Exact score explanation
What a Rice Purity Test score of 38 means
38 = 100 − 62 checked
The short answer
A Rice Purity Test score of 38 means exactly 62 of the 100 items on the checklist were checked, leaving 38 unchecked. That works out to 62% of the checklist checked and 38% unchecked, because the checklist happens to hold exactly 100 items.
The result sits in the 56–91 checked band (most items checked), which covers scores 9–44. The band is a navigation aid for this scale — it is not a percentile, a population comparison, or a statement about the person who took the test.
Score 38 at a glance
| Score | 38 out of 100 |
|---|---|
| Items checked | 62 items |
| Items left unchecked | 38 |
| Share of checklist checked | 62% |
| Descriptive band | 56–91 checked · Most items checked |
| Scores sharing this band | 9–44 (36 scores) |
| Formula | 100 − 62 = 38 |
Score position
This scale shows the score itself, not a population distribution or percentile.
38
Score
62
Items checked
56–91 checked
Descriptive band
Exact calculation: 100 − 62 = 38
Where 38 sits between the bands
Between 56 and 91 of the 100 items were checked. The largest single category on the checklist holds 56 items, so any checked count above 56 — that is, any score below 44 — mathematically has to draw on more than one category.
- 7 fewer checked items would raise the score to 45 and move it into the 24–55 checked band.
- 30 more checked items would lower the score to 8 and move it into the 92–100 checked band.
Why 38 cannot identify your answers
Choosing which 62 of 100 items to check can be done in about 5.67 × 10^27 different ways, and every one of them totals 38. The score is a cardinality — a count — so it discards which items were selected the moment it is calculated.
For the same reason the total cannot show the context behind an answer, distinguish "no" from "preferred not to answer", or say anything definitive about a person's character, health, or safety.
How 62 checked items maps onto the checklist
The 100 items are grouped into five categories: Sexual (56), Social & Dating (15), Substances (14), Legal (11) and Academic (4). Those fixed sizes make some arithmetic statements about a total provable.
Minimum categories involved: Two. 62 checked items cannot fit inside the largest category, so a score of 38 mathematically requires checked items from at least two of the five categories.
One possible distribution: every Academic item (4), every Legal item (11), every Substances item (14), every Social & Dating item (15) plus 18 of the Sexual items. That is an illustration of the arithmetic only — many other distributions give the identical total of 38, and this site never sees which items anyone checked.
Questions about a score of 38
What does a Rice Purity Test score of 38 mean?
How many questions did I answer yes to if I scored 38?
Is 38 a good Rice Purity Test score?
Which questions produce a Rice Purity Test score of 38?
How the score is calculated
The formula, worked examples, and all six descriptive bands.
Methodology and sources
What is saved locally, what is claimed, and the limits of interpretation.
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