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Comment by jogjayr | Hacker News Reader

> because they are not allowed to use IQ tests

There's actual employment law that prohibits using IQ tests? I'd never heard that before

An IQ test can be used during the hiring process but the employer has to be able to defend its use as directly relevant to the work at hand. So most employers aren't willing to spend the legal fees related to defending the use of a direct IQ test... Possibly because the college degree is a good enough litmus test for IQ to satisfy their needs.

If it's difficult to prove that IQ is relevant to the job... Maybe it's not. Also, I doubt that's the reason.

It’s not difficult to demonstrate that IQ is relevant to job performance (its the best predictor of performance for most jobs). The problem is to demonstrate that it doesn’t have a discriminatory effect (there are large, persistent differences in IQ between races).

There's already an imbalance when it comes to different genders and races, I don't get what they would lose.

The real reason companies don't do it is because Fizz Buzz is a better test than IQ tests.

Source on that first claim?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_factor_(psychometrics)#Job_p...

It's related to anti-discrimination / "psychology-test" laws. If there is any sort of "test" given as a condition of employment, it must be relevant, standardized, non-biased, reviewed by specialists and approved, etc.

http://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Test1...

The value and definition of "IQ" is widely disputed and generally seen as of limited relevance to the actual work and performance of that work (uncorrelated). Look it up and do some research if you're interested, this is just a quick showing of _why_ tests may be considered bad.

One day I wonder if some lawyer will strike it big by making an argument that looking at universities is discrimination because e.g. family connections and wealth give you a big leg up in getting into certain elite schools...

Yeah, but most universities engage in affirmative action, which theoretically negates this.

The linked image you shared is one I've seen before that was a Louisiana state voter literacy test used for voter suppression. It was disproportionately administered to black voters[1]

I'm not saying that IQ tests are useful measures of ability to do a job. I just wasn't aware there was actual law or precedent forbidding their use.

> If there is any sort of "test" given as a condition of employment, it must be relevant, standardized, non-biased, reviewed by specialists and approved, etc.

Wouldn't this disqualify a lot of whiteboard interviews too? Most startups don't have a standard question bank reviewed by experts or grade on a standard rubric.

1. http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/06/28/voting_right...

Whiteboard tests are directly relevant to the position being hired for and, thus, okay to use.

The classic "how many gas stations are there in the USA?" type of interview question seem exactly like an IQ test and not at all relevant to job requirements.

Here's a little bit of discussion: http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2013/04/iq_and_hiring_d....

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