The History of the Rice Purity Test: From 1924 to TikTok
How a 1920s student-newspaper survey at Rice University became an orientation-week tradition and, eventually, one of the most shared quizzes on the internet.
On this page
- Rice University: where it all started
- The test fades and returns
- O-Week: the test becomes a tradition
- Purity tests beyond Rice
- The internet era
- The TikTok explosion
- How the test has evolved
- Why the test has lasted 100 years
- A modern, independent version
- Frequently asked questions
- Take a piece of history
Few internet quizzes can claim a history that stretches back a hundred years. The Rice Purity Test can. Long before smartphones or social media, students at a university in Texas were checking boxes and comparing numbers. Here's how a campus survey became a global internet ritual.
Rice University: where it all started
Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas, founded in 1912. Like many universities, it has a long-running student newspaper, the Rice Thresher. According to the Thresher's own reporting, a purity test appeared in the newspaper in 1924.
That first test looked very different from today's version. It was given only to women students, and its framing reflected attitudes of the era. The Thresher later quoted the original article describing first-year women as arriving at college "young and unsophisticated." According to the Thresher, the 119 women who took that early test had an average score of 62.
The test fades and returns
The purity test didn't run every year. Like many campus traditions, it disappeared and resurfaced. The Thresher has reported that the test reappeared about fifty years later, in a 1974 issue, and that a 1980 classified ad referenced a competition using it.
In 1988, the Thresher ran a purity test that was vastly different from the early version. That's an important point: there has never been a single, fixed "original" list of questions. Each generation of students rewrote the test to reflect their own lives, with new slang, new technology and new social norms.
O-Week: the test becomes a tradition
At Rice, new students go through Orientation Week, known as O-Week, before classes begin. Over time, the purity test became associated with this week. Upperclassmen advisers and new students used it as an icebreaker.
Why did it work so well? Orientation can feel a little forced, like a summer camp where everyone is being friendly because they're supposed to be. The purity test cut through that. When a group compared scores, it became obvious that everyone had arrived with very different backgrounds, and the conversation naturally moved toward honesty, humor and acceptance.
The Thresher has noted that in 2012, its editors reran the test, with one editor arguing that it could help O-Week groups move past that "summer camp" feeling.
Purity tests beyond Rice
Rice wasn't the only place where purity tests appeared. Other colleges had their own versions over the decades, and in the early days of the internet, all kinds of "purity tests" circulated on message boards and early websites. Some had hundreds of questions, and others were jokes aimed at specific hobbies or communities.
What made the Rice version stand out was its clean format: 100 questions, 100 points, one number. It's simple to explain, simple to score and simple to share.
The internet era
By the 2010s, the Rice Purity Test had a permanent home online. A version was published on the web around 2012, making it possible for anyone, anywhere, to take the test in a couple of minutes.
The internet changed the test in two big ways:
- Anyone could take it. No longer limited to Rice students, it spread to high schools, colleges and offices worldwide.
- Scores became shareable. A two-digit number fits perfectly into a tweet, a story or a group chat.
The TikTok explosion
Around 2020, the test went viral on TikTok and other short-video platforms. Users filmed themselves revealing their scores, reacting to friends' results or acting out stereotypes of each score range. Creators made "guess my score" videos, couples revealed their numbers to each other, and the test found a whole new generation.
We dig into why the trend took off in The Rice Purity Test on TikTok.
How the test has evolved
Comparing a 1920s version to a modern one reveals how much culture has changed:
| Era | Typical themes |
|---|---|
| 1920s | Social conduct, dating customs, propriety |
| 1970sā80s | Parties, alcohol, the sexual revolution, campus life |
| 2000s | Nightlife, drugs, early internet behavior |
| 2020s | Dating apps, texting, social media, vaping |
Modern versions, including ours, also add variations for different audiences: teens, couples, college students and families. That keeps the spirit of the original while making it appropriate for more people.
Why the test has lasted 100 years
The Rice Purity Test has survived for a century because it taps into something timeless:
- Curiosity about ourselves. People enjoy a quick, playful self-assessment.
- The desire to belong. Comparing scores reveals that "normal" is much broader than we think.
- Humor. The test is ridiculous in the best way, which makes it easy to laugh about.
A modern, independent version
This website is an independent, modern take on the tradition. It isn't affiliated with Rice University. Our questions are written in our own words, inspired by the classic format, and we've built the site to be fast and private. Your answers never leave your device.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Rice Purity Test created?
According to the Rice Thresher, a purity test first appeared in the student newspaper in 1924.
Who made the Rice Purity Test?
It came from students and the student newspaper at Rice University rather than a single known author. It was rewritten many times over the decades.
Why is it called the "Rice" Purity Test?
Because it originated at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Is the original 1924 test still available?
The early versions were printed in the Rice Thresher. Today's versions online, including ours, are modern rewrites.
Take a piece of history
Ready to join a century-old tradition? Take the Rice Purity Test now. It takes about three minutes, and your answers stay private.
