What Is the Average Rice Purity Score?

Got your Rice Purity Test score and now wondering how it stacks up? That is one of the most common questions people ask after taking the test. The honest answer has two parts: sites do report averages, but there is no official, verified average for the Rice Purity Test. Every number you see online is an informal count drawn from whoever happened to take that site’s version of the test.

This guide explains what averages people usually report, how the score actually works, why averages shift so much by age and school, and how to think about your own number. If you have not taken it yet, you can take the Rice Purity Test here and come back with your score.

The Short Answer: No Official Average Exists

The Rice Purity Test has no owner, no central database, and no research body collecting a representative sample. Every copy of the test lives on its own website with its own visitors. So when a site says “the average score is 62,” it really means “the average among the people who took our test on our site.” That is an interesting data point, but it is not a population statistic.

The test traces back to the Rice University student newspaper, the Rice Thresher, which published a small ten-question survey of 119 female undergraduates in 1924. The 100-question version everyone knows today came much later, evolving through campus humor features and online copies. At no point was the test designed or calibrated by researchers, so no one ever ran the kind of study that would produce a real, defensible average.

What People Report Informally

Keeping that caveat in mind, here is the pattern that shows up again and again across purity test sites:

• High school students informally report average ranges from the mid-70s up into the 90s. Younger test takers check fewer items, so scores run high.
• College students often report averages somewhere in the 50 to 70 range. More time, more independence, and more life experience mean more checked boxes.
• Across all ages, sites tend to advertise overall averages somewhere in the low 60s to mid-70s, mostly because their visitor base skews young.

Notice how wide those bands are. A site popular with high schoolers will show a higher average than one popular with college juniors. Neither number is “the” average. For the full picture of how your number is computed, see what your score range means.

How the Score Math Works

The score is 100 minus the number of items you checked. Everyone starts at 100, and each checked box subtracts one point. A score of 78 means 22 items were checked; a score of 41 means 59 were checked.

Two quirks matter when you compare yourself to an average. First, every item counts the same: a light, common item removes one point, same as a rare or serious one, so the total hides what was actually checked. Second, scores only move one way. Because the test asks whether you have ever done something, checked boxes accumulate over your life. Your score stays the same or slowly drifts down. It never goes back up.

Why Averages Shift by Age and School

Age is the biggest reason averages differ. A high school freshman and a college senior have had very different amounts of time to accumulate experiences, so the reported averages for the two groups barely overlap. It is mostly arithmetic, not lifestyle.

Setting matters too:

• Campus culture. Party-heavy schools and commuter campuses produce very different reported averages, because the daily social environment changes which items get checked.
• Region and background. Where people grew up, their family’s expectations, and their community all shape the result before anyone clicks a box.
• Personal values. Some people check few items because of beliefs or preferences, not lack of opportunity. Values hold scores up just as effectively as circumstance.
• Who is taking it. Freshmen at orientation, friend groups sharing scores online, and random late-night quiz takers are three different crowds, and each crowd’s average describes only itself.

Why You Should Treat Any “Average” Cautiously

Three problems keep every reported average in the realm of entertainment rather than data:

• Selection bias. The only people in a site’s average are the people who chose to take that site’s test. That is not a random sample of anyone.
• Honesty and peer pressure. People answer differently when friends are watching. Some inflate, some downplay, some just click fast to see a number. We dig deeper into this in our look at whether the test is accurate.
• Different versions. Not every site uses the same 100 questions. Sites reword, reorder, add, or cut items, so an average from one site is not measuring quite the same test as an average from another.

The practical rule: treat any statement like “the average is X” as unverified unless it names its sample, its method, and its date. No site’s number passes that test right now.

Using Averages the Sensible Way

If you still want to compare, do it gently. Pick the average that matches your own group: your age bracket, your kind of school, and a recent figure. Then treat it as a rough neighborhood, not a verdict. Being a few points above or below an informal average says almost nothing about you, because the number behind the comparison was never precise to begin with.

The test was built as a campus icebreaker, not a measuring stick. Asking “is my score normal” is natural, but the only person your score has to make sense to is you. If you want a second look at your own number, the Rice Purity Score Meaning Checker places any score from 0 to 100 on the scale, and our guide on what counts as a good score takes the pressure off the comparison entirely.

The Bottom Line

There is no official average Rice Purity score. The numbers floating around online, typically the 60s to 70s overall, higher for high schoolers and lower for college students, are informal counts from each site’s own visitors. They shift with age, school, timing, and version, and they rest on self-reported answers nobody can verify. Use an average as a rough reference if you like, but never as a grade. The score counts checked boxes. It says nothing about your character, your worth, or how you compare to anyone who matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered a “normal” Rice Purity score?

There is no official “normal” score. Younger test takers often land in the 75 to 90s, while college students often land in the 50 to 70 range. These are informal online figures, not verified benchmarks.

What is the average Rice Purity score for high schoolers vs. college students?

High schoolers informally report higher averages, often in the 75 to 90+ range. College students informally report lower ones, often between 50 and 70. Treat both as rough observations, not data.

Why do different sites show different average scores?

Different sites see different visitors, use slightly different question lists, and collect data at different times. An average describes only the people who took that site’s test.

Can my Rice Purity score go back up over time?

No. The test asks whether you have ever done something, so checked boxes accumulate. Your score stays the same or slowly drifts down; it never increases.

Does a below-average score mean something is wrong with me?

No. A lower score simply means more boxes were checked. The test is an informal icebreaker, not a measure of character, maturity, or worth.

Is the Rice Purity Test backed by scientific research?

No. It began as a student newspaper feature at Rice University in 1924 and evolved through campus humor traditions and internet copies. It has never been validated as a psychological or scientific measure.