The Rice Purity Test: how does your score actually compare?

The TikTok virality of 2022-2023 brought the test to a much younger audience than the original Rice University context. Many test-takers are now 14-18 rather than 18-22, which naturally produces higher average scores because younger people have had fewer experiences. Among 18-22 year olds specifically, mean scores appear consistent with the historical Rice Thresher data of around 61-65.

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A score below 30 means a very large number of the 100 items were checked. This is most common among older adults (30+) with more varied life histories. The Rice Purity Test does not have a clinical or moral interpretation for scores in this range. It is a count of experiences, not an assessment of character.

The Rice Purity Test is a 100-question self-assessment checklist that originated at Rice University in Houston, Texas as an orientation-week bonding activity for new students. Each question describes a life experience and the test-taker checks every box that applies. The score is 100 minus the number of boxes checked: a score of 100 means no experiences checked, and a score of 0 means all 100 were checked. The test went viral on the internet and has been taken hundreds of millions of times, with a major resurgence on TikTok in 2022 that brought it to an entirely new, younger audience. The questions span romantic experiences, sexual experiences, substance use, rule-breaking, and emotional milestones.

The most cited average is 61.46 out of 100, from a Rice Thresher survey of 124,952 Rice University students. However, this sample is exclusively Rice University students, representing a specific demographic. Post-TikTok community data from Reddit and social media suggests the average for the current 18-22 demographic is 55-65. The "average" depends heavily on who is taking the test: a group of 18-year-olds will have a higher average score (fewer experiences) than a group of 30-year-olds (more years of opportunity). FTN's age-stratified percentile system addresses this directly. For population data on sexual behaviour from peer-reviewed research rather than self-selected samples, see the sex statistics page.

Neither. A lower score means more life experiences were checked, and a higher score means fewer. The test is descriptive, not evaluative. The word "purity" is used in a statistical sense (how much of the list remains unchecked), not a moral one. A score of 20 does not mean someone is "impure," and a score of 90 does not mean someone is naive. Scores reflect a combination of age, opportunity, personality, culture, and circumstance. Younger people naturally score higher because they have had fewer years of opportunity.

The calculation is straightforward: your score equals 100 minus the number of boxes you checked. If you check 37 boxes, your score is 63. Every checked box counts equally with no weighting by severity or category. This means checking "held hands romantically" counts the same as checking a more significant experience. The equal weighting is intentional: the original test was designed as a simple, fun exercise rather than a clinical instrument.

The test most commonly traces its origin to 1924, when the Rice Thresher published a short survey of 119 female Rice University students as an O-Week (Orientation Week) activity. The original version used the term "MPS" (Member of the Preferred Sex) in its romantic questions, reflecting the social conventions of the era. FTN's version uses updated, gender-neutral phrasing. The 100-question format developed through the 1980s as the test spread to other universities. The Rice Thresher's own FAQ notes: "This is not a bucket list." A higher score after completing the test should reflect where you have been, not where you intend to go. The list has been reproduced and modified thousands of times online. Minor variations exist between different sites' versions. FTN uses the most commonly circulated version, cross-referenced against the Rice Thresher published version.

No. The Rice Purity Test is an entertainment quiz with no clinical validity, reliability testing, or diagnostic purpose. It was not developed by psychologists or clinicians and does not measure mental health, personality, risk-taking propensity, or any validated psychological construct. It should not be used to make decisions about behaviour or wellbeing. The test's value is social and self-reflective: it prompts honest self-assessment and comparison with peers, which many people find entertaining and occasionally illuminating, but it is not a diagnostic tool.

The test includes questions about sexual activity, substance use, and illegal behaviour. While the test is frequently taken by teenagers (it is popular on TikTok among 14-17-year-olds), the content is adult in nature. FTN includes an age confirmation before displaying results. Parents should be aware that the test is widely circulated among teens and that the questions are explicit about sexual and drug-related experiences. The test does not encourage any behaviour; it simply asks whether specific experiences have occurred.