Under pressure?

Just heard from a podcast about the gripe put forward by a group of people on placing too much emphasis on SAT examinations results in students' placing in universities. They argue that the examination does not reflect the students' true potential but instead uses a college-based assessment for this purpose. Instead of depending on tests done within a short duration, a spread-out approach would be superior, they say.

Just the other day, members of the Sunday morning running group was discussing a similar topic. We discussed the necessity of selecting only the top-scoring students for specific age-old 'professional' jobs (medicine, law, accountancy, engineering, architecture and such). Just like how everything else has been dressed down over the years, nowadays, even professional courses have shortcuts and express lanes to bypass some apparently 'out-of-dates' passé requirements. No A-levels, no problem, do our foundation courses which would speed track your entrance. A-level too tricky, no problem, do our matriculation course, here is the brochure!

UN made it a human right issue to deny anyone education, but nowhere does it mention that it is their birthright to receive tertiary education.

After much deliberation, the group concluded that high achievers were accepted into professional courses because of the discipline one needs to excel and perform well under pressure in a controlled environment. A professional, making life saving or altering decisions, constantly work under pressure and deadlines. He cannot afford to cut corners and is expected to do it right all the time. There is no room for error. What better way to test the tenacity of an individual than to create an artificial pressure cooker to steam out delicacies than to churn out half baked cookies?

You do not want a mollycoddled Rottweiler to guard your Fort Knox, do you?