| Proportional scale | Meaning |
| 9 | The former is extremely important. |
| 7 | The former is much more important. |
| 5 | The former is more important. |
| 3 | The former is slightly more important. |
| 1 | The former is as important as the latter. |
| 1/3 | The latter is slightly more important. |
| 1/5 | The latter is more important. |
| 1/7 | The latter is much more important. |
| 1/9 | The latter is extremely important. |
| 8, 6, 4, 2, 1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 | Intermediate value of the above evaluation value |
| Reciprocal | If the judgment value of i and j is aij, the judgment value of j and i is 1/aij. |