The number of minority students taking the SAT college entrance exam rose this year, but white students continued to score higher than most groups, the College Board reported Tuesday.

The study showed average SAT scores among minority students lagged behind white students by a larger margin in 2001 than a decade ago - while minorities represented a third of the test-takers.

According to the College Board, the total number of minority students taking the exam increased from 360,472 last year to 370,292 this year.

“I’m heartened to see that more minority students are taking the SAT and setting their sights on college, but the achievement gap between white and minority students