That's not a valid generalization. I grew up in a city that was/is tops in it's province for education. This province is consistently at/near the top of the c

That's not a valid generalization. I grew up in a city that was/is tops in it's province for education. This province is consistently at/near the top of the country, and that country's education system is consistently rated in the top ten world-wide and always well above the U.S.. We had standardized tests in grades 6, 9, and 12. They were weighted heavily towards our grades (50% in grade 12) and were, hence, a pretty big deal. The grade 12 tests also serve the same function for universities as SAT's, only on a per-subject basis. e.g. If you apply to a University mathematics program, they might not care about your results in social studies. Note: A key difference between these exams and SAT's is that curricula in the U.S. are often designed to help students pass SAT's, while the standardized tests here are designed to test the province's curriculum.