Free YC application grader

What is the YC Application Grader?

The short answer

The YC Application Grader is a free tool that reads your draft Y Combinator application and returns a per-answer reading: the strength, the weakness, and a worked example written for your own company. It grades writing quality across five dimensions and never predicts your odds of admission. It is part of Batchstack, a free YC prep course from YC alumni, and is independent of Y Combinator.

Write what you have — empty questions are skipped, and you can jump around.

application.txt0 of 15 written

Question 1 of 15
Who writes code, or does other technical work on your product?Name the founder who builds it. If a non-founder did any of it, say so and explain.
Taught in The Written Application · Founding Team · watch the lesson
Question 2 of 15
Describe what your company does in 50 characters or lessPlain words, no pitch. YC caps this at 50 characters.
0/50 characters — YC’s cap
Taught in The Written Application · The One Liner · watch the lesson
Question 3 of 15
What is your company going to make?For X customers with Y problem, we offer Z. A paragraph or two, no jargon.
Taught in The Written Application · Company Description · watch the lesson
Question 4 of 15
Explain your decision regarding locationWhere you are now, where the company sits after the batch, and why that is right for this company.
Question 5 of 15
How far along are you?Frame it against how long you’ve worked and how many customers you’ve talked to.
Taught in The Written Application · Startup Progress · watch the lesson
Question 6 of 15
How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full time?Exact months, and who is full time. Part time is fine when you say so plainly.
Taught in The Written Application · Startup Progress · watch the lesson
Question 7 of 15
What tech stack are you using, including AI models and AI coding tools?Name the real stack. Which models you call, and which tools you build with.
Question 8 of 15
Are people using your product? Users, revenue, or growthYour best number + growth. Proxies (signups, LOIs, GitHub stars) count.
Taught in The Written Application · Startup Traction · watch the lesson
Question 9 of 15
If you applied before: what changed, or why did you pivot?Only if you’ve applied before. Name what changed since, and what the last idea taught you.
Question 10 of 15
Have you taken part in, or committed to, another accelerator or incubator?Only if it applies. State the program, the dates, and the terms, plainly.
Question 11 of 15
Why did you pick this idea? Do you have domain expertise? How do you know people need it?Founder-market fit: show you’ve lived this problem, and how you know the need is real.
Taught in The Written Application · Product Founder Fit · watch the lesson
Question 12 of 15
Who are your competitors, and what do you understand about your business that they don’t?Name them (never “none”). State your non-obvious insight and why now.
Taught in The Written Application · Competitors and your unique insight · watch the lesson
Question 13 of 15
How do or will you make money? How much could you make?Who pays, how much, how often, sized bottoms-up, not “1% of a huge market.”
Taught in The Written Application · Monetization and Vision · watch the lesson
Question 14 of 15
Other ideas you consideredNot a trick. Listing them shows you’re coachable.
Taught in The Written Application · Other Startup Ideas · watch the lesson
Question 15 of 15
What convinced you to apply to Y Combinator?Be concrete: who encouraged you, which events you went to, what you took from them.
Taught in Orientation · Who should apply · watch the lesson

Frequently asked questions

01What does the grader measure?

The writing quality of each answer: specificity, evidence, clarity, conciseness, and insight. The reading quotes your own words, names the exact weakness, and gives the fix.

02Is the grader free?

Yes. Enrolling in the free course unlocks it, and after that you can run it on as many drafts as you like. The strength, the fix, and a worked example for every answer appear on the page.

03How does the grader read my answers?

Each answer is read the way a sharp reader would: for specific claims, real evidence, and clear writing. Every answer links to the exact course lesson that teaches it.

04Can I revise and run it again?

Yes, and that is the point. The reading stays beside your draft, so you can rewrite a weak answer and grade it again immediately. Your latest reading is saved to your account.

05What happens to my answers?

Signed in, your draft, your latest reading and each graded run save to your account, visible only to you. Signed out, the draft stays in your browser and is never sent anywhere. Answers are analyzed by an AI service only when you run the grader.

Your draft is close. The course closes the gap.

Enroll free See what's inside

course.map18 videos · ~99 min