All 100 questions on the Rice Purity Test, explained

As it circulates at Rice O-Week. MPS means “member of the preferred sex.” Terms in the notes link to fuller explanations.

1. 1Held hands romantically?The gentlest item on the whole list. Holding hands with a friend doesn't count; the word doing all the work here is "romantically."
2. 2Been on a date?Any planned outing with romantic intent. Coffee counts. A group hang where you happened to sit near each other, most people say no.
3. 3Been in a relationship?You'd both have called it one. The eternal argument is whether a two-week thing in eighth grade counts. The honor system says you already know.
4. 4Danced without leaving room for Jesus?Slow-danced with no gap between you, the thing every school-dance chaperone told couples to fix. Nearly everyone checks it. See: Leaving room for Jesus.
5. 5Kissed a non-family member?A kiss anywhere, on anyone you're not related to. Cheek kisses from a family friend at a wedding are the gray zone.
6. 6Kissed a non-family member on the lips?Same as above, but on the mouth. A peck is enough.
7. 7French kissed?Kissed with tongue. The next few items escalate from here. See: French kiss.
8. 8French kissed in public?Item 7, somewhere other people could see. A parked car with fogged windows gets debated; a school hallway does not.
9. 9Kissed on the neck?Giving or receiving. This is where the list starts caring about where, not just whether.
10. 10Kissed horizontally?Kissed while lying down together. The phrasing is odd on purpose: the paper test needed a printable way to say "making out in bed." See: Kissed horizontally.
11. 11Given or received a hickey?A bruise from kissing or sucking on skin, usually the neck. Either direction counts. See: Hickey.
12. 12Kissed or been kissed on the breast?Self-explanatory, and the first item most people would describe as below the neck.
13. 13Kissed someone below the belt?Kissing on the lower body, hips and down. Not the same as oral sex, which gets its own items later. See: Below the belt.
14. 14Kissed for more than two hours consecutively?One continuous make-out session that ran past the two-hour mark. Breaks for air are allowed. Breaks for dinner are not.
15. 15Played a game involving stripping?Strip poker, strip pong, truth or dare with clothing forfeits. You had to actually play, not just watch.
16. 16Seen or been seen by another person in a sensual context?Someone saw you naked or close to it in a sexual or romantic situation, or you saw them. A locker room doesn't count; a bedroom does. Probably the most looked-up wording on the list because it's so vague.
17. 17Masturbated?Solo. Most adults check this, which is why it sits early in the middle stretch.
18. 18Masturbated to a picture or video?Item 17 with visual material involved.
19. 19Masturbated while someone else was in the room?They didn't have to know. A sleeping roommate counts, which is the whole point of the item.
20. 20Been caught masturbating?Someone walked in, or otherwise found out in the moment.
21. 21Masturbated with an inanimate object?Any object, not just something sold for the purpose.
22. 22Seen or read pornographic material?Watched or read explicit content on purpose. Accidental pop-ups are generally not counted, though the test doesn't say.
23. 23Massaged or been massaged sensually?A massage with romantic or sexual intent, given or received. A physical therapist doesn't count.
24. 24Gone through the motions of intercourse while fully dressed?Dry humping, in plain language. Clothes stayed on.
25. 25Undressed or been undressed by a MPS?Someone you're attracted to took your clothes off, or you took off theirs. MPS is the test's old shorthand for "member of the preferred sex." See: MPS.
26. 26Showered with a MPS?Shared a shower or bath with someone you're attracted to. Team locker rooms don't count.
27. 27Fondled or had your butt cheeks fondled?Touching with intent, over or under clothes. The test says "fondled" for the same reason legal documents don't say "grabbed." See: Fondled.
28. 28Fondled or had your breasts fondled?Same idea, different location.
29. 29Fondled or had your genitals fondled?Same idea again. For a lot of people this is the item that separates a score in the 80s from one in the 70s.
30. 30Had or given "blue balls"?Got someone worked up, or got worked up yourself, and then things stopped. The ache is real physiology; the drama is slang. See: Blue balls.
31. 31Had an orgasm due to someone else's manipulation?"Manipulation" here means someone's hands, not emotional trickery. It's asking whether another person got you there.
32. 32Sent a sexually explicit text or instant message?Sexting. The list says "instant message" because it was written when that was the app.
33. 33Sent or received sexually explicit photographs?Nudes, either direction.
34. 34Engaged in sexually explicit activity over video chat?Item 33, live and on camera.
35. 35Cheated on a significant other during a relationship?Broke the terms of an exclusive relationship, physically or otherwise. Your partner's definition is the one that counts.
36. 36Purchased contraceptives?Bought condoms, the pill, anything of the kind. Buying them for a friend is a gray area most people count anyway.
37. 37Gave oral sex?Performed it on someone else.
38. 38Received oral sex?Someone performed it on you.
39. 39Ingested someone else's genital secretion?Swallowed during oral sex, in plain terms. The clinical phrasing is part of the test's charm.
40. 40Used a sex toy with a partner?Any toy, used together. Solo use was already covered back in item 21.
41. 41Spent the night with a MPS?Slept over with someone you're attracted to. Sleeping is all that has to happen.
42. 42Been walked in on while engaging in a sexual act?Someone opened the door at exactly the wrong moment.
43. 43Kicked a roommate out to commit a sexual act?The dorm classic. Sock on the doorknob, roommate at the library.
44. 44Ingested alcohol in a non-religious context?Had a drink outside a religious ceremony. The "non-religious" part is there so communion wine doesn't count.
