| Intensity of importance | Definition of importance | Explanation |
| 1 | Same | Neither of the two alternatives is preferable over the other |
| 3 | Weak | One alternative is preferred slightly over the other |
| 5 | Clear | One alternative is preferred clearly over the other |
| 7 | Strong | One alternative is preferred strongly over the other |
| 9 | Very strong | One alternative is preferred very strongly over the other |
| 2, 4, 6, 8 | Compromise | Can be used for graduation between evaluation |