Most Practical Shooting matches comprise a minimum of three stages, with each stage differing from the last to push the competitor’s abilities and firearms to their limits. The competitor is scored on the accuracy and time taken around a stage. This is then measured against the top competitor of the day and the competitor’s score is counted as a percentage. All competitors are reviewed regularly to decide the grade level in which they participate.

Courses are designed to test accuracy, speed and power, and are constantly changed to pose challenges and avoid any pattern becoming routine. The courses may be published, where full details are made available prior to competition; semi-surprise, where competitors may view some details or a pictorial layout prior to commencement; or surprise, where competitors start the match with little to no information other than that required for safety.

The targets used in Practical Shooting are mainly paper or steel and may include the SSAA paper or cardboard targets; steel plates that fall, overturn or swing when hit; frangible targets such as clay targets and tiles; and miscellaneous targets such as bullseye and wooden post targets.