The Test

The test of ethics and morality is a simulation administered to all deceased humans as a test of their character.

Operation

The test is designed and tailored to each individual by both Good Place and Bad Place Architects, and administered by Bad Place demons. It could be anything–a fake "Good Place", a simple situation from the test taker's life, or a twisted version of their life. The difficulty is based on one's point total at the end of their life. Passing grants one admission to the Good Place.

After a failed attempt, architects will evaluate the human's performance in an architect debriefing. Their memory is reset retain a vague memory of their previous actions and the feedback they received as a form of inner voice or conscience. This allows the subject to gradually improve over multiple resets until they can enter the Good Place.

Chidi acknowledges that some individuals may never pass the test, but at least everyone "gets a fair shot", which avoids the finality of the original system. Brent is seen being debriefed after his 15,724th failure when Tahani becomes an architect.

Predecessor

The test was preceded by the point system, which quantified each human's moral character as a point sum from the positive and negative impacts of their actions, and admitted a tiny minority of humans. No humans were admitted between 1497 and 2018, as the world became too interconnected and caused humans to be charged for unintended consequences.

Influences

The test was derived from Michael's experiments and the tests administered to the Soul Squad by the Judge.

In Michael's first experiment, he placed four humans in a fake "Good Place" environment. He expected Chidi, a professor of ethics, to try and help the others improve. However, he didn't expect it to work, and later cited this as evidence for human improvement.

Jason, Tahani, Eleanor, and Chidi were given early versions of the test by the Judge in Chapter 25, with the agreement that they would all be damned to the Bad Place if anyone failed.

Conception

Eleanor was the only one to pass her test, but Michael convinced the Judge to send the humans to Earth and allow him to save their lives, then watch for signs of improvement. However, he and Janet continuously tampered with the experiment, leading the Judge to cancel it and sentence the two immortals to the Bad Place. They escaped her, and later returned with the humans to plead their case once more.

The Soul Squad was given permission to conduct a third experiment, which successfully showed four humans' improvement over the course of a year in a similar faux-Good Place. The Judge was convinced, and decided to reboot the Earth and extinguish all souls in the Afterlife. The Soul Squad frantically sought an alternate plan, eventually deciding on the test system. They were able to convince Shawn of its merit, and through him the Judge.

Working in out the kinks

Though secretly bored of the old ways, Bad Place demons and Architects were initially unreceptive to the new system. Vicky, deciding to change with the times, helped them see the new system as a sandbox for inventive psychological torture and manipulation. She and Michael staged a fake coup in which she "seized" control of architect training, and won the approval of the Bad Place proletariat.

Vicky then established The New Afterlife Architect Training School, and is seen directing demons and Good Place and Bad Place Architects to their classes 1.28 Bearimies after the coup.

Success

The system is operating splendidly by the time of the Joint Council of Afterlife Affairs meeting in Chapter 52 and steadily admitting humans to the Good Place, but there is a shortage of architects and actors. Vicky blames the latter on the lack of "dedication to their craft".

3,227.3 Jearimy Bearimies later, the committee has been dissolved as the system no longer needs oversight, admitting "millions of humans".