Employers Still Care About SATs

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

Plenty of employers still care about a job candidate’s SAT score:

SATs and other academic artifacts remain relevant in part because they are easy — if imperfect — metrics for hiring managers to understand. This despite the fact that increased use of personality tests, data analytics and behavioral interviews have given employers more information about a candidate than ever before. Academic research has proved that cognitive ability can predict job performance, but there is scant evidence linking high SAT scores with employee success.

The real question is, why do they care so much about degrees?

Putting too much stock in standardized tests can put minority candidates at a disadvantage. In 2013, SAT test-takers in the “Black or African-American” category scored an average 431 on the exam’s critical reading section, 429 on math and 418 on writing. White test-takers, meanwhile, scored nearly 100 points higher on average in every section. There is a racial divide for ACT score reports as well.

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