AO3 Rice Purity Test
Be honest: how many 3 a.m. reading sessions have you lost to Archive of Our Own? If the answer is “too many to count,” this quiz was made for you. The AO3 Rice Purity Test takes the classic 100-question purity format and points it at fandom life instead of real life, from your first kudos to the darkest tag you’ve ever clicked.
The rules are simple. You start at 100. Tick every item you’ve read, written or done, and each tick knocks one point off. Nobody sees your answers, and the score is just for laughs, so don’t bother lying to yourself.
Curious how you’d score on the regular version? Take the original Rice Purity Test afterwards and compare.
The 100 AO3 Rice Purity Test Questions
Check every tag you have read in a fanfic. Each one lowers your score by 1 point from 100.
What Is the AO3 Rice Purity Test?
It’s a fandom spin on the famous Rice Purity Test, built around Archive of Our Own, the nonprofit fanfiction site most fans just call AO3. Instead of asking about your dating life, it asks about your reading history: the tropes you love, the AUs you can’t resist and the warnings you scrolled straight past.
The questions follow the way AO3 rice purity test itself is organized. You’ll move through reading habits, genres, tropes, alternate universes, ships, your life as a writer, and finally the mature and dark tags. The further down the list you go, the spicier it gets.
Think of it less as a test and more as a mirror. Your score tells you, and your mutuals, exactly how far down the rabbit hole you’ve fallen.
How the Test Works
Taking it takes about five minutes. Here’s the whole process:
- Start at the top of the list with a full score of 100.
- Read each item and tick it if you’ve done it, even once.
- Leave it blank if you haven’t. Skimming doesn’t count as reading, but we won’t check.
- Every tick removes one point from your score.
- Hit Calculate Score to see your number and what it says about you.
There are no trick questions and no weighting. A coffee shop AU costs you exactly as much as an Explicit rating. It isn’t scientific in any way; it’s just a fun snapshot of how much of the Archive you’ve explored.
What Your AO3 Rice Purity Test Score Means
Find your number below and see where you land.
| Score | Fandom level | What it says about you |
| 90–100 | Fresh account | You’ve dipped a toe in. Fluff, a few classics, maybe one tear-jerker someone sent you. The Archive hasn’t got its claws in you yet. |
| 70–89 | Casual reader | You know your tropes and you’ve got a comfort ship, but you still read the warnings and back out when things get heavy. |
| 40–69 | Seasoned fan | You have a bookmark list longer than your to-do list. You’ve read some Mature fics, survived some angst and probably posted something yourself. |
| 10–39 | Archive veteran | Dark fic doesn’t scare you. You’ve tagged, been tagged, joined exchanges and read things you’ll take to the grave. |
| 0–9 | Ascended | You don’t read AO3. You live there. The tags fear you. |
A low score isn’t bad and a high one isn’t good. It just shows how much of fandom you’ve seen.
AO3 Rice Purity Test vs Original Version
The two tests share a format but measure completely different things.
In short, the original measures your life and the AO3 version measures your bookmarks. You can score 98 on one and 12 on the other, and plenty of people do.
Is the AO3 Rice Purity Test Safe?
Yes. The quiz runs in your browser, doesn’t ask for your name, email or AO3 username, and doesn’t save your answers anywhere. Close the tab and it’s gone.
One thing to keep in mind: the last section mentions mature and dark tags. The quiz never shows that content, it only names the tags, but if those themes bother you, feel free to stop before that section. And as with any online quiz, never type personal details into a site you don’t trust.
Who Should Take It?
Anyone who has ever opened AO3 “just for one chapter” and closed it at sunrise. It’s especially fun for:
- Fandom friend groups comparing scores in the group chat
- Fic writers who want to see how their reading compares to their writing
- Lurkers who never leave comments but have read everything
- New fans curious how much of the Archive they still haven’t explored
Because the list includes mature tags, the quiz is meant for adult readers (18+).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an official AO3 quiz? No. It’s a fan-made quiz and isn’t affiliated with Archive of Our Own, the Organization for Transformative Works or Rice University.
What’s a good AO3 rice purity test score? There isn’t one. A 95 means you’re new; a 15 means you’ve seen a lot. Both are fine.
Do I have to read the fic to tick a box? You should have read at least a real chunk of it. Clicking a tag and backing out right away doesn’t count.
Can I retake the test? As many times as you like. Most people’s scores drop the longer they stay in fandom.
Can I share my score? Please do. Screenshot it and drop it in your group chat or on your socials, then make your mutuals take it too.
Final Thoughts
The AO3 Rice Purity Test is a lighthearted way to look back on everything fandom has put you through: the slow burns, the fix-its, the fics that ruined your week in the best way. Your score doesn’t mean anything serious; it’s just a fun number to laugh about with people who get it.
So grab your comfort drink, scroll back up, and start ticking. Then send it to the friend who got you into fanfiction in the first place. They deserve to suffer too.
Got a question or spotted a problem? Reach out through our contact page. We read everything or an official social media.
Check Out Other Tests For Your Personality Assessment.