Yesterday we told you that Pottermore had re-launched their Sorting Hat quiz after an extended absence in the wake of the site’s big reboot. Whether you’ve taken the quiz before or not, you need to take it again.
When Pottermore launched back in 2011, the Sorting Hat was one of the most intriguing features of the site. It was the first time J.K. Rowling offered an official Sorting Hat for fans.
But I’ve always been skeptical about the original quiz. Another big (and now defunct) Pottermore feature was the ability to score points for your assigned house by completing certain tasks. To keep the game fair, one could assume that Pottermore wanted to level the playing field so each house had a chance at winning. And how would they do that? By making sure each Hogwarts House had an equal number of students.
As of April 2012, after the site hit 1 million users, here’s how the Hogwarts House numbers stacked up:
– Gryffindor: 269,253
– Ravenclaw: 249,316
– Hufflepuff: 258,269
– Slytherin: 259,270
Those are very similar to one another. You’re telling me that they just happened to turn out that evenly? Even when you know people were purposely selecting answers that they thought would get them into the House that they wanted?
A bunch of people didn’t like my theory when I wrote about it nearly four years ago. One commenter consulted her “mathematical genius” brother who told her it was statistically possible for Pottermore to end up with equal house numbers without weighing the results. Another told me they just end up that way because “maybe there actually are roughly even numbers of people suited to each house.”
Whether you believe my theory or not, you need to take the new Pottermore Sorting Hat quiz. Lots of people, myself included, are getting a different Hogwarts House.
I took the new quiz Friday morning. I was hesitant to take it because I was afraid I would get a different House and unfortunately my suspicions were correct. I was sorted into Gryffindor in 2012, but today I was sorted into Ravenclaw:
I asked the Hypable team what happened when they retook it. Half of us were put into a new House, while the other half remained in the House we were originally assigned:
The same mixed results appeared on Twitter:
@sims same thing happened to me… i feel like my whole life is a lie
— Catherine Wood (@cat921) January 29, 2016
@sims It sorted me into Gryffindor too, but the first one put me into Hufflepuff which I feel is the better fit for me. WHAT DO I BELIEVE??
— Liz Colton (@LizzyC_LC) January 29, 2016
@sims I got Slytherin on both…and, my wand was almost exactly the same as well. First wand was Cypress, second one Elder.
— Sam⚡ (@Sam_Taylor15) January 29, 2016
@sims I had Hufflepuff on the first one and got Gryffindor on the new one. And I always thought of myself as a Ravenclaw. So who TF knows ?
— Lauren (@laurbene) January 29, 2016
@sims the first one gave me Slytherin and the second one Ravenclaw! Slytherin is my place and I know it so I'm going with the first one ?
— Rebecca Esselgren (@beccissss) January 29, 2016
@sims I went from Hufflepuff to Slytherin, night and day haha
— Matty J (@MattyJ310) January 29, 2016
If you believe my theory about the old test, then you’ll agree with this: Pottermore no longer has a points system to worry about keeping fair, so the new test can sort you into whatever House truly matches your answers. In other words, the new test is more accurate than the original. That’s why lots of people are getting different answers between the two tests.
The new Pottermore quiz allows you to login using your old credentials to claim your old House assignment. I bet one reason they allow you to retrieve your old House is because they had a feeling people would be getting different assignments the second time around, and wanted to prevent identity crises.
How do your 2012 and 2016 Sorting Hat results compare?
Are you a “Gold Star [insert your house here],” or do your results differ?
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.