You’re sitting in a dorm room or scrolling through TikTok, and someone drops the link. It’s a 100-question checklist from a website that looks like it hasn’t been updated since the Bush administration. You start clicking. Held hands? Yes. Been in a relationship? Sure. Then things get weird. By the time you reach the questions about lawbreaking or specific bedroom maneuvers, you’re wondering if you’re a saint or a degenerate. Finally, the number pops up. If you’re staring at a 45 and your best friend has an 88, you’re probably asking yourself: what is a bad rice purity score?
The truth is, "bad" is entirely subjective.
The Rice Purity Test originated at Rice University back in the 1920s. It wasn't some high-tech psychological profile. It was basically a way for students to bond and measure their transition from childhood innocence to the messy reality of adulthood. Over a century later, it's still a rite of passage. But the context has shifted. A score that would have gotten you expelled in 1930 is just a Tuesday night in 2026.
The Myth of the "Bad" Rice Purity Score
Let’s get one thing straight: the Rice Purity Test is not a moral compass. It's a snapshot of experiences.
If you score high—say, above a 90—people might call you "pure" or "innocent." If you score low—below a 50—the internet might label you "wild." But these labels are mostly nonsense. You can be a genuinely terrible person with a score of 98 because you’re mean to waiters and ghost your friends. Conversely, you could have a score of 20 and be the most empathetic, responsible person in the room.
The score is an aggregate of life events. It counts things like "stayed out past 3:00 AM" alongside much heavier topics. Because the test weighs all 100 items equally, the math is fundamentally flawed. One point is one point. Whether you’ve been arrested for a felony or you just tried a cigarette once, the impact on your score is identical. This is why obsessing over what constitutes a bad rice purity score is a bit like judging a book by its page count.
Breaking Down the Ranges
While there’s no official scale, most people in campus culture and social media circles have a general idea of where the brackets fall.
- 95 – 100: You’re likely a freshman or just very sheltered. Or maybe you're just very intentional about your boundaries. There is zero shame here.
- 75 – 94: This is the average for a lot of younger college students. You’ve had some experiences, you’ve dated, maybe you’ve had a few drinks, but you haven't gone off the deep end.
- 45 – 74: You’ve lived. You’ve likely had several relationships and a fair amount of "party" experiences. This is often where the "average" senior lands.
- Under 45: This is where people start using the word "bad." You’ve probably checked off some of the more "hardcore" or "illegal" boxes.
Why We Care About the Numbers
Humans love to quantify things. We track our steps, our calories, and our screen time. Why wouldn't we try to track our "purity"?
The test serves as a social lubricant. It’s an icebreaker. Honestly, it’s mostly about the shock value of realizing your quietest friend has the lowest score. We use it to find people who have lived similar lives. If you’re in a group where everyone is in the 80s, and you’re a 30, you might feel like an outlier. But that doesn’t make your score bad. It just means your path has been different.
Social media, particularly TikTok, has breathed new life into this old test. Every few months, a new "Purity Test Challenge" goes viral. People post their scores with "oops" captions or "I'm a saint" emojis. This creates a false sense of competition. You start to think there’s a "correct" way to live your twenties. There isn't.
The Evolution of "Purity"
In 2026, our definition of what's scandalous has changed. In the original versions of the test, things like "dancing cheek-to-cheek" might have been considered a point. Today, the questions involve substances, legal issues, and very specific sexual acts.
The shift in culture means that a "bad" score today is much harder to achieve than it was thirty years ago. We are more open about mental health, sexuality, and experimentation. Therefore, a score of 60 today is functionally equivalent to a score of 85 in the 1970s.
When a Score Actually Matters
Is there ever a time when a bad rice purity score is actually a red flag? Maybe. But not for the reasons you think.
If your score is low because of the "illegal" section, it might be worth reflecting on your choices—not because of "purity," but because of safety and your future. The test asks about being arrested, drug use, and other high-risk behaviors. If you’re checking those boxes, the "bad" part isn't the number; it’s the potential consequence of the actions.
However, if your score is low simply because you've had a lot of consensual, safe sexual experiences or you enjoy a robust social life, that's just living. There’s a huge difference between "experience" and "recklessness." The Rice Purity Test doesn't distinguish between the two.
The Peer Pressure Trap
Sometimes, people feel pressured to "lower" their score. They see a high score as a sign of being boring. This leads to "purity score inflation," where people lie on the test to seem more interesting.
It’s a weird paradox. In middle school, you want to be pure. In college, you want to be "experienced." By your thirties, you don't even remember what your score was. Don't let a digital checklist dictate your comfort level with life. If you don't want to drink, don't drink. If you want to wait for marriage, wait. Your score is for you, not for the person sitting next to you in the cafeteria.
The Psychological Impact of Labeling Scores
Psychologically, labeling a score as "bad" can lead to two outcomes: shame or pride.
Shame happens when someone feels they’ve "lost" their innocence and can never get it back. This is a destructive mindset. Life isn't a one-way street of losing purity. It’s a journey of gaining wisdom. Every experience, even the ones you regret, adds to who you are.
On the flip side, some people wear a low score like a badge of honor, using it to gatekeep "coolness." This is equally silly. Having a 20 on a purity test doesn't make you more "enlightened" or "real" than someone with a 95. It just means you’ve had more variety in your Friday nights.
Variations of the Test
It's worth noting that the "Official" Rice Purity Test isn't the only one out there. There are versions for high schoolers, versions for specific communities, and even "Toxic Purity Tests." Each has its own grading scale.
The sheer variety of these tests proves that they are just games. They are memes that stood the test of time. Treating them as anything more—like a psychological evaluation or a metric for a partner’s worth—is a mistake.
Real Advice for the "Low Scorers"
If you’ve taken the test and you’re worried your score is "bad," take a deep breath.
Look at the boxes you checked.
Are those experiences you enjoyed? Did they happen in a safe, consensual environment? Did they help you grow as a person? If the answer is yes, then your score is perfect. It’s a reflection of a life lived.
If you look at your boxes and feel a pang of regret or realize you were in some dangerous spots, use that as data. Don't use it to beat yourself up. Use it to decide what your next 100 days look like. You can't un-check a box, but you can choose which ones you check in the future.
How to Handle the Conversation
When people start comparing scores, you have three options:
- Own it: "Yeah, I've got a 42. I had a wild sophomore year. Want to hear a story?"
- Deflect it: "I stopped counting after I hit the animal questions because this test is unhinged."
- Ignore it: "I don't really believe in quantifying my life like that."
Most people won't care as much as you think they do. The Rice Purity Test is a five-minute distraction, not a permanent record.
Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you're still obsessing over the numbers, here is how you should actually approach the Rice Purity Test moving forward:
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- Take it with a grain of salt: Recognize that the test is culturally biased and statistically meaningless. It was written by college kids, not sociologists.
- Focus on the "Why": Instead of the total number, look at the categories. Are you happy with your social life? Are you being safe? That’s what matters.
- Don't use it to judge others: If you find out a potential partner has a "bad" score, talk to them. Numbers don't tell stories; people do.
- Ignore the "Innocence" labels: Purity is a social construct. Experience is a reality. Don't confuse the two.
- Use it as a reflection tool: If there are boxes you want to check, ask yourself why. If there are boxes you’re glad you didn't check, be proud of those boundaries.
At the end of the day, the only "bad" score is one you lied about because you were afraid of being judged. Whether you’re a 99 or a 9, your value as a human remains unchanged. Your score is just a number on a screen. Life happens off-screen. Go live it.