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What is the Karma Check or CQS Score in Reddit?
Posted by on February 26, 2026 at 1:01 amOn Reddit, CQS stands for Contributor Quality Score, a hidden reputation/trust metric Reddit assigns to every account to estimate how likely you are to be a positive contributor vs. a spammer or low‑quality user.
What the CQS “score” is
- It is an internal user classification used to flag potential spammers or users less likely to contribute positively.
- Every account is placed into one of five tiers: Lowest, Low, Moderate, High, or Highest.
- The tier, not a numeric value, is what mods and some bots see and may use in filters and automod rules.
What affects your CQS
Reddit has not published the exact formula, but multiple official and mod sources say it’s based on a mix of signals.
Key factors mentioned:
- Past actions on your account (spam reports, rule violations, bans, removals).
- Network and location signals (e.g., suspicious IP patterns, VPN/abuse signals).
- Account security steps like email verification, phone, and 2FA.
- Karma and engagement quality, with more weight on thoughtful comments and genuine interaction than on link-dumping or mass posting.
Why CQS matters
- Subreddits can use CQS in Auto Moderator or other tools to silently filter or queue content from low/lowest accounts.
- A low CQS increases the odds your posts are auto-removed, filtered, or effectively shadow banned, even if you don’t see an explicit ban.
- A high CQS helps posts bypass filters and get normal visibility and mod trust.
How to see and improve it
- You can see your tier via community tools such as r/WhatIsMyCQS or subreddits that expose it in user flair.
- To move toward “High/Highest,” consistently behave like a normal engaged user: verify your account, comment more than you post links, avoid spammy self‑promotion, follow subreddit rules, and contribute substantive discussion
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1 Reply
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Is that what the 1% contributor thing is or is that something different?
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