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This study provides statistical validation of three composite scales designed to calculate metrics for gateway user competence in terms of domain knowledge, technical skills, and problem-solving orientation. Based on an online survey (N = 365) fielded by an online panel company (Centiment.co) with US based participants, analyses using SPSS software demonstrated that technical competence varied between age groups (lower scores for participants aged 60 and higher) and educational levels (lower scores for participants without a bachelor’s degree) at a statistically significant level (at 95% confidence interval). These findings suggest that gateway developers may need to provide more technical support to users who are senior researchers and when gateways are being introduced into high school classrooms. Conversely, ethnicity and gender were found to be non-predictors of technical competence. These findings suggest the stereotype of white males being more tech-savvy than other ethnic and gender groups may not hold true anymore.