UGA study of 70 million AP exam results finds gender gaps narrowing in several STEM subjects but widening in physics and persisting in computer science top scores

A University of Georgia-led analysis of more than 70 million AP exam results found that gender participation gaps narrowed over time in subjects such as calculus and chemistry, but the gap in physics widened and a large gap in computer science top scores persisted even as participation there narrowed.

Researchers led by UGA analyzed more than 70 million AP exam results from about 40 million students between 1997 and 2020, covering 45 subjects, and found that male overrepresentation decreased over time in subjects such as calculus, chemistry and computer science. Algebra-based Physics 1 moved the other way, with the gap widening so that three of every five students who took the exam from 2015 through 2020 were boys. Even though participation in computer science narrowed, boys remained represented among top scorers on the AP Computer Science A exam at nearly six times the rate of girls, and in Physics 1 at roughly four times the rate, according to corresponding author Kadir Bahar of UGA’s Mary Frances Early College of Education.

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The findings give Georgia educators concrete data to weigh as they consider how to broaden participation and achievement across STEM and humanities AP courses alike.