Merit-based

Fits when applicants are compared for limited places or resources

Careful Competition alone leaves open whether the criteria measure relevant merit.

Fits when recognition follows effort or accomplishment

Careful Earned can imply that unsuccessful people were undeserving despite structural barriers.

Fits when relevant capability rather than tenure or identity is assessed

Careful Ability can be hard to measure fairly and may ignore potential.

Fits when demonstrated accomplishments are the criteria

Careful Past achievement may reflect access to opportunity as much as current ability.

Fits when a published rubric guides decisions

Careful Criteria may be arbitrary or irrelevant, so this is not automatically merit-based.

Fits when documented evidence supports the selection

Careful Evidence can be incomplete or biased, and the phrase does not define merit.

Fits when measured results determine the decision

Careful Performance measures can reward short-term output and ignore unequal conditions.

Fits when documented credentials or requirements control eligibility

Careful Qualifications can be proxies that exclude capable people without those credentials.

Fits when the compact established phrase fits the sentence

Careful The phrase can conceal who defined merit and which opportunities shaped the evidence.