this article is about hiring, not compensation. inside one firm, there's no evidence compensation is linked to which college you went to.
> how insanely easy it is to game this system if you've the knack for standardized exam
this is irrelevant.
1. no one is hiring just looking at resumes. this is just the screen. they have 500 resumes to look at; they're going to pick some sort of screening system.
2. let's say you got into Harvard Law on your LSAT but you're otherwise lazy and stupid; they'll figure that out based on your interview and your lack of other accomplishments. school is just a screener. they're still going to look at the rest of your resume and ask you questions in the interview.
At least in law, once inside the firm your compensation is in lock-step by seniority. In banking, unless you're in trading where your contribution is very easily quantifiable, your bonus will depend largely on how your particular division/project does.
And this article isn't just about screening. You can do pretty terribly at Harvard Law and still walk out with a 160k+bonus job. Firms hire after the first year of law school, and so don't really care about what you do in law school either. The interviews are a cakewalk, mostly to screen people with serious personality problems who are otherwise borderline from a school/grades standpoint.
Banking/consulting is even more credential focused. They hire from a narrower range of schools than law firms, and put less emphasis on having top grades.
this article is about hiring, not compensation. inside one firm, there's no evidence compensation is linked to which college you went to.
> how insanely easy it is to game this system if you've the knack for standardized exam
this is irrelevant.
1. no one is hiring just looking at resumes. this is just the screen. they have 500 resumes to look at; they're going to pick some sort of screening system.
2. let's say you got into Harvard Law on your LSAT but you're otherwise lazy and stupid; they'll figure that out based on your interview and your lack of other accomplishments. school is just a screener. they're still going to look at the rest of your resume and ask you questions in the interview.