Cross-country events involve finding in sequence each of the control points marked on a map. In score orienteering there are a great many control points (usually 30 or 40), each earning a different score depending on distance from the start point and how difficult they are to find.
顧名思義，「循點定向」就是按照地圖上定點循序來完成的比賽；而「積分定向」是在地圖上畫上許多指定位置（一般來說約三、四十個點），而每個位置會依遠近、尋找難度的不同而有不一樣的分數。