[spitfire]

I'll post to this thread because this is very relevant for the hiring companies. Hunter and Schmidt did a meta-study of 85 years of research on hiring criteria. [1] There are three attributes you need to select for to identify performing employees in intellectual fields.

  - General mental ability (Are they generally smart)
    Use WAIS or if there are artifacts of GMA(Complex work they've done themselves) available use them as proxies. 
    Using IQ is effectively illegal[2] in the US, so you'll have to find a test that acts as a good proxy.

  - Work sample test. NOT HAZING! As close as possible to the actual work they'd be doing. Try to make it apples-to-apples comparison across candidates. Also, try and make accomidations for candidates not knowing your company shibboleth.

  - Integrity. The first two won't matter if you hire dishonest people or politicians.

     There are existing tests available for this, you can purchase for < $50 per use.

This alone will get you > 65% hit rate [1], and can be done inside of three hours. There's no need for day long (or multi-day) gladiator style gauntlets.

[1] http://mavweb.mnsu.edu/howard/Schmidt%20and%20Hunter%201998%...

[2] The effective illegality comes from IQ tests disadvantaging certain minority groups.

[thedufer]

> Using IQ is effectively illegal[2] in the US, so you'll have to find a test that acts as a good proxy.

You've posted this before and been called out on it. Please stop spreading misinformation.

There is nothing special about IQ tests specifically. Any proxy test will have exactly the same legal ramifications. As long as you can show that the results of that test are relevant to job performance, it is fine. Whether it is labeled an "IQ test" is irrelevant.

[spitfire]

Put plainly, the callout and yourself are wrong. To muddy the waters about this may put small companies at risk.

I've spoken with an lawyer about this. There is case law directly concerning IQ tests.

The bar for acceptance to prove the use of IQ in hiring in a discrimination case is unattainable by most software companies. Hence, it is effectively illegal.

NB: I would desperately love to use IQ tests in the US myself. I want to be on your side and use IQ tests, but wouldn't risk my supper for it.

[thedufer]

I didn't intend to imply that IQ tests are okay (although the test I suggested is in fact what you have to prove). I'm actually concerned by the suggestion that IQ proxy tests are any different. They are bound by exactly the same requirements.

[Houshalter]

I'm trying to find a source, but I recall reading the legality of IQ testing is debatable. The same law that outlaws IQ testing also outlawed using educational requirements for the same reason (minorities are underrepresented in higher education.) Yet almost every company requires education credentials, so I don't think it has much teeth. And lots of places use tests like what OP is complaining about, that are basically intelligence tests for all intents and purposes.