Shortstripper... the CPL skill test may not be the biggest hurdle in aviation, but if you care to study the words I used, I stated that, if done properly, the course leading to the Test can provide a firm foundation. Neither did I say that I was rubbish (!), but I had a fairly broad aviation background prior to instructing - that background was not, however, mandated as a requirement!
I did not state that all or many PPL instructors were rubbish, but it's a fairly sound principle that a requirement to prove oneself at the professional rather than amateur level is more likely to lead to an overall raising of standards than not having such a requirement. However, it is indeed difficult to find the relevance of most of the exams to