Exactly right. I think the critique is that it serves little value in college admissions because aptitude at taking the test is not an indicator of anything els

Exactly right. I think the critique is that it serves little value in college admissions because aptitude at taking the test is not an indicator of anything else. But IMHO, defining a difficult task and judging people on their ability to prepare for and execute on that difficult task is a useful means of measuring whether that individual is capable of doing that very thing when facing other difficult tasks, as they certainly will at college and in life. That alone has value and relevance in college admissions.