Adaptability is essential to a good life. It is also an underrated quality. Nothing makes this more apparent than travel.

The part about tests and university admissions that @paulg talks about in this essay applies to the way most tech interviews are conducted these days.

http://paulgraham.com/lesson.html

A majority of bugs can be avoided just by taking a step back and asking - What can go wrong here?

If you have a defined, well-known rubric for selection for something sought after, someone will find a way to game it that defeats the intention behind the entire process.