My favorite math course was abstract algebra; it was also the hardest.
Standardized exams are an unfortunate necessity. People are compelled, by force if necessary, to be "educated," and other people are compelled, by force if necessary, to pay for that "education." The compulsion is outrageous if there is no rigor in ensuring that the "education" really educates. The feedback loop created by standardized testing is the only way to tell if teachers are competent and diligent. That is why the teachers' unions hate standardized tests.
Furthermore, to the extent that people must rely on certification to assess competence (and what else do they have to go on), standardized tests are the only reliable means to discriminate solely on the basis of knowledge. Do you want to rely for your life on a surgeon who cannot pass a test in physiology or an engineer who is stumped by vectors?
As for the recent scandal about college admissions, I view it as a severe moral delict, but I find it ridiculous that people are threatened with twenty years in jail for it as though it is a moral failing as grave as rape or murder. Overcharging does not become acceptable because criminals are unsympathetic. In this case, those involved think their riches entitle them to what society has reasonably decided should be awarded to intelligence and diligence so impoverish such people to educate them and preclude them from recidivism. If the penalty for bribery were the greater of 95% of your net worth or one year's income without possibility of release through bankruptcy, no sane person would indulge in bribery, which is not a crime of impulse.
Yes, I was required to study physics for a year. It bored me witless.
