After taking the Rice Purity Test, many advocated for an alternative version of the test that would be more relevant to the daily struggles of LHS students. This new, more challenging version of the test is linked here: https://forms.gle/ckCy9fQbv3CJLVcL8 

Lexington High School: A school known for its high academic standards and vigorous coursework. Every year, students perform exceedingly well on standardized tests, frequently scoring 1600s on the PSAT. After intense months of preparation, LHS students passed the Rice Purity Test with flying colors, as expected. The Rice Purity Test is a prestigious national self-assessment created by students of Rice University, taken by individuals to assess their level of “innocence” by measuring how many “impure” activities they have done regarding personal hygiene, academic integrity, and more. The more activities a test taker has done from this list of 100 questions, their score progressively drops from 100 to 0, although an LHS student receiving such a low score is unimaginable.  

“The minute I saw the first question was ‘Held hands romantically’ I knew I’d get 100%,” Leslie Cunningham, a sophomore and Captain of the Mathmagicians, said. “It’s an honor to do so well on a nationally recognized exam, and my high score will surely assist in my application to Rice University in two years. #RiceBound.” 

While Cunningham thought the test questions were unusually simple, others found the exam much more challenging. 

“I thought I was doing so well… unfortunately I ended up getting a 99. If it wasn’t for that school trip to Whipple Hill, I would’ve got a 100. I never expected ‘Urinated in public’ to be a test question,” Micheal Simpson, a junior, said. 

Along with its tricky questions, the format of the exam was negatively received by its test takers. 

“When I opened the survey, I was taken aback to find that it was entirely ‘select all that apply’. I immediately got flashbacks to AP Biology class where I would consistently get A-s on unit tests from missing just one option on ‘select all that apply’ problems. Of course, my parents complained to the school. For the record, I still got a 5 on the AP exam,” Olivia Roberts, a senior, said. 

Even students that received high scores still hope some changes will be made to the formatting of the test.

“Personally, I was hoping for some DBQs. You can never have too much practice on how to get the complexity point,” Cunningham said.

What motivates these students to excel in this difficult exam is the notorious competitive environment of LHS: the overachieving students will do all in their capacity to outperform their peers.

“No one I know has gotten as high of a score as me on the Rice Purity test (103). I got extra credit for never going to Dick’s Sporting Goods in my entire life. I’ll never let my friends know my secret to how I did it. In fact, can you strike this from the interview?” Roberts said. [We did not, in fact, strike this from the interview]

Congratulations to all LHS students who performed exceptionally well on the Rice Purity test! You have all made our school’s administration proud and your parents prouder.