add in a year.
3. Category cap: the most a whole category can add in a year (125 for Category I and 50 for Category II in CAS Manager; Category III has no yearly maximum).

Example rules from the Category I teaching group

These are the rules configured in CAS Manager. Your university's notification is the authority; check that the numbers match.

Worked example

A teacher delivers 7 invited lectures in one assessment year. The rule is 2 points per lecture, so the raw score is 14. The yearly maximum for that activity is 10, so only 10 points count. If the same teacher also supervised examinations for 3 duties (5 points each = 15, below the cap of 20), the examination duties add 15, and Category I gains 25 from these two activities.

Without the cap in mind, it is easy to believe 29 points were earned. CAS Manager applies the cap as you type and shows the counted score, so what you see is what is added to your total.

Why the order of capping matters

Activity caps apply first, then the category cap. A teacher with many activities can reach a category cap and further entries add nothing for that year. Knowing this early tells you where extra effort is wasted and where a category is still short.

Doing it without spreadsheets

In CAS Manager you pick the activity, enter the quantity or details and the score is calculated for you, per entry, per activity, per category and per year. Change an entry and every total updates.

Common questions

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