I think many would like to believe high scores guarantee something. And maybe, because they usually reflect some effort and savvy, they have ‘some’ predictive value. But it’s too simplistic to think high scores on some test days at 16 or 17 are the be all and end all. It takes far more in life to succeed than mastering some (imperfect) test.
So when these arguments get bogged in scores or gpa or whether SAT tells more than ACT, I do sigh. Same when you want to measure by salary (at some point after grad.) Most of the apps I’ve seen are high stats/rigor. There’s still a very real difference between those who “get it” and those who don’t.
And let’s face that it takes more than some SAT/ACT score to get into the most prestigious colleges. You can go on and deny or decry. But I think some CC folks like to look for tidy little boxes and checklists to predict with. That’s not the whole picture. I think you know that, in real life.