4 ms·

What's wrong with that? SAT scores measure IQ, and can't be gamed like grades.

StreetChief 3y ago
Have you ever seen this chart? SAT score correlates almost exactly with income. https://www.futurescienceleaders.com/yvr1b/wp-content/uploads/sites/124/2019/01/SAT-Score-Chart-1024x438.png https://www.futurescienceleaders.com/yvr1b/wp-content/upload...
- sokoloff 3y ago
  What is the relationship across those income ranges between income and parental IQ? https://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/08/least-surprising-correlation-of-all.html https://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/08/least-surprising-cor... Saying that SAT scores correlate closely with income in response to someone claiming that SAT scores measure IQ could be a statement of agreement or disagreement, depending on the relationships among the various measures.
  - StreetChief 3y ago
    I am disagreeing - why would more money make you inherently smarter? His premise that smart parents make more more is unquestionably false when 99% (or something) of wealth is transferred via inheritance - people don't generally get rich anymore[1]. Also, if you want to measure IQ, why not use an IQ test and not some arbitrary proxy? [1] http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/papers/abs_mobility_paper.pdf http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/papers/abs_mobility_p...
    - sokoloff 3y ago
      It's not that more money would make you inherently smarter, but rather that more intelligent parents might (statistically) both make more money and also have more intelligent children. Those children might go on to score better on the SAT, leaving a correlation between parental income and SAT scores that would be unsurprising at each step. Your point about inherited wealth is not demonstrated on the chart you showed, which was parental incomes (not wealth) and in ranges unlikely to be perturbed by vast inheritances. > Also, if you want to measure IQ, why not use an IQ test and not some arbitrary proxy? I don't want to; I suspect colleges and D. E. Shaw felt like SAT scores were an acceptable/practical proxy for whatever purpose it was that they had. I thought it was weird and slightly off-putting to be asked, but it seems to work for them.
      - StreetChief 3y ago
        You are certainly correct it is working for them - the concentration of wealth is getting worse and worse. [edit 1: added the below] I don't think the best idea in the room wins - the most persuasive person's idea usually wins. [edit 2: added the below] Harvard's endowment in 2022 was apparently $50.9 billion.[1] [1]https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/10-universities-with-the-biggest-endowments https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-lis...
        sokoloff 3y ago
        I'm trying to draw the connection between the size of Harvard's endowment and this sub-thread and missing it.
        StreetChief 3y ago
        using the SATs has made them very wealthy - but nevermind, all schools use SATs. [edit] I should have quoted de shaw's wealth
jvanderbot 3y ago
SAT is a decent measure of IQ when corrected for the number of times you've taken the SAT. Rich folks can take it a lot, including prep courses.

Have you ever seen this chart? SAT score correlates almost exactly with income. https://www.futurescienceleaders.com/yvr1b/wp-content/uploads/sites/124/2019/01/SAT-Score-Chart-1024x438.png https://www.futurescienceleaders.com/yvr1b/wp-content/upload...

sokoloff 3y ago
What is the relationship across those income ranges between income and parental IQ? https://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/08/least-surprising-correlation-of-all.html https://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/08/least-surprising-cor... Saying that SAT scores correlate closely with income in response to someone claiming that SAT scores measure IQ could be a statement of agreement or disagreement, depending on the relationships among the various measures.
- StreetChief 3y ago
  I am disagreeing - why would more money make you inherently smarter? His premise that smart parents make more more is unquestionably false when 99% (or something) of wealth is transferred via inheritance - people don't generally get rich anymore[1]. Also, if you want to measure IQ, why not use an IQ test and not some arbitrary proxy? [1] http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/papers/abs_mobility_paper.pdf http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/papers/abs_mobility_p...
  - sokoloff 3y ago
    It's not that more money would make you inherently smarter, but rather that more intelligent parents might (statistically) both make more money and also have more intelligent children. Those children might go on to score better on the SAT, leaving a correlation between parental income and SAT scores that would be unsurprising at each step. Your point about inherited wealth is not demonstrated on the chart you showed, which was parental incomes (not wealth) and in ranges unlikely to be perturbed by vast inheritances. > Also, if you want to measure IQ, why not use an IQ test and not some arbitrary proxy? I don't want to; I suspect colleges and D. E. Shaw felt like SAT scores were an acceptable/practical proxy for whatever purpose it was that they had. I thought it was weird and slightly off-putting to be asked, but it seems to work for them.
    - StreetChief 3y ago
      You are certainly correct it is working for them - the concentration of wealth is getting worse and worse. [edit 1: added the below] I don't think the best idea in the room wins - the most persuasive person's idea usually wins. [edit 2: added the below] Harvard's endowment in 2022 was apparently $50.9 billion.[1] [1]https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/10-universities-with-the-biggest-endowments https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-lis...
      - sokoloff 3y ago
        I'm trying to draw the connection between the size of Harvard's endowment and this sub-thread and missing it.
        StreetChief 3y ago
        using the SATs has made them very wealthy - but nevermind, all schools use SATs. [edit] I should have quoted de shaw's wealth

jvanderbot 3y ago

SAT is a decent measure of IQ when corrected for the number of times you've taken the SAT. Rich folks can take it a lot, including prep courses.