Can Your Rice Purity Score Go Up? The Honest Answer
On the classic Rice Purity Test, an honest retake cannot raise your score. A higher second number means an answer changed, an item was forgotten, or you took a different version.
Can your rice purity score go up? On the classic Rice Purity Test, the honest answer is no, not if you answer every question truthfully both times. The test starts at 100 and subtracts one point for every experience you check, so a higher score on a retake means something changed in how you answered, not in what you have lived through.
That sounds blunt, but it clears up a lot of confusion. Many people retake the test, see a higher number, and wonder whether they broke it. In almost every case the explanation is ordinary: a different answer, a forgotten item, a stricter reading, or a different version. None of those means your past changed.
Key takeaways
- On the classic test, an honest retake cannot raise your score, because every checked experience stays checked.
- A higher second score usually comes from a different answer, a forgotten item, a stricter reading of a question, or a different test version.
- Some websites use a weighted version that scores answers differently, so the same answers can produce a different number there.
- Your score measures which listed experiences you report, nothing more. A rising number says nothing about your character or your worth.
How the Rice Purity Test actually works
The Rice Purity Test lists 100 experiences, from holding hands and staying up all night to far rarer items near the end of the list. You start at 100, and each item you check costs one point, so your final number is simply 100 minus the number of items you checked. That simplicity is exactly why a score cannot honestly rise.
Think of it as a tally of things you have done, not a grade you can improve by studying. If you checked 35 items the first time, your score was 65. If you honestly check the same 35 items again, plus anything new since then, your score stays at 65 or falls a little. It cannot climb to 70, because climbing would require unchecking five experiences you already reported.
Why a higher score feels so surprising
Most people expect a retake to confirm their first result. When the number comes back higher, the surprise feels personal. Usually the cause is simpler: human memory is imperfect, and the test asks about 100 small moments spread across years of life. Forgetting one or two items on either attempt is normal.
The wording matters too. Some questions describe a specific situation, and a small change in how you read it can flip your answer. You might have counted a borderline experience the first time and decided it did not quite count the second time. Both readings felt honest, but only one matches your first answer sheet.
The real reasons a score can rise on a retake
A rising score always has a cause. Work through the following in order and you will usually find yours.
You answered a question differently
This is the most common reason by far. A question you checked last year might describe an experience you now judge differently, or a detail you misremembered. Maybe you checked an item in a hurry, or a friend answered for you during a group session. Either way, the second answer sheet differs from the first, and the score follows the sheet.
You forgot an item the second time
With 100 questions, forgetting is easy. An experience from years ago can slip your mind on a retake, and each forgotten check adds a point back, so forgetting three items lifts your score by three. That feels like a rise, but it is really a gap in recall.
You read a question more strictly
Some items leave room for interpretation, and people often tighten their reading on a second pass. The first time, you might have counted something close enough. The second time, you decide it does not fully match the wording and leave it unchecked. Stricter reading raises scores and looser reading lowers them.
You took a different version of the test
Not every site runs the classic 100 question test. Some run a weighted version that scores certain answers differently, and some run shorter or reworded variants. Our own site data shows how much version matters: visitors to dricepuritytest.com have taken 170 tests with an average score of 64. If your two attempts came from two different sites, comparing the numbers is like comparing scores from two different games.
You answered more carefully, or less carefully, than before
Speed changes results. A rushed first attempt, or a group attempt where friends shouted answers, often produces extra checks, and a calm second attempt removes them. Mood, company and haste all leave fingerprints on the number.
What a rising score does not mean
A higher second score does not mean you have become more innocent or a better person. The test does not measure goodness. It measures how many of 100 specific experiences you report, and many are ordinary parts of growing up: dating, travelling, staying out late, trying new things.
It also does not mean your first score was fake or your second score is the true one. Both scores are only as good as the answers behind them. The test began as a bit of fun among Rice University students in the 1920s, and it works best when you treat it that way.
| Reason your score rose | What really happened |
|---|---|
| Different answer to a question | Your two answer sheets disagree, so the totals disagree too |
| Forgotten item on the retake | A real experience went uncounted, adding a point back |
| Stricter reading second time | A borderline item no longer counted, lifting the total |
| Different test version | Weighted or reworded questions score the same life differently |
| Rushed or group first attempt | Extra checks from haste or friends dropped out on retake |
Should you retake the test to get a higher score?
Chasing a higher score misses the point of the test. If you deliberately uncheck things you have done, the number stops meaning anything at all, even as a joke, and a number you engineered is a worse story than an honest one.
There is a better reason to retake it. If you want to see how much your life has changed, an honest retake gives you that picture, and most people find their score falls a little over time. If you want to know whether you can retake the Rice Purity Test at all, the answer is yes, as often as you like.
If a higher number still bothers you, check your two attempts against each other question by question. You will almost always spot the handful of answers that differ. You can read more about is the Rice Purity Test accurate to see why small changes move the total more than people expect.
How to retake the test honestly
Take it alone, without friends calling out answers, and read every question fully before you decide. Answer from memory, not from what would give a nicer number. If you are unsure about an item, think about what actually happened. Consistency matters more than speed.
Then compare the new result with your old one calmly. A small change in either direction is normal, and a large jump usually points to a different version or a very different answering style, not to a changed past.
For context, our guide to what a rice purity score means explains the bands from 100 down to the lowest scores. The Thresher dataset counted 124,952 takers before 2018 with an average of 61.46, and arealme reports a weighted average of about 63.85. Most people land in the middle of the scale, and a few points either way is entirely ordinary.
Frequently asked questions
Can your rice purity score go up if you retake the test?
Not honestly on the classic test. It subtracts one point per checked experience, so an honest retake can only stay the same or fall. A higher number means an answer changed, an item was forgotten, or you took a different version.
Why did my rice purity score go up when I retook it?
Almost always because answers differed between attempts. Check the two answer sheets question by question, and confirm both used the same classic 100 question version.
Does your rice purity score change over time?
Yes, but only downward on honest retakes. As you gain new experiences, you check more items and the score falls.
Can a different website give me a higher score?
Yes. Some sites use weighted scoring or reworded questions, so only scores from the same classic version are directly comparable.
Is a rising score a sign that I answered wrongly the first time?
Not necessarily. It only shows the two attempts differ, and either could hold the error. A rushed first attempt is a common cause, as is a stricter reading second time.
Should I worry if my score went up?
No. The test is a lighthearted checklist, not a measurement of character, and a few points either way is normal.