What DOTS and Wilks are
Both formulas let lifters of different bodyweights be compared. The total is multiplied by a coefficient that falls as bodyweight rises, so a lighter lifter's total counts for more. Wilks, published by Robert Wilks, was the common standard for decades. DOTS, published by Tim Konertz in 2019, was fitted to current results and treats the lightest and heaviest lifters more evenly; the OpenPowerlifting rankings and a number of federations use it. The IPF has its own formula, GL points.
For example, a man weighing 83 kg with a 700 kg total scores 472.6 DOTS and 467.2 Wilks.
The formulas
DOTS = total × 500 ÷ (a·w⁴ + b·w³ + c·w² + d·w + e), where w is bodyweight in kilograms. Men: a = −0.000001093, b = 0.0007391293, c = −0.1918759221, d = 24.0900756, e = −307.75076. Women: a = −0.0000010706, b = 0.0005158568, c = −0.1126655495, d = 13.6175032, e = −57.96288.
Wilks = total × 500 ÷ (a + b·w + c·w² + d·w³ + e·w⁴ + f·w⁵), with separate coefficients for men and women. Outside the bodyweights each formula was fitted on (for DOTS 40 to 210 kg for men and 40 to 150 kg for women) the edge value is used.
Training for the total
Points only compare totals; the total itself is built in training. Steelheft estimates your max for every lift from recent sets and the RPE you log, sets working weights from it and runs a four-week wave with a lighter week, so squat, bench and deadlift keep moving between meets.