Study of Gender Bias in S.A.T. Prompts Debate

By Debra Viadero

San Francisco

New research has added fuel to the long-running debate over whether the Scholastic Assessment Test, the nation's best-known college-entrance examination, is biased against women.

Critics for years have raised questions about possible bias in the test, which is used predominantly by colleges on the East and West coasts and in parts of the South to predict applicants' academic potential. Once known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the exam has been revamped and...