This paper investigates the phenomena of overclaiming – the propensity for individuals to claim more knowledge about an issue or
topic than they really (or could possibly) do. Using Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) data from nine
Anglophone countries and over 40,000 young people, we examine
teenagers’ propensity to claim knowledge of three mathematics
constructs that do not really exist. We find substantial differences in
young people’s tendency to overclaim across countries, genders,
and socio-economic groups. Those who are most likely to overclaim
are also found to exhibit high levels of overconfidence and believe
they work hard, persevere at tasks, and are popular amongst their
peers. Together this provides important new insight into overclaiming, how this differs across groups, and how it relates to other
psychological constructs
