Test Participation or Test Performance: Why Do Men Benefit from Test-Based Admission to Higher Education?

Autor/inn/en	Finger, Claudia; Solga, Heike
Titel	Test Participation or Test Performance: Why Do Men Benefit from Test-Based Admission to Higher Education?
Quelle	In: Sociology of education, 96 (2023) 4, S. 344-366Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1939-8573
DOI	10.1177/00380407231182682
Schlagwörter	Test; Medizin; Ungleichheit; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulzugang; Zulassungsbeschränkung; Geschlechtsspezifik; Deutschland
Abstract	This study illuminates the male advantage in test-based admissions to higher education. In contrast to many other countries, admission tests in Germany are optional, and test-free programs are available. This context offers a unique opportunity to investigate whether the male advantage in test-based admissions is caused by gender differences in test performance or in test participation. We use novel register data for the whole population of 300,000 applicants to highly selective and prestigious medical programs in Germany. We find that men perform better in tests and that female applicants are more likely to withdraw from admission tests. Both differences, however, depend on high school grade point average (GPA): The male advantage in test performance emerges only among test-takers with a lower GPA, and female applicants' stronger test avoidance appears only among women with a medium GPA. Ultimately, both mechanisms contribute to a male advantage in test-based admissions (ceteris paribus of GPA), with better test performance being the major source for male applicants' higher admission chances. As a consequence, we find the female advantage in school performance and the male advantage in test-based admissions almost neutralize each other.
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2025/2