Aug 11, 2026 · 38 min · 12 segments
A growing number of people claim being “test blind” to applicants’ SAT scores is lowering standards at the University of California. Math Professor Zvezda Stankova is among the academics calling for…
Zvezda StankovaGuest
Brady HaranHost
Uh, so before the pandemic, SAT, um, this is a standardized, um, test, math and, uh, verbal, was used as part of admissions as baseline check on the foundational math and writing, uh, reading comprehension levels of students.
Who would do it, and where would you do it, and at what age and at what school, and what was the test like, and things like that?
Uh, it is a private company, and it administers this test to any student from around the world who is, uh, presumably applying to US, um, higher education schools, like to universities.
Um, so students come in live, in person, and, uh, there are independent proctors.
S- so presumably everyone has to do this test at the same time, otherwise you could come out and tell your friends what's in the test.
If it is done at different times, these will be different versions of the test, and students are not supposed, they are not allowed to discuss what the test is, so they cannot take with them any of the problems.
And then you get a score, like a number score, do you? What, traditionally, what would the number be? Would it, what would, what's the maximum, and things like that?
So you've got this score, and then how was this used traditionally by universities? What, what, how important was that score? If I wanted to come and study under you, do you just take the highest scoring people? Like, was that the be-all and end-all of how you chose your students?
Uh, so before the pandemic, SAT, um, this is a standardized, um, test, math and, uh, verbal, was used as part of admissions as baseline check on the foundational math and writing, uh, reading comprehension levels of students.
Who would do it, and where would you do it, and at what age and at what school, and what was the test like, and things like that?
Uh, it is a private company, and it administers this test to any student from around the world who is, uh, presumably applying to US, um, higher education schools, like to universities.
Um, so students come in live, in person, and, uh, there are independent proctors.
S- so presumably everyone has to do this test at the same time, otherwise you could come out and tell your friends what's in the test.
If it is done at different times, these will be different versions of the test, and students are not supposed, they are not allowed to discuss what the test is, so they cannot take with them any of the problems.
And then you get a score, like a number score, do you? What, traditionally, what would the number be? Would it, what would, what's the maximum, and things like that?
So you've got this score, and then how was this used traditionally by universities? What, what, how important was that score? If I wanted to come and study under you, do you just take the highest scoring people? Like, was that the be-all and end-all of how you chose your students?
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