I think the view of many of these supposed cynics is that the alternatives are even less consistent and are more conducive to biases and corruption than a stand

I think the view of many of these supposed cynics is that the alternatives are even less consistent and are more conducive to biases and corruption than a standardized test, even if the test is not optimal in measuring someone's academic abilities. No one is saying they're perfect. I have taken both tests and while I clearly found them imperfect (as with virtually every test), I would also say that they're far from useless or "stupid" as a requirement.