Sociologists have suggested that this kind of competition further traumatizes and stigmatizes victims of the testing process. They have called it "counter-productive to the social aims of progressive educational theory." But sports observers have noted that the competition does provoke some emotional stimulation that could be healthy for grade-obsessed bookworms.
At least one Harvard senior has reported such an experience in his bout with the ETS. The conversation went like this:
Student: So you want a guess. Well, how about 700?
ETS: No, it's higher.
Student [with a more tense voice]: 750?
ETS: No, no, it's higher.
Student [with feeling]: Oh, shit.
ETS: Well, sir, it's not that high.
Those clever people in Princeton. What will they think of next?