Average Rice Purity Score by Age
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 · For adults 18+
What is the average Rice Purity score?
The average Rice Purity score is an estimated 62 to 68, so most people check about a third of the list.
- Estimated average
- 62–68
- Most common range
- 55–75
- A typical 18-year-old scores in the high 70s to high 80s; by the late 20s most people are in the 50s or low 60s.
- These are estimates, not survey results. There is no official dataset; here is how we estimate them.
On this page
Typical score by age at a glance
| Age | Typical range (estimate) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 75–90 | Most items become possible only with time and independence; many 18-year-olds have just started college or work. |
| 19–22 | 65–85 | College years: the drinking, dating and first-relationship items start to add up. |
| 23–25 | 60–75 | Living independently and longer relationships; the widest spread of any group. |
| 26–30 | 50–65 | More of the partner and relationship items apply to most people by now. |
| 31+ | 45–60 | A running total that only goes up, though quieter lives still score in the 60s and 70s. |
Age is the single biggest predictor of a Rice Purity score. Not because older people made worse decisions, but because the test asks about cumulative life experiences, and more years means more time to accumulate them. If you're comparing your score to someone in a different decade of life, you're not comparing like with like.
How we estimate these ranges
There is no official dataset of Rice Purity scores, so the ranges on this page are editorial estimates, not survey results. Many sites quote precise “averages” without saying where they came from; this is how ours are made, and how they will be replaced with real figures.
- Start from the list itself. Many of the 100 questions only become possible with time and independence: drinking legally, living away from home, longer relationships. That is why the ranges fall with age.
- Check them against published figures. The only published averages we know of come from Rice University's student newspaper. The Rice Thresher reported an average of 65 for the roughly 274 tests taken in Houston on one Saturday in August 2017, just after orientation week. We also compare our ranges with those other published guides report.
- Keep them wide. One day in one city is a small, self-selected sample, and everyone who takes the test chose to. So each age range spans 15 to 20 points, and the overall average is given as a range (62–68), not a single number.
- Replace them with real data. We are setting up an anonymous, opt-in way for readers to add their score and age band. Once an age group has 50 responses, its real figures will appear on this page with the number of responses behind them.
Estimates last reviewed September 30, 2026. Source: Rice Thresher, “Purity Test evolves, spreads beyond Rice” (August 23, 2017).
The overall average: where most people land
Across all age groups, the average Rice Purity score is estimated at 62 to 68. That means most people check roughly 32 to 38 items out of 100, and the bulk of scores fall between 55 and 75.
Keep in mind who takes this test: mostly college students and people in their twenties who chose to. A true population average, including people who have never heard of it, would look different.
What is a normal Rice Purity score?
For adults, a normal Rice Purity score is anything from about 55 to 75, and the estimated average is 62–68. What counts as normal depends mostly on age: the high 70s to the high 80s is typical at 18, and scores in the 50s are typical by the late twenties.
Normal isn't the same as good. The test isn't supposed to come out high or low: a high score means fewer items checked, a low score means more, and neither is better. The score guide explains whether a higher or lower score is better.
Average score ranges by age group, explained
Here's how scores tend to distribute by age, along with why each range makes sense:
18 to 22 years old: typically 65 to 90
This is the core audience for the test: first- and second-year college students taking it at orientation or with a new group of friends. Scores here tend to be higher for the obvious reason: you haven't had as many years to accumulate experiences.
Someone who's 18 and scores a 75 isn't particularly sheltered — they're just 18. The same person retaking it at 23 will almost certainly score lower, even without doing anything dramatically different in the intervening years. A handful of ordinary life events add up quickly on a 100-item list.
23 to 25 years old: typically 60 to 75
Post-college, early working life. By this point most people have been in relationships, lived independently, navigated some social complexity, and encountered situations that would have been unfamiliar a few years earlier. Scores drop accordingly.
This age group tends to have the most internal variation — some 24-year-olds have lived intensely, others have been focused on graduate school or career and have scores closer to their college freshman self. The range is wide for a reason.
26 to 30 years old: typically 50 to 65
The mid-to-late 20s tend to see scores dip into the 50s for most people. These are the years when a lot of the test's more significant items — longer-term relationships, more varied social environments, a few years of navigating adult life — become applicable.
A score of 55 at 28 isn't anything surprising. If you're in this range and score higher than expected, you may have had a relatively contained social life — which is neither good nor bad, just different.
31 and older: typically 45 to 60
By the time someone's in their 30s, the test starts feeling less like a discovery and more like a census of things they've already processed. The questions that seemed hypothetical at 20 are now just memories. Scores in this range tend to reflect that accumulated history.
That said, adults in their 30s and 40s who've had quieter or more focused lives do score in the 60s and 70s. Life trajectory matters more than age alone at this point.
What is the average Rice Purity score for an 18-year-old?
At 18, the average Rice Purity score is an estimated 75–90: most 18-year-olds land somewhere between the high 70s and the high 80s. Many of the items near the end of the list (the ones about partners, travel and the law) simply haven't had a chance to happen yet, while the dating, kissing and first-drink items often have. A score of 80 at 18 is completely ordinary; so is a 92 or a 70.
Average score at 19, 20, 21 and 22
The estimated range for ages 19 to 22 is 65–85. Within it, scores usually drift into the 70s at 19 and 20, and by 21 and 22 many people are somewhere in the 60s or low 70s. These are the college years, when the drinking, dating and first-relationship items start to add up.
The drop is gradual: a few new experiences a year move the number more than people expect.
What about people under 18?
We don't publish figures for anyone under 18. The questions are about sex, drugs and trouble with the law, and the test is meant for adults. If you're under 18, please skip it; it will still be here later.
Why Age Affects Score — The Simple Explanation
The test asks “have you ever” for each item — not “have you recently” or “do you regularly.” That means it's a running total that can only go up over time. You can't uncross something you've already crossed.
Add to that: the items on the list include a lot of things that are simply more likely to happen as you get older and have more social opportunities, more independence, and more years of relationships behind you. Not because older people are reckless — because some experiences just take time to encounter.
This is why comparing your score to someone ten years older or younger isn't that meaningful. A 19-year-old with a 78 and a 32-year-old with a 58 might have had very similar proportional life experiences for their age — the raw numbers don't tell you that.
Is my score normal for my age?
Find your age in the table at the top of this page. If your score falls inside that range, it's typical for your age. If it doesn't, that's common too: the ranges are estimates with soft edges, and plenty of people score well above or below them.
These are wide ranges, and they reflect central tendencies — not rules. If you're 24 and scored a 90, that doesn't mean something is wrong with you. It might mean you've had a more sheltered or focused upbringing, strong personal values, a particular social environment, or simply that you interpreted some questions conservatively.
If you're 21 and scored a 45, that doesn't mean you've burned your life down. It might mean you've had a wider social range than most people your age, grew up faster, or moved in environments where more of these experiences were normal.
The average is a reference point for comparison — not a benchmark you should feel pressure to hit. The more interesting question is usually not “how do I compare to the average?” but “what does my specific number reflect about my actual life?” For a specific number, such as 68 or 55, the score lookup shows how many items it means and which age groups it is typical for.
Related guides
- Is my score good? Every score range explained How the score is calculated, the score chart and a lookup for any number.
- What the Rice Purity Test is and how to read it What “purity” means here and what your result can and can’t tell you.
- All 100 questions, explained The full list by theme, with plain-English notes on confusing items.
- History of the test From a 1924 Rice Thresher survey to a TikTok trend.
See where you land
Take the 100-question test. Your answers stay in your browser.