How We Calculate Overall Score
Our scoring system uses a transparent 9-factor formula based entirely on publicly verifiable data. No bias, no paid rankings—just objective metrics.
Why We Built This System
Choosing a yoga teacher training program is a significant investment of time, money, and trust. We believe you deserve complete transparency about how we evaluate schools.
Our Overall Score aggregates data from four major review platforms—Google, BookYogaTeacherTraining.com, Facebook, and Tripadvisor—plus the school's years in operation. By combining these factors with carefully calibrated weights, we provide an objective snapshot of each school's credibility.
Every piece of data we use is publicly available, so you can verify it yourself.
Platform-Based Presence Detection
We treat each review platform (Google, Tripaneer, Facebook, Tripadvisor) as a unit. A platform is considered "present" if the school has either a rating OR reviews on that platform. If both metrics are zero, the school has no presence on that platform—and neither metric is included in the calculation. Their combined weight is proportionally redistributed to active platforms, ensuring fair scoring regardless of which review platforms a school uses.
Aligned with Google's E-E-A-T Framework
Experience · Expertise · Authoritativeness · Trustworthiness
Our methodology is designed to reflect the quality signals Google uses to evaluate content credibility. Here's how each pillar maps to our scoring:
🧭 Experience
Years in Business (12%) rewards real-world operating history — schools that have trained students for years demonstrate sustained, verifiable experience.
🎓 Expertise
Tripaneer platform (21% combined) prioritizes niche-specific, yoga-focused reviews over generic platforms — expertise is measured by domain-relevant feedback.
🏛️ Authoritativeness
Cross-platform verification from 4 independent sources prevents single-source manipulation — authority is established through consensus, not one platform.
🔒 Trustworthiness
Rating quality weighted 3× over review volume on secondary platforms; Minimum Contribution Floor ensures positive presence is never penalized.
The 9 Factors
Each factor contributes to the final score based on its weight (redistributed when data is missing)
Google Rating
Cap: 5.0 stars
The average star rating from Google Reviews
Google is the most trusted and widely-used review platform globally, making it the strongest indicator of a school's reputation.
Google Reviews
Cap: 400 reviews
Total number of reviews on Google
A healthy volume of reviews indicates sustained student engagement and provides reliable data for assessment.
Tripaneer Rating
Cap: 5.0 stars
The average rating on Tripaneer.com
Tripaneer is a specialized yoga training review platform, providing highly relevant and niche-specific feedback from yoga students.
Years in Business
Cap: 20 years
How long the school has been operating
Longevity demonstrates stability, experience, and the ability to consistently deliver quality training over time.
Tripadvisor Rating
Cap: 5.0 stars
The average rating on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is trusted by international travelers and provides credibility with a global audience.
Facebook Rating
Cap: 100%
The recommendation percentage on Facebook
Facebook ratings reflect community engagement and social proof from real users.
Tripaneer Reviews
Cap: 30 reviews
Total number of reviews on Tripaneer.com
Reviews from a yoga-specific platform carry significant weight as they come from students specifically evaluating teacher training programs.
Tripadvisor Reviews
Cap: 50 reviews
Total number of Tripadvisor reviews
Reviews from a tourism-focused platform indicate the school's appeal to traveling yogis.
Facebook Reviews
Cap: 20 reviews
Total number of Facebook recommendations
Social proof from the world's largest social network adds an additional layer of credibility.
Example Calculation
Here's how we calculate a sample school's Overall Score with all factors present:
Sample Yoga School
This school scores 84/100 — rated as
Example: Platform-Based Presence Detection
We detect platform presence by checking if a school has either a rating or reviews on each platform. If both are zero, the school has no presence on that platform and both metrics are excluded.
School without Facebook page:
Facebook Rating: 0%, Facebook Reviews: 0 → No Facebook presence
Both Facebook factors (12% combined) are redistributed to Google, Tripadvisor, and Years.
School with partial Facebook data:
Facebook Rating: 100%, Facebook Recommendations: 1 → Has Facebook presence
Rating counts (9% weight), and Reviews score is floored at 50% thanks to the Minimum Contribution Floor.
Minimum Contribution Floor
For secondary platforms (Facebook, Tripadvisor, and Tripaneer), if a school has a positive rating, the review count component score is floored at 50%. This ensures that a school with genuine positive reviews—even just a few—is never scored lower than a school with no presence on that platform.
How it works:
A school with 2 Facebook reviews (raw score: 10%) and a positive rating → review score becomes 50%
A school with 15 Facebook reviews (raw score: 75%) → no change, actual score is already above the floor
Important:
• The floor only applies to the review count score—ratings are never artificially inflated
• Google reviews are excluded—volume is a meaningful quality signal for the primary platform
• Schools with bad ratings are still correctly penalized
Score Labels Explained
We translate numeric scores into easy-to-understand labels
Top-tier established schools with exceptional track records
Strong reputation and proven track record
Solid schools actively building their presence
Newer schools growing their reputation
Recently established programs
Frequently Asked Questions
Report a Scoring Issue
Think a school's score doesn't look right? Let us know.
Ready to Find Your Perfect School?
Now that you understand how we evaluate schools, start exploring and comparing programs.