ATLANTA (AP) -- A report shows that the SAT college-entrance exam scores of Georgia high school seniors jumped seven points, even as the national average score dropped two points.

The College Board's 2012 SAT report released Monday puts the state's average score at 1,452, which still lags behind the national average of 1,498. This year's average score marked the end of a five-year slide in scores in the state.

The report shows that the state's rate of participation in the test increased by one percentage point to 81 percent, well above the national rate of 31 percent. That gives Georgia the seventh-highest participation rate nationwide.

The scoring gap between the state's black and white students was 270 points, down from 272 last year. Black and Hispanic students in Georgia outperformed those subgroups nationally.