Sex differences in cognitive ability level and cognitive ability pattern or tilt (e.g., math > verbal) have beenlinked to educational and occupational outcomes in STEM and otherfields. The present study examines cognitiveability tilt across the last 35 years in 2,053,265 academically talented students in the U.S. (SAT, ACT, EXPLORE)and 7119 students in India (ASSET) who were in the top 5% of cognitive ability, populations that largely feedhigh level STEM and other occupations. Across all measures and samples, sex differences in ability tilt wereuncovered, favoring males for math > verbal and favoring females for verbal > math. As ability tilt increased,sex differences in ability tilt appeared to increase. Additionally, sex differences in tilt increased as ability se-lectivity increased. Broadly, sex differences in ability tilt remained fairly stable over time, were consistent acrossmost measures, and replicated across the U.S. and India. Such trends should be carefully monitored given theirpotential to impact future workforce trends.
