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The primary SA documentation at http://wwwspamassassin.spamassassinapache.org/full/3.1.x/dist/doc/Mail_SpamAssassin_Conf.html#scoring%20optionshtml#scoring_options defines the required_hits parameter, and states,
5.0 is the default setting, and is quite aggressive; it would be suitable for a single-user setup, but if you're an ISP installing SpamAssassin, you should probably set the default to be more conservative, like 8.0 or 10.0.

There are two basic reasons why you might want to change the default scores of the distribution rule set:BR

1. You've modified the required hits parameter (up or down), and therefore need to modify at least some of the default scores to properly flag your spam.BR

1. Non-spam has different attributes for different people. Medical organizations and users will need to score medical and drug-related rules lower than the general population, while mortgage brokers will need to lower the scores of mortgage and debt-related rules.
   

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1. Examine spam that did not get properly flagged. Look in the headers, and see what rules hit for this email. Those are the rules that can have their scores increased.BR

1. Examine non-spam that was wrongly flagged as spam. Look in the headers to find those rules that can have their scores decreased.
   

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