To be honest, I cared quite a lot about getting a relatively high GPA and was upset if I scored below 5.25 (out of 6). I don't think that standardised tests ar

To be honest, I cared quite a lot about getting a relatively high GPA and was upset if I scored below 5.25 (out of 6). I don't think that standardised tests are good in themselves but they help keep a student intellectually honest. Some people will tell you that grades don't matter, a creative person reads freely and off the curriculum -- and that's true. But indulged too much it can weaken your intellectual discipline, which you desperately need on any ambitious project (especially a self-driven project). You've got to love what you do but you've also got to DO it when you don't love it. I think the best thing is to strive for both: learn your own way, read what you want, but also push yourself to pass these exams. If you just go off and do what you want, scraping by academically, how can you be really SURE you were honest with yourself, that you weren't just making excuses?