The author was given multiple opportunities to pass a fairly clear bar of academic competence to hold the highest and thus the most difficult to attain qualific

The author was given multiple opportunities to pass a fairly clear bar of academic competence to hold the highest and thus the most difficult to attain qualification in the world, and they failed every time. Exactly. If everyone could attain a PhD there would be no point to having a PhD because it wouldn't tell other people anything about your level of knowledge and competence.