What is the PSL scale?
The PSL scale is a rating system for facial attractiveness that comes from online looks forums and is now common in looksmaxxing discussions. It runs from 1 to 8 and is deliberately strict: 4 is average, and the higher ratings are meant to be rare. Its name is an abbreviation of the forums where it started.
Unlike a 1–10 rating, the PSL scale puts most people in a narrow band in the middle. That makes it useful for comparing faces in detail, but it also makes ordinary faces sound worse than they are. Keep in mind that the scale is a community convention, not a scientific measurement.
PSL scale chart
| PSL | Common description | On this test |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Well below average | Rare. Usually a distorted photo; retake straight-on. |
| 3 | Below average | Some proportions far from ideal. |
| 4 | Average | Where a typical face lands. |
| 5 | Above average | Good symmetry and proportions. |
| 6 | Attractive, model range | Most measurements near ideal. |
| 7 | Very attractive | Rare: almost every ratio at its ideal. |
| 8 | Theoretical ideal | Practically never reached. |
The slider in your result shows exactly where your rating sits on this range, with one decimal place.
How the PSL scale test rates your face
Human PSL ratings are opinions. This PSL test replaces opinion with measurement. It places 478 landmarks on your face and calculates:
- Symmetry (25%): left and right sides compared across 24 landmark pairs.
- Golden ratio (20%): mouth, lips and lower face compared with 1.618.
- Facial thirds (15%): middle face height against lower face height.
- Rule of fifths (15%): face width at eye level in eye-widths.
- Jawline (10%): jaw width against cheekbone width, and the jaw angle.
- Eye spacing (10%): including the inner eye gap, a feature looksmaxxing forums discuss a lot.
- Skin (5%): a rough evenness estimate from the photo.
These make an attractiveness score from 0 to 100, which is converted to PSL so that 4 to 5 covers the typical range. The full breakdown appears under your rating so you can see what drives it.
Taking a reliable PSL test
Forum users often argue that a rating depends on the photo, and they are right. To get a rating that reflects your face rather than your camera:
- Use a straight-on photo from at least an arm’s length, camera at eye level.
- Use soft, even light; avoid strong overhead or side light.
- Keep a neutral expression with the mouth closed.
- Show your whole face: no sunglasses, hair off the forehead and jaw.
- Skip filters and face-shaping apps; they make the rating meaningless.
Test two or three photos. If your rating moves by more than half a point, the photos are the reason.
PSL rating vs. other scales
The PSL scale and the 1–10 scale are not the same. A PSL 5 is closer to a 7 out of 10 in everyday language. The looksmaxxing scale puts the same idea into named tiers such as MTN and HTN, while rate me out of 10 gives the familiar decimal rating. All of them on this site come from the same measurements as the main attractiveness test.
A word of caution about PSL ratings
The forums where the PSL scale started are known for harsh, sometimes hostile talk about looks, and constant rating can make people feel worse about themselves. This tool keeps the scale but drops the insults: you get numbers and neutral descriptions, nothing more. Your rating describes facial geometry in one photo. It does not measure charm, kindness, humour or worth, and it says nothing about who will find you attractive.