The number of high school girls who take Advanced Placement math exams is now almost the same as the number for boys, but this wasn’t always the case.

In 1997, 83 girls for every 100 boys took an AP math exam. By 2019, that number rose to 96 for every 100 boys.

However, when it comes to getting top scores on an AP math exam, boys still outnumber girls. In 1997, 52 girls for every 100 boys made the top score. By 2019, that number rose to 69 for every 100 boys.

A study analyzed the test scores for over 10 million students who participated in the AP math exams from 1997 to 2019 and found that it may take up to 60 years to close the gender gap among top scorers in the Calculus BC exam and roughly 30 years in the Calculus AB and Statistics exams.

Kadir Bahar, who conducted the study, says the study is important because it highlights the gap we see between men and women who pursue STEM careers.

“In order to more rapidly close the gap between girls and boys who get the top scores on AP math exams, educators must discover and implement more effective ways to prepare girls for advanced math courses,” Bahar said.