Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Job application asked for my SAT scores

mrmarket.lol

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

341–350 of 403 posts

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#341

Post by danaris »

jimbokun wrote: post #265
andrecarini wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is you're equating `failing a test` to `lacking the relevant skills and knowledge to do a certain task competently`. The reality is sometimes tests in academia are just not very well made and don't really test what they are supposed to be testing, and that's usually due to multiple reasons like misaligned incentives, staffing shortages and maybe lack of resources / funding. I don't think the comparis…

[flagged]

How much of this is because they're both correlated with socioeconomic status?

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#342

Post by nephihaha »

sokoloff wrote: post #59
nephihaha wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak for others here and we don't have SATs in this country, but these things can be very unfair. When I was seventeen, I had a lot of things to deal with which were not of my own making, such as caring for a terminally ill relative and wondering if I would even have a roof over my head a few months down the line. That kind of thing tends to take your mind off school work. Several years later and I was in a…

If you think it matters (I don’t) and think you scored unfairly low at 17, you can take (or retake) the SAT at any age.

We don't have SATs in this country (like I said). Yes, we can retake the equivalent here, but retaken exams are valued less by both employers and universities.

I spent much of that period visiting hospices and hospitals, and eventually ending up homeless for a while as a result of all this. I was more interested in being able to support myself financially for the next few years, and recovering psychologically.

My qualifications after this consisted of diplomas and degrees.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#343

Post by dingdongditchme »

denotational wrote: post #339
WalterBright wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've seen what happens in engineering with those with low SAT math scores. They need others to do the math for them, or they just wing it. I remember one who was trying to reduce the noise in an electronic amplifier. He spent days trying random things. Another engineer asked what he was doing, did a quick calculation, and put in an RC circuit that solved the problem.

Off-topic, but can an RC circuit really reduce noise? I can see how it would reduce distortion (which is not the same as noise), but adding passives is surely going to increase thermal noise?

You are correct, but an RC circuit is part of the amplifier circuit and you can do a lot to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) depending on frequencies/signals are trying to amplify versus the ones you want to filter out.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#344

Post by danaris »

____tom____ wrote: post #165
apparent wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does not require them to ask about your age, just the year in which you took the SAT. As other commenters have pointed out, this can range from 12 to 17. Also, they could just ask for your SAT score and any relevant info (if you took it during COVID from your car, etc.) and then you could disclose whatever context you wanted.

That tells them everything they'd need to know to discriminate. If you took the SAT 40 years ago, it doesn't really matter if it was 42 or 47. People are biased 25 vs. 55 not 33 vs. 34.

While I generally agree with you that employers should absolutely not be asking for this sort of information, they're still going to be able to make a very good guess at your general age by the dates of your education and employment.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a viable way to prevent employers from finding out your age from your resume/CV.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#345

Post by socratic_weeb »

Tech companies more and more delusional every time, thinking they are special and that their product is so critical for society, and possibly more complex than operating a particle accelerator. So, you basically have to be an outstanding genius in order to have the "honor" to work for them. Then you go in and it's just a glorified vibecoded spaghetti CRUD. Not surprised.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#346

Post by falcor84 »

dgacmu wrote: post #246
falcor84 wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally strongly disagree. I think it's much better to be given the opportunity to do the actual work, rather than to be required to do the pre-assessment song and dance. And if there are actual prerequisites that a person hasn't previously passed, they should be allowed to be tested on these specifically.

Speaking as a professor: the filter is really helpful. Having students struggle for two years in a program they're going to fail out of is terrible. I've seen it happen - and I saw more of it happen for the years CMU also stopped requiring the SAT. The SAT is a very imperfect measure but it turns out a lot of the others are even worse.

Honest question: why is it terrible? I would assume that if someone is capable enough to struggle for 2 years, they stand a real chance to struggle for 4 years and graduate. And seeing how the job market rewards a mediocre diploma from a good college significantly more than a good diploma from a mediocre college, it seems like a very rational decision from the student's side. And if they do fail out, they should still be able to enroll in another program, and presumably get a decent grade there, no?

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#347

Post by denotational »

dingdongditchme wrote: post #343
denotational wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Off-topic, but can an RC circuit really reduce noise? I can see how it would reduce distortion (which is not the same as noise), but adding passives is surely going to increase thermal noise?

You are correct, but an RC circuit is part of the amplifier circuit and you can do a lot to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) depending on frequencies/signals are trying to amplify versus the ones you want to filter out.

I see, so you want to band-limit the noise, and are willing to accept potentially raising the noise floor in the band-limited range, the idea being that if the original noise is sufficiently broad-band, this will still increase SNR?

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#348

Post by olsondv »

denotational wrote: post #347
dingdongditchme wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are correct, but an RC circuit is part of the amplifier circuit and you can do a lot to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR) depending on frequencies/signals are trying to amplify versus the ones you want to filter out.

I see, so you want to band-limit the noise, and are willing to accept potentially raising the noise floor in the band-limited range, the idea being that if the original noise is sufficiently broad-band, this will still increase SNR?

Noise doesn’t have to be broadband. 60Hz is a common noise in US from the AC line frequency. Then there are harmonics of that due to rectifiers.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#349

Post by gordian-mind »

Newlaptop wrote: post #274
hammock wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't buy the notion that tests do not test relevant skills. In my long career I've noticed a strong correlation between SAT scores and academic performance as well as job performance. SAT tests intelligence (aptitude), not skills. Which is why it correlates with job performance, where intelligence can (over some time) matter as much or more than a starting point of relevant skills.

I just checked, and the SAT math section covers algebra, trigonometry and statistics. Look at this list: Quadratic equations and functions (vertex form, roots, discriminant) Polynomial operations and factoring Exponential functions and growth/decay Radical and rational expressions Function notation, composite and inverse functions Nonlinear graphs and their transformations A genius student who had never been taught t…

"A mediocre student who had studied SAT-style questions for weeks leading up to the test would likely outperform a high IQ student who last solved those types of problems over a year prior."

That's why hard questions exist.

Re: Job application asked for my SAT scores

#350

Post by denotational »

olsondv wrote: post #348
denotational wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see, so you want to band-limit the noise, and are willing to accept potentially raising the noise floor in the band-limited range, the idea being that if the original noise is sufficiently broad-band, this will still increase SNR?

Noise doesn’t have to be broadband. 60Hz is a common noise in US from the AC line frequency. Then there are harmonics of that due to rectifiers.

Fair enough: I was reading the original comment as referring to (thermal) noise intrinsic to the amplifier design itself (as opposed to noise due to imperfections in DC supply or due to coupling with some external transmitter), but this makes more sense, and we should consider the whole system anyway.
Post reply on HN