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The SAT isn’t racist — but woke activists sure are

Nypost · · 623 words · By John Stossel
Standardized Testing Culture War / 'Wokeism' College Admissions Diversity
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What to know about Standardized Testing

The SAT isn’t racist — but woke activists sure are See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 5
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center0%
Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The SAT isn’t racist — but woke activists sure are See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Did you know that the SAT is racist?

Common ground

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now calls it, “antiracists” said the SAT’s creators “were avowed eugenicists.” No wonder black people get lower scores, went the claim.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Straw Man: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/opinion/the-sat-isnt-racist-but-woke-activists-sur…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 5 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Straw Man 80% confidence
Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing straw man helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence
Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Anger 80% confidence
Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “After tests helped Jews get into college in the 1920s, Harvard even reduced focus on tests — to “prevent a dangerous increase in the proportion of Jews.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Ivy League schools, specifically Harvard, moved to restrict Jewish enrollment in the 1920s due to their increasing numbers and academic performance.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shabbos Kestenbaum (born December 19, 1998) is an American Jewish activist. After the October 7 attacks on Israel, he filed a lawsuit against Harvard University alleging that the university failed to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbos_Kestenbaum
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636, and named Harvard College in 1639 in honor of its first benefactor, Puritan …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of Harvard University is the chief administrator of Harvard University and the ex officio president of the Harvard Corporation. Each is appointed by and is responsible to the other membe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Harvard_Universit…
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 2: “Most colleges stopped requiring the test for admissions.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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Claim 3: “University of California, Berkeley mathematics professor Zvezdelina Stankova says some students “are five to eight years behind in mathematics.””
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly quote Professor Zvezdelina Stankova stating that some students are 'five to eight years behind in mathematics'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — I teach mathematics at UC Berkeley. Three days a week, I stand in front of lecture halls with 500 to 1,400 students. By the second week of the semester, I already know who is in trouble. Some students…
https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2026/08/15/uc-berkeley-sat-te…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Zvezdelina Stankova says she used AI to ‘help edit’ an article about some of her students being ‘five to eight years’ behind.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/uc-berkeley-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — UC Berkeley's Zvezdelina Stankova reports significant math deficiencies in students, intensifying the debate over the university's test-free admissions policy. Faculty urge reconsideration of SAT and.…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uc-berkeley-math-deficiencies-test…
verified
Claim 4: ““The College Board is a billion-dollar-a-year business,””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the College Board is identified as a non-profit organization, none of the provided evidence specifies its annual revenue as being a 'billion-dollar-a-year business'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Placement
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization. It was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher educat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Board
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The SAT is a standardized test commonly used for the purpose of admission to colleges and universities in the United States. The test, owned by the College Board and originally developed by Carl Brigh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_SAT
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Every Ivy League school is bringing back standardized testing.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that all eight Ivy League institutions have either reinstated or announced plans to reinstate standardized testing requirements.
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web search NEUTRAL — What to knowIvy League reinstates SAT and ACT requirements after pandemic suspensions.90% of colleges nationwide remain test-optional for admissions.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/10/report-find…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to Higher Ed Dive, all eight Ivy League institutions have either reinstated standardized testing requirements or announced plans to do so. Other highly selective universities, including MIT …
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-chronicle-of-higher-educa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Ivy League has officially ended test-optional admissions. Discover Columbia's new SAT/ACT policy, why standardized testing is returning, and how to prepare for upcoming application cycles.
https://www.ivytalent.com/college/the-test-optional-era-is-o…
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Claim 6: “Not using tests did make it easier for schools to admit more blacks and Latinos.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources indicate that removing standardized testing was intended to or did encourage more diverse applications, specifically mentioning efforts to increase Black and Hispanic student enrollment.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Black Hispanic and Latino Americans, also called Afro-Hispanics, Afro-Latinos, Black Hispanics, or Black Latinos, are classified by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hispanic_and_Latino_Amer…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Celebration of Cinema and Television is an awards ceremony presented annually by the American–Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA). The first ceremony was named Celebration of Black Cinema an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration_of_Cinema_and_Tele…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Hispanic or Latino American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Lati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic_and_Latino_Americans
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 7: ““antiracists” said the SAT’s creators “were avowed eugenicists.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence discusses the history of the SAT and its creator Carl Brigham, but none of the provided sources mention 'antiracists' claiming the creators were 'avowed eugenicists'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The SAT is a standardized test commonly used for the purpose of admission to colleges and universities in the United States. The test, owned by the College Board and originally developed by Carl Brigh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_SAT
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Spook Who Sat by the Door is a 1973 action crime–drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Sam Greenlee. It is both a satire of the civil rights struggle in the United States of the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spook_Who_Sat_by_the_Door_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 8: “College Board data shows students with C+ grades but great SAT scores do better in college than A+ students with lower SAT scores.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence mentions a study at UC Riverside regarding GPA vs test scores, but it does not provide the specific 'C+ vs A+' data attributed to the College Board.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colle…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampshire_College
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Naviance is an American college and career readiness software provider that partners with high schools and other K–12 institutions to provide students with college planning and career assessment tools…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naviance
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.