45. 45Played a drinking game?Beer pong, kings, flip cup, anything with rules and a cup.
46. 46Been drunk?Not just a drink. Actually drunk.
47. 47Faked sobriety to parents or teachers?Pretended to be sober in front of an authority figure and got away with it, or at least tried.
48. 48Had severe memory loss due to alcohol?Blacked out. Your brain stopped recording the night. See: Blacked out.
49. 49Used tobacco?Cigarettes, vapes, chew, hookah. Once is enough.
50. 50Used marijuana?Any form.
51. 51Used a drug stronger than marijuana?Anything beyond cannabis: MDMA, cocaine, psychedelics, pills without a prescription.
52. 52Used methamphetamine, crack cocaine, PCP, horse tranquilizers or heroin?The list's hardest-drug item, named specifically so item 51 doesn't have to cover it. Very few people check this one.
53. 53Been sent to the office of a principal, dean or judicial affairs representative for a disciplinary infraction?Got in real trouble at school, the kind that comes with a meeting.
54. 54Been put on disciplinary probation or suspended?Item 53 with consequences attached.
55. 55Urinated in public?Outside, where someone could have seen. Behind a bush at a concert counts.
56. 56Gone skinny-dipping?Swam naked, usually at night, usually on a dare. See: Skinny-dipping.
57. 57Gone streaking?Ran naked through a public place. The 1974 campus fad that never entirely died. See: Streaking.
58. 58Seen a stripper?In person. A bachelor party counts; a movie doesn't.
59. 59Had the police called on you?Someone called the cops about something you were doing. Noise complaints are the common one.
60. 60Run from the police?Fled, on foot or otherwise, when police showed up.
61. 61Had the police question you?Officially questioned, not just told to move along.
62. 62Had the police handcuff you?Cuffed, even if nothing came of it.
63. 63Been arrested?Formally arrested.
64. 64Been convicted of a crime?Found or pleaded guilty. Traffic tickets don't count.
65. 65Been convicted of a felony?Item 64, at felony level.
66. 66Committed an act of vandalism?Damaged or defaced property that wasn't yours. Graffiti, egging, that kind of thing.
67. 67Had sexual intercourse?Penetrative sex. The big one; nearly everything after this assumes a yes.
68. 68Had sexual intercourse three or more times in one night?Three separate times, one night.
69. 69?Yes, it's blank. The original list leaves question 69 as a lone question mark, a wink at the number, and everyone who takes the test on paper works it out about two seconds later. Some online versions fill the line in; the Rice O-Week version doesn't. Whether you check it is between you and the number.
70. 70Had sexual intercourse 10 or more times?Ten or more times total, not in one night.
71. 71Had sexual intercourse in four or more positions?Over your lifetime, not in one session.
72. 72Had sexual intercourse with a stranger or person you met within 24 hours?A one-night stand, essentially.
73. 73Had sexual intercourse in a motor vehicle?Car, truck, van. Parked or otherwise.
74. 74Had sexual intercourse outdoors?Outside. A tent gets debated; a field does not.
75. 75Had sexual intercourse in public?Somewhere strangers could have walked by. Overlaps with 73 and 74 but is its own point.
76. 76Had sexual intercourse in a swimming pool or hot tub?Water counts as a location.
77. 77Had sexual intercourse in a bed not belonging to you or your partner?A friend's guest room, a parent's bed, a hotel. Hotels are the loophole people argue about.
78. 78Had sexual intercourse while you or your partner's parents were in the same home?Parents home, somewhere else in the house.
79. 79Had sexual intercourse with non-participating third party in the same room?Someone else was in the room and not involved. A sleeping roommate is the usual case.
80. 80Joined the mile high club?Sex on an airplane, mid-flight. See: Mile high club.
81. 81Participated in a "booty call" with a partner whom you were not in a relationship with?Casual, arranged sex with someone you weren't dating. See: Booty call.
82. 82Traveled 100 or more miles for the primary purpose of sexual intercourse?A long trip where sex was the main point. Visiting a long-distance partner is the classic yes.
83. 83Had sexual intercourse with a partner with a 3 or more year age difference?Three or more years between you.
84. 84Had sexual intercourse with a virgin?Your partner's first time.
85. 85Had sexual intercourse without a condom?Unprotected, regardless of any other birth control.
86. 86Had a STI test due to reasonable suspicion?Got tested because you had a real reason to, not as a routine checkup.
87. 87Had a STI?Diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.
88. 88Had a threesome?Three people, one encounter.
89. 89Attended an orgy?Group sex with more than three. "Attended" is the word; the wording never says you had to participate, which people find funny.
90. 90Had two or more distinct acts of sexual intercourse with two or more people within 24 hours?Two different partners in one day, in separate encounters.
91. 91Had sexual intercourse with five or more partners?Lifetime partner count of five or more.
92. 92Been photographed or filmed during sexual intercourse by yourself or others?Recorded, by anyone including yourself.
93. 93Had period sex?Sex during menstruation.
94. 94Had anal sex?Giving or receiving.
95. 95Had a pregnancy scare?A late period, a missed pill, a moment of genuine worry. The test counts the scare, not the outcome.
96. 96Impregnated someone or been impregnated?A pregnancy happened, regardless of what came next.
97. 97Paid or been paid for a sexual act?Money changed hands for sex, either direction.
98. 98Committed an act of voyeurism?Watched someone in a sexual or private context without their knowledge.
99. 99Committed an act of incest?Sexual activity with a family member. The list saves its most extreme items for the end.
100. 100Engaged in bestiality?Sexual activity with an animal. Essentially nobody checks this. It's last so the test can end at 100 with a laugh of disbelief.

Where everyone starts

1. 1Held hands romantically
2. 2Been on a date
3. 3Been in a relationship
4. 4Danced without leaving room for Jesus
5. 5Kissed someone outside your family
6. 6Kissed someone on the lips
7. 7French kissed
8. 8French kissed in public
9. 9Been kissed on the neck
10. 10Kissed lying down
11. 11Given or received a hickey
12. 12Kissed for more than two hours straight

Turning up the temperature

1. 13Been kissed on the chest
2. 14Kissed someone below the belt
3. 15Played a game involving stripping
4. 16Been seen by someone in a sensual moment
5. 17Given or received a sensual massage
6. 18Gone through the motions while fully dressed
7. 19Been undressed by someone
8. 20Showered with someone
9. 21Had your backside fondled
10. 22Had your chest fondled
11. 23Been fondled below the belt
12. 24Had or given “blue balls”
13. 25Had an orgasm by someone else’s doing

Just between you and your phone

1. 26Masturbated
2. 27Masturbated to a picture or video
3. 28Masturbated with someone else in the room
4. 29Been caught in the act
5. 30Used a toy on your own
6. 31Seen or read explicit material
7. 32Sent a flirty, explicit text
8. 33Sent or received a spicy photo
9. 34Gotten explicit over video chat
10. 35Purchased contraceptives
11. 36Followed a spicy account
12. 37Saved someone’s spicy photo
13. 38Slid into someone’s DMs

The closer chapters

1. 39Given oral
2. 40Received oral
3. 41Used a toy with a partner
4. 42Spent the night with someone
5. 43Been walked in on
6. 44Cleared a room to be alone with someone
7. 45Slept with someone
8. 46Slept with three or more people
9. 47Slept with five or more people
10. 48Been with someone the same day you met
11. 49Had a friends-with-benefits arrangement
12. 50Slept with an ex you swore off
13. 51Had a “booty call” on speed dial

Location, location, location

1. 52Joined the mile-high club
2. 53In a moving vehicle
3. 54Outdoors
4. 55Somewhere public
5. 56In a pool or hot tub
6. 57In a bed that wasn’t yours
7. 58While family was home
8. 59Traveled a long way just for someone
9. 60Been filmed or photographed (consensually)
10. 61Fooled around in a tent while camping
11. 62Tried a few too many positions to count
12. 63Lost track of the number

Substances & good decisions

1. 64Had a drink outside a religious setting
2. 65Played a drinking game
3. 66Been drunk
4. 67Faked sobriety to a parent or teacher
5. 68Lost memory to a night out
6. 69Used tobacco
7. 70Used marijuana
8. 71Tried something stronger than marijuana
9. 72Tried a hard drug
10. 73Pulled an all-nighter that wasn’t for studying
11. 74Bought a round you couldn’t afford
12. 75Woken up somewhere unexpected

Brushes with the rules

1. 76Been sent to the principal or dean
2. 77Been put on probation or suspended
3. 78Urinated in public
4. 79Gone skinny-dipping
5. 80Gone streaking
6. 81Seen a stripper
7. 82Had the police called on you
8. 83Run from the police
9. 84Been questioned by the police
10. 85Been handcuffed
11. 86Committed an act of vandalism
12. 87Talked your way out of a ticket
13. 88Snuck into somewhere you shouldn’t

No judgment past this point

1. 89Been arrested
2. 90Been convicted of something
3. 91Cheated on a partner
4. 92Been cheated on
5. 93Had a pregnancy scare
6. 94Taken an STI test out of caution
7. 95Been to a party that got truly out of hand
8. 96Been paid, or paid, for company
9. 97Kept a secret that would end a friendship
10. 98Done something you’ve never told anyone
11. 99Done something on this list twice in one day
12. 100Read this far and felt seen