| Intensity of importance | Definition |
| 1 | Equal importance |
| 2 | Weak |
| 3 | Moderate importance of one factor over another |
| 4 | Moderate plus |
| 5 | Strong importance |
| 6 | Strong plus |
| 7 | Very strong importance |
| 8 | Very, very strong |
| 9 | Extreme importance |