You're probably not going to like hearing this, but the director of admissions at Oxford University, Mike Nicholson told the Telegraph that male students are better than girls when it comes to making the 'from-your-gut' decisions. He
says:
We have generally seen male students tend to be much more prepared to take risks, which is why they do well in exams.
Generally, female students are risk-averse, and will tend to take longer to think about an answer. If it’s a multiple-choice question, male students will generally go with their gut feeling. Girls will try and reason it out...
Obviously, if you are using timed multiple-choice assessments, that has a bearing on the likelihood of the female students even finishing the section, when the boys have whizzed through it.
Do you agree or disagree with Nicholson? Does this really make women less successful during exams?