Results of a minimum competency test administered to ninth-grade students were evaluated to compare the performance of 723 students (345 males, 347 females, and 31 unidentified students) on content-specific and process skill questions. Subjects represented a random sample of students taking the Regents Competency Test in Science--a 70-item paper-and-pencil examination that is administered to students at the end of the ninth grade based on courses studied in grades 7, 8, and 9. The boys scored significantly better than did the girls in all subject areas. The passing rate for the boys was 88.4% and that for the girls was 77.8%. Both groups performed about the same when answering questions requiring process skill application without content knowledge, but female students appeared to have greater difficulty correctly answering questions that required integration of content knowledge and process skills. It may be that the everyday experiences of male students provide sufficient opportunity for boys to learn to apply the science skills they have acquired. (Author/SLD)