Job application asked for my SAT scores

SAT Scores in Hiring: Purpose and Predictive Value

• Some see SAT as a cheap proxy for IQ / “general mental ability,” citing high reported correlations and decades of industrial–organizational research tying cognitive ability to job performance.
• Others argue SAT is not an IQ test, can be heavily trained for, and its meaning shifts over time (different versions, score scales, nerfed difficulty).
• A common pro-SAT argument: even noisy standardized scores are better than resume buzzwords or unstructured interviews; they help filter out obvious mismatches.
• Critics counter that SAT (and even IQ) are at best partial predictors for “knowledge work performance,” and work-sample tests outperform general cognitive measures where they can be used.

Fairness, Age, and Access Concerns

• Strong pushback that SAT-based hiring bakes in:
  • Socioeconomic bias (test prep, multiple retakes, tutoring, ability to travel to tests).
  • Age discrimination (older candidates may not remember scores or can’t retrieve them; test versions and percentiles differ across decades).
  • Country-of-origin bias (immigrants or people from non-SAT systems).
• Several commenters share personal stories of bad teenage circumstances, late blooming, or neurodivergence making teen test scores a poor lifetime signal.
• Others say “you can retake it,” but in some countries retakes are devalued and adult life constraints make this unrealistic.

Standardized Tests, Credentialism, and Education Policy

• Debate connects to wider trends: UC dropping then possibly reintroducing SAT/ACT for admissions; some faculty argue grade inflation and rising failure rates show tests are needed for “foundational fluency.”
• Opponents highlight lawsuits framing SAT/ACT as discriminatory by race, wealth, and disability, and note political/ideological drivers behind test removal or reinstatement.
• Several point out rising credentialism in the US (GPA cutoffs, high school exam histories, GRE, etc.), sometimes attributed to broader bureaucratization rather than immigrant cultures.

Company Hiring Practices and Red Flags

• Specific firms mentioned as asking for SAT scores, IQ tests, or high-school math percentiles, even for senior or PhD-level roles; many see this as a cultural tell and auto-filter them out.
• Concerns about “back-channel” references and heavy reliance on credentials; others say references are now common again.
• Work-sample tests and timed coding challenges are discussed: when well-designed, they’re praised; when long, unpaid, or apparently used to extract free work, they’re condemned.
• Some argue the real filter is willingness to jump through hoops; others see that as self-sabotaging for employers who then repel strong candidates.