Rice Purity Test Score Meaning

Last reviewed September 30, 2026 · For adults 18+

What does your Rice Purity score mean?

Your score is the number of the test's 100 items you haven't done: 100 minus the number of boxes you check. A high score means few of the listed experiences, a low score means many. It's a count, not a grade, so there is no good or bad score.

For adults, 55 to 75 is typical; the overall average is estimated at 62–68.
Have a specific number? Look it up below.

On this page

How is the Rice Purity score calculated?

Start at 100 and subtract one point for every item you check. Check 40 items and you score 60; check 5 and you score 95. The test is scored out of 100 with no weighting: every one of the 100 questions carries the same weight, so holding hands and the rarest item near the end of the list each cost exactly one point. That flat weighting is the main reason two people with the same score can have very different stories.

Score = 100 − (number of items checked)

New to the test itself? Start with what the Rice Purity Test is and where it comes from.

Rice Purity score chart, from 100 to 0

The scale runs from 100 (nothing checked) to 0 (everything checked). Find your number below. The labels are the same ones you see on the results page after taking the test.

Score	Label	What it usually looks like
100	Perfect score	Nothing on the list checked. Rare for anyone past their first year of college.
98–99	Extremely pure	One or two items, usually holding hands or a first date.
94–97	Very pure	A few dating and kissing items, little else.
90–93	Relatively pure	Kissing and relationship items, perhaps a first drink.
87–89	Moderately pure	Most of the dating section plus a few social items.
84–86	Fairly pure	Typical of someone early in college.
80–83	Somewhat pure	Dating, kissing and some alcohol items; common at 18 to 20.
77–79	Lightly tarnished	Starting into the physical-intimacy section. Very ordinary.
70–76	Moderately experienced	Right around the typical adult range. Common in the early twenties.
60–69	Experienced	The middle of the pack for adults; the overall average sits here.
50–59	Very experienced	Typical for many people in their late twenties.
40–49	Highly experienced	Well into the later sections of the list.
30–39	Extremely experienced	Most of the list checked, including many partner items.
20–29	Exceptionally experienced	Uncommon; the rarer items near the end are checked too.
10–19	Nearly everything	Very uncommon.
1–9	You've done it all	Extremely rare.
0	Ultimate experience	Every item checked. Almost nobody scores this.

Is my score good? Look up any number

No score is good or bad: the test counts experiences, it doesn't grade them. What people usually want to know is whether a number is typical. Find yours below to see how many items it means and which age groups it is typical for. The age ranges are our estimates (see how we estimate them), not survey results.

Score	Items checked	Typical at age (estimate)	Compared with adults (estimate)
96–100	0–4	Above every age range	Above the typical adult range
91–95	5–9	Above every age range	Above the typical adult range
86–90	10–14	18	Above the typical adult range
81–85	15–19	18, 19–22	Above the typical adult range
76–80	20–24	18, 19–22	Above the typical adult range
71–75	25–29	18, 19–22, 23–25	Within the typical adult range
66–70	30–34	19–22, 23–25	Within the typical adult range; includes the estimated average
61–65	35–39	19–22, 23–25, 26–30	Within the typical adult range; includes the estimated average
56–60	40–44	23–25, 26–30, 31+	Within the typical adult range
51–55	45–49	26–30, 31+	Within the typical adult range
46–50	50–54	26–30, 31+	Below the typical adult range
41–45	55–59	31+	Below the typical adult range
36–40	60–64	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
31–35	65–69	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
26–30	70–74	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
21–25	75–79	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
16–20	80–84	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
11–15	85–89	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
6–10	90–94	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range
0–5	95–100	Below every age range	Below the typical adult range

The numbers people ask about most

Is 85 a good Rice Purity score?

An 85 means you checked 15 items. It sits above the typical adult range and inside the estimated ranges for 18-year-olds (75 to 90) and for 19 to 22 (65 to 85), so it is a very ordinary score early in college. The rest of the 80s read much the same way.

Is 77 a good Rice Purity score?

A 77 means you checked 23 items. That sits just above the typical adult range, so it is very ordinary, especially for someone aged 18 to their early twenties. A 76 or a 78 reads the same way.

Is 68 or 65 a normal score?

Yes. A 68 (32 items) and a 65 (35 items) both fall inside the estimated overall average of 62 to 68, in the middle of the most common band for adults. Scores in the 60s are typical for most people in their twenties.

Is 55 a bad Rice Purity score?

No. A 55 means 45 items checked, which is within the normal range for adults and common from the late twenties onward. Scores in the 40s and 50s, such as 48 or 53, are not bad either. There are no bad scores, only different histories.

What each part of the range means

98 to 100: extremely pure

You've checked almost nothing. It usually means you've had few chances for these experiences yet, grew up in a close-knit or religious environment, or hold values that keep most of this list off the table. All of those are valid; none of them is a character judgment.

77 to 97: relatively pure

A wide and very common band, especially from 18 to about 21. You've had real social and romantic experiences, but most of the later items on the list are still unchecked. First-year college students often sit in the 80s and move toward the 70s over the next few years.

45 to 76: moderate

This is where most adults land. You've said yes to things, tried things, and probably regret one or two. A score in the 50s or 60s at 25 is as ordinary as a score in the 80s at 18.

9 to 44: experienced

You've checked a lot of boxes. This tends to come with age, a particular social scene, or simply a life that leaned toward trying things. People here often find the test more nostalgic than surprising.

0 to 8: highly experienced

Very uncommon. You've encountered nearly everything on a list that covers a wide spread of adult experience, including the rarest items.

Common questions about specific scores

Is a higher or lower Rice Purity score better?

Neither. A high score means you have checked few of the listed items; a low score means you have checked many. The test counts experiences and does not judge them, so there is no good or bad score: a 90 and a 45 are both just numbers on a checklist.

What is a normal Rice Purity score?

For adults, anything from about 55 to 75 is squarely typical, and the overall average is estimated in the mid-60s. For an 18-year-old, the high 70s to high 80s is normal. See what counts as normal at each age.

What is the highest and lowest possible score?

The test is scored out of 100. The highest possible score is 100 (nothing checked) and the lowest is 0 (everything checked). Both extremes are rare.

For typical scores at each age, see average Rice Purity score by age.

What your score doesn't tell you

Your score counts how many items on one specific checklist apply to your life, nothing more. It doesn't measure character, judgment or worth. The test began as a campus tradition at Rice University, where the student newspaper printed versions of it for new students, and it was always meant as a conversation starter rather than an assessment. If you want the background, read the history of the test.

Haven't taken it yet?

It takes about 10 minutes. Your answers stay in your browser; nothing is sent to us.

Take the test Read the 100 questions