The Origins: Rice University in Houston, Texas
The Rice Purity Test traces its roots to Rice University, a private research university in Houston, Texas. Rice is renowned for its strong academic programs, small student body, and a unique residential college system — where students live in close-knit "colleges" (similar to houses at UK universities) that form the social backbone of campus life.
The university was founded in 1912 and developed a strong tradition of student-led orientation rituals. Among those rituals was a desire to help incoming students bond — to laugh together, learn from each other, and find common ground despite diverse backgrounds.
The earliest version of the purity test is believed to have appeared in the 1920s as an informal paper questionnaire — a fun, cheeky survey passed around among students. While exact records from this period are scarce, the Rice Thresher(Rice University's independent student newspaper, founded in 1916) referenced purity surveys in several early 20th-century editions as part of the social culture at the university.
The 1980s: From Paper to Campus Tradition
By the 1980s, the test had become a widely recognized tradition at Rice University. It was used formally during O-Week (Orientation Week) as a way for new students to get to know one another. Upper-class students would administer the test to incoming freshmen in dorm rooms and residential college common areas.
The logic was simple: the test served as an icebreaker. Freshmen, often away from home for the first time and nervous about college life, could bond over comparing scores — laughing at questions, sharing stories, and discovering shared (or wildly different) life experiences.
At this stage, the test existed purely as a physical handout. Scores were calculated by hand, and results were shared only within the residential college.
The 1990s: Going Digital on Early Internet
The Rice Purity Test made its digital leap in the early-to-mid 1990s, coinciding with the rise of the public internet. Online discussion forums, early IRC chat rooms, and university bulletin board systems (BBS) began circulating the test electronically.
One of the earliest wide-distribution versions appeared as a plain-text file shared across Usenet groups— the precursor to today's Reddit. College students from institutions around the United States discovered the test and began adapting it.
Multiple versions emerged during this era — some sanitized for younger audiences, some made more explicit for adult audiences. The core format (a checklist of 100 items, scored by subtracting checked items from 100) became standardized during this decade.
The 2000s: Mainstream Web Spread
As the web matured in the early 2000s, static HTML websites dedicated to the Rice Purity Test proliferated. Sites allowed users to check boxes directly on-screen and calculate scores automatically — a significant improvement over paper or plain-text versions.
The test became a staple of early social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook, where sharing quiz results became a popular form of self-expression. Facebook groups and notes circulated the test widely, and by the mid-2000s, “rice purity test” was a recognizable phrase among college students nationwide.
This era also saw the rise of variant tests: the Spark Notes Purity Test, the Innocence Test, the BDSM Purity Test, and dozens of others that borrowed the format while varying the content.
The 2010s: Reddit, Buzzfeed, and Mass Popularity
Reddit became a crucial vector for the test's growth in the 2010s. Subreddits like r/college, r/AskReddit, and r/teenagers regularly featured threads where users shared their scores, debated question interpretations, and compared results across age groups.
Mainstream media outlets began publishing explainer articles about the test. BuzzFeed, Seventeen, and Vice ran pieces analyzing the test's cultural meaning, and many published their own “staff takes the purity test” features.
By 2015–2018, dedicated websites hosting the test were receiving millions of monthly visitors. The test had long since escaped the confines of Rice University and become a general internet phenomenon with no single authoritative source.
The 2020s: TikTok Virality and Gen Z Reinvention
The test experienced a massive second wave of popularity in the early 2020s, driven primarily by TikTok. Gen Z creators began filming themselves or their friend groups taking the test together, reacting to questions in real time, and sharing their scores in the comments.
The hashtag #ricepuritytestaccumulated billions of impressions. The test became a cornerstone of college “get to know you” culture on social media, with students sharing scores as a shorthand for their personality and experience level.
This era also brought criticism and adaptation. Some observers noted that parts of the original test reflected dated attitudes — questions that seemed judgmental or had unclear relevance to contemporary life. In response, newer “Gen Z” versions of the test were created with updated language and questions more relevant to modern experiences (social media, online relationships, etc.).
The Test Today (2026)
As of 2026, the Rice Purity Test remains one of the most searched quiz-style content formats on the internet. Estimates suggest tens of millions of people take some version of the test annually. It is taken both individually and in groups, used as an icebreaker at college orientations, friend gatherings, and even online communities.
The test continues to evolve. Variants exist for different age groups, relationship types, and cultural contexts. While it remains a tool for entertainment and social bonding, conversations around the test increasingly include thoughtful discussions about responsible use, age-appropriateness, and the difference between experience and character.
The test's longevity — nearly a century — speaks to something fundamentally human: the desire to understand ourselves, connect with others, and make sense of our experiences through shared reference points.
What “MPS” Means in the Test
One question that often confuses first-time test-takers references “MPS.” MPS stands for Member of the Preferred Sex — a deliberately inclusive term that Rice University used in later versions of the test to avoid gender-specific language. It refers to whoever you are romantically or sexually attracted to, regardless of gender.
Read our full explainer on what MPS means →
A Note on Responsible Use
While the Rice Purity Test is meant for fun, it's worth remembering a few things:
- The test is for entertainment only, not a psychological or moral evaluation.
- No score is inherently “better” than another — it reflects experience, not character.
- Some questions touch on sensitive topics. If any question causes distress, skip it.
- For younger audiences (under 18), some questions may not be appropriate. Parents should preview the test before sharing with teenagers.