If you reduce the granularity in the data set by not disclosing class rank and allowing grade inflation so the top 15+% all have unweighted 4.0s, you aren't solving the problem of cutthroat competition--you're just diverting it into another area. The competition for the finite resources of scholarships, awards, and competitive college admissions does not magically disappear. The battle is now taking place in extracurriculars, which gives even more advantage to wealthier kids with more involved parents and can also disadvantage highly gifted kids who might be pointier when compared to the less gifted kids who are "well rounded" because they are varsity athletes or student body presidents.
I agree. The relatively low ceiling of the SAT also has the same effect, as does the reporting of AP exam scores only on a 1:5 scale, where the score 5 corresponds to a wide range of raw scores.
