▁the ▁students ▁and ▁their ▁prof ic iency ▁at ▁the ▁knowledge ▁and ▁skills ▁actually ▁required . ▁This ▁concept ▁does ▁not ▁apply ▁only ▁to ▁el ite ▁courses ▁( even ▁if ▁it ▁is ▁more ▁pre val ent ▁in ▁these ▁courses ), ▁but ▁also ▁to ▁general ▁education ▁and ▁at ▁all ▁levels ▁of ▁education . ▁This ▁results ▁in ▁the ▁soci ally ▁relative ▁selection ▁of ▁students , ▁instead ▁of ▁an ▁absolute , ▁objective ▁selection ▁relative ▁to ▁the ▁level ▁of ▁knowledge ▁required . ▁This ▁phenomen on ▁can ▁form ▁a ▁large ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁cause ▁of ▁the ▁dist ress ▁and ▁scholar ▁dis eng agement ▁for ▁many ▁students ▁facing ▁those ▁issues , ▁and ▁thus ▁it ▁could ▁be ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁main ▁causes ▁of ▁educational ▁failure . ▁ ▁Many ▁parameters ▁may ▁contribute ▁to ▁the ▁pre val ence ▁of ▁this ▁phenomen on , ▁but ▁the ▁two ▁main ▁causes ▁are : ▁ ▁The ▁t endency ▁to ▁san ction ▁in ▁the ▁exam ination ▁rather ▁than ▁em ulating ▁knowledge . ▁This ▁forces ▁the ▁review ers ▁to ▁create ▁tests ▁based ▁not ▁on ▁knowledge ▁and ▁skills , ▁but ▁on ▁tricky ▁questions , ▁or ▁even ▁meta - know ledge ▁( e . g ., ▁available ▁in ▁the ▁book ▁but ▁not ▁studied ▁in ▁the ▁program ▁or ▁in ▁the ▁course ▁with ▁the ▁professor ). ▁ ▁The ▁cred ibility ▁of ▁the ▁exam ination ▁/ ▁teacher ▁/ ▁institution ▁vis - à - vis ▁the ▁society , ▁leading ▁to ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁a ▁constant ▁rate ▁of ▁failure . ▁ ▁Thus , ▁the ▁mac ab re ▁constant ▁would ▁create ▁an ▁" art ific ial ▁failure ▁of