If they beat you in the exam, they said you are stupid.  If you outscore them, they said it rote learning and that it doesn't your true intelligence and stifle your creativities.  If that is the case, why bother to study for the exam.  Try applying for a job and see if they will accept you if you don't have a good certificate.  Simple logic is if you don't study hard, you will never going to score at the top.