How the Rice Purity Test is scored
Start at 100. Lose one point for every item you tick. That is the whole system.
The rule
Score = 100 minus the number of items you tick. There are 100 items, each worth one point, so scores run from 100 (ticked nothing) to 0 (ticked everything). The 100-item, one-point format dates from the Thresher's 1988 version; the 1924 original had ten questions worth ten points each[1].
Worked examples
| Ticked | Score | Our range |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100 | Untouched |
| 5 | 95 | Barely started |
| 18 | 82 | Getting started |
| 30 | 70 | In the middle |
| 47 | 53 | Experienced |
| 62 | 38 | Seen a lot |
| 80 | 20 | Very experienced |
| 100 | 0 | Close to the bottom |
Every item weighs the same
This is the test's best-known flaw, and the people who wrote the 2012 version knew it. Backpage editor Anthony Lauriello asked how French kissing and heroin could cost one point each, and whether someone who commits regular murders but never drinks could out-score the average student[2]. The answer is yes. The score counts, it does not judge.
That is also why two people with the same score can have very different lists. A 70 might be thirty items from the top or a scattering from all over.
The order still matters
Because the items run from mild to far, the score tells you roughly how far down the list someone has gone. Our results page shows how many items you kept in each of the ten sections, which says more than the single number. See how sections map to scores.
Old house rules
The 1988 version had a joke rule: if you do not understand a question, add two points[1]. Nobody uses it now, and our score cannot go above 100.
Frequently asked questions
Are some questions worth more than others?
No. Every item is worth exactly one point in the modern test.
Can you score below 0?
No. There are 100 items, so the lowest possible score is 0.
Ready? Take the Rice Purity Test. Your answers never leave your device.