What Is a Good Rice Purity Score?
There is no good rice purity score, because the test does not measure anything that can be good or bad. But people keep asking, so here is what the question usually means and what an honest answer looks like.
The short answer
A "good" score is whichever number honestly reflects your experiences. If you want a benchmark instead: most people score close to the average for their age group, which is roughly 85-95 in your mid teens, 55-75 at university and 35-60 in your late twenties. Being near your age band's range is the closest thing to "normal" this test has.
Why people really ask
Almost nobody asking this wants a definition. They have just seen their number and want to know whether it is going to embarrass them. The three versions of the question are:
- "Is my score too low?" — usually asked by someone who scored below their friends.
- "Is my score too high?" — usually asked by someone who feels behind.
- "What score should I have at my age?" — the only version with a useful answer.
The first two have the same answer: no. The list contains 100 specific experiences drawn from a particular time and place, and the number of them you have had is not a ranking.
High versus low, without the loaded language
| If you scored | It means | It does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | You have ticked ten items or fewer, usually the early dating ones. | That you are sheltered, naive or behind. |
| 70-89 | Relationships and nights out apply; the back half of the list mostly does not. | That you are holding back. |
| 50-69 | Roughly two-thirds of the list applies. The most common adult range. | Anything at all, really — this is the middle. |
| 30-49 | A good part of the later, more explicit section applies too. | That you are reckless or that something went wrong. |
| 0-29 | Most of the list applies, including items describing serious situations. | A moral verdict of any kind. |
The comparison trap
Scores get shared in group chats, and that is where the trouble starts. Two things make those comparisons almost worthless:
- Age gaps. A two-year age difference inside a friend group can easily account for a fifteen-point gap. You are comparing calendars, not people.
- Honesty gaps. Some people tick everything they are unsure about; others tick only what they are certain of. Nobody audits this, so a shared score is really a self-report of how candid someone felt like being that evening.
If a comparison is going to make someone feel judged, the number is not worth it. This is a game.
So what should you do with your score?
- Note it, because it is mildly interesting.
- Check it against your own age band rather than your friends.
- Move on. It measures a checklist, not you.
Frequently asked
Is a higher rice purity score better?
No. Higher means fewer ticked items, which mostly correlates with being younger. It is not an achievement and neither is a low score.
What is a bad rice purity score?
There isn't one. The only score worth worrying about is a dishonest one, and only because it makes the exercise pointless.
What score do most college students get?
Commonly somewhere between 50 and 75, drifting lower across the four years. It varies a great deal by country and social circle.
Does a low score mean I should be worried about myself?
Not because of this test. If specific experiences behind a tick are troubling you, that is worth talking to someone about — but the number itself is not a signal.