The much heard assertion that boys are better at math than girls needs closer examination. Recently, Dr. Mark Perry has claimed that based on boys’ and girls’ average performance on the SAT, boys are better than girls at math. Perry’s conclusion does not take into account that averages can be misleading. A few especially high scores in one group can raise that group’s average above another group in which more participants score pretty well than in the first group.
This just in… professor of economics and finance may have totally botched these stats!
SAT score comparison between boys and girls are not reliable.
Another necessary question to pose about generalizing from SAT results lies with which girls and which boys are actually taking the exam. Taking the SAT is not mandatory. Perry’s implied claim that the girls and boys who take the SAT are representative samples of their groups becomes doubtful when we consider the possibility that boys who do not plan to attend college self select not to take the test. These boys may not be confident of their math skills. Such questions posed about statistical interpretations show us that we need to have more data and be more comprehensive in our analysis of it.
Dr. Perry’s tweeted conclusion implicitly assumes that boys and girls who take the SAT are basically the same – “representative,” the statisticians would say – of the general population of all boys and girls.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- It is a common belief that boys are better at math than girls based on SAT scores.
- It is assumed that the same amount of boys and girls are taking the SATs so the averages used could be skewed.
- It is found by looking at records for high school girls and boys, those girls are all around more academically prepared than girls.
Take the dyscalculia test
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
