PDF Complexity Score Calculator
Answer a few questions about your PDFs to get a complexity score, estimated extraction difficulty, and a suggested parsing method. DocLD is optimized for high-complexity documents—understanding complexity helps you choose the right approach.
Your document profile
Document characteristics
Digital = native text in the PDF; scanned = image-based.
Approximate number of tables per typical page (0–10).
Two or more text columns on the page.
Contains handwritten text.
More than one language in the same document.
Primary type: forms, invoices, reports, or mixed.
Complexity score
0/ 100
Estimated extraction difficulty
Low
Suggested parsing method
Layout parser
Use a layout-aware parser for digital PDFs with clear structure and embedded text.
About this calculator
This calculator helps you understand why some PDFs are hard to extract from and which parsing strategy to use. You answer questions about source (scanned vs digital), tables, columns, handwriting, language mix, and document type. The result is a 0–100 complexity score, an extraction difficulty level, and a suggested method: layout parser, OCR, or hybrid.
For scan quality and OCR accuracy, use the OCR Accuracy Estimator. For token and RAG sizing, use the PDF Token Size Estimator.
Complexity score and suggested method
Score bands map to extraction difficulty and the parsing method that usually fits best.
| Score range | Difficulty | Suggested method |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | Low | Layout parser (native text, simple layout). |
| 26–50 | Medium | Layout parser (may need tuning for tables). |
| 51–75 | High | Hybrid (layout + OCR where needed). |
| 76–100 | Very High | OCR or AI-enhanced OCR (scans, handwriting, complex layout). |
Frequently asked questions
Related calculators
- OCR Accuracy Estimator — Estimate OCR accuracy from scan settings.
- PDF Token Size Estimator — Token count and RAG chunk size for PDFs.