Rice Purity Test

Rice Purity Test: What is your score out of 100?

Start the Rice Purity Test

No sign-up · share anywhere

The Rice Purity Test is a list of 100 experiences, from holding hands to things you would never tell your parents. You tick everything you have done, and your score is 100 minus the ticks. A 95 means you have barely started; a 20 means you have stories. It began as a student tradition at Rice University in Houston and is now the classic way to compare how innocent your friend group really is.

This version is free, anonymous and works on your phone. Tick the boxes, get your score instantly with one of six labels from Pure as Snow to Absolute Legend, and share the number without revealing which boxes you ticked.

Most people take it in their first weeks at university, at a sleepover, or when a group chat suddenly demands everyone's score. Expect to be judged, mostly for scoring too high.

1 Read the 100 questions
2 Tick everything you have done
3 Get your purity score and share it

What is the Rice Purity Test and who takes it?

It is a self-graded checklist of 100 life experiences covering romance, parties, alcohol, rule-breaking and a few things that are frankly disgusting. The more boxes you tick, the lower your purity score. Rice University students have used it since the 1920s to bond with new arrivals, and the internet turned it into a global ritual.

Today it is mostly taken by students and people in their late teens and twenties, often in groups, often with a drink nearby. Older people take it too, usually to prove a point to their younger siblings.

Rice Purity Test illustration with a smiling face with a halo, a bowl of rice, a dove and a ticked checkbox

How is the Rice Purity score calculated?

You start at 100 and lose one point per experience you tick. Every item weighs the same, so a first kiss costs exactly as much as a night in a police cell. Zero to eight ticks keeps you in Pure as Snow territory; tick more than ninety and you are an Absolute Legend. Pretty Normal sits between 77 and 93, which is where most people land.

Nothing is checked, so the score is only as honest as you are. Many people take it twice: once truthfully and once the version they would show their mum.

What kind of experiences are on the list?

The list moves from innocent to wild in roughly the order most people experience things. A few examples of what you will be ticking, or not:

  • Been on a date, then dated two people at the same time
  • Copied homework or let someone copy yours during exam week
  • Had a one-night stand after a club night
  • Spread a rumour you knew was not true
  • Peed in a swimming pool and never admitted it

What is a good Rice Purity score?

There is no good or bad, only context. Among first-year students the average tends to sit in the 70s and 80s; by graduation it has usually dropped into the 50s and 60s. A score above 90 at twenty-five raises eyebrows at parties, a score under 30 raises different eyebrows. Treat it as a snapshot of how much living you have done so far, not as a grade.

Why do friends compare Rice Purity scores?

Because the number is loud and the details stay private. You can post a 58 in the group chat without anyone knowing which 42 boxes you ticked, and the guessing is half the fun. Freshers' week, sleepovers and long train journeys are where it comes out: everyone takes it on their own phone, screenshots the result and the interrogation begins. Couples compare scores on early dates, siblings compare to settle who the wild one really is. If you want to know your score in a different light, the mental age test measures how old your head is rather than how much you have done.

Rice Purity Test FAQ

What does a Rice Purity score mean?

It is 100 minus the number of experiences you have ticked. A high score means you have done little from the list; a low score means you have done a lot. The six labels, from Pure as Snow to Absolute Legend, describe the band you land in, with a short text for each.

What is the average Rice Purity score?

Student surveys usually put the average somewhere between 60 and 80, lower for final-year students and higher for first-years. Scores under 40 are uncommon but far from rare in a big friend group. Your own circle will have its own normal, which is why people compare.

Is the Rice Purity Test only for students?

No. It was born on a campus, but anyone can take it. Adults in their thirties and forties often take it out of curiosity and are surprised at how much the list has aged with them. The questions are the same regardless of who answers.

Do I have to tick things I am not proud of?

Only if you want an honest score. Nobody sees your ticks, only the final number, so there is no reason to hide anything from the test itself. Skipping the awkward boxes is common and simply gives you a slightly flattering result.

Is my Rice Purity Test result saved anywhere?

No. The checklist runs entirely on your phone or computer, nothing is uploaded and no account exists. Close the page and the ticks are gone. The only thing that survives is the screenshot you choose to share.

Why is it called the Rice Purity Test?

It takes its name from Rice University in Texas, where students have passed the list around since the 1920s as an icebreaker for new arrivals. The word purity refers to the score, which starts at a spotless 100 and drops with every experience.

Can my score go back up?

No. Experiences stay ticked, so the score can only fall over time, which is exactly why people retake it once a year to see how far it has moved. A friend who claims their score went up is either lying now or was lying before.

Discover our other tests

All quizzes →