How the face test is built, and why every type appears 12 times

A test like this is only as honest as its setup. If one look shows up more often, or one type happens to contain more conventionally attractive faces, the result measures the test and not you. Here is how we tried to avoid that.

Equal exposure

There are 8 types per set and 12 faces per type, 96 faces in all. You see every one of them exactly once.

They are dealt like a deck of cards, one face from each type per pass, then shuffled within each round. So every round of 12 contains all 8 types, and by the end each type has been in front of you exactly 12 times.

Because exposure is equal, comparing types is simple: if you tapped 9 of one and 2 of another, that difference is yours.

Matched backgrounds

Every type's 12 faces follow the same list: the same spread of ethnic backgrounds and the same hair colours, in the same proportions.

That means a type cannot win because of who is in it. The only thing that varies between types is what the type is about: styling, grooming and expression.

Scoring against your own average

Some people tap almost everyone. Some tap almost no one. So a type's score is your pick rate for that type compared with your own overall pick rate.

If you tapped a third of all faces but two thirds of one type, that type scores about twice your average, and it becomes your top type.

Admitting a tie

If your picks are spread almost evenly, no type is really ahead. The result still names the one that edged in front, but it tells you plainly that you have range rather than a single type.

And if you tap nothing at all, you get a result for that too.

What it is not

It is a short visual preference test built for fun. It is not a psychological instrument and it has not been validated as one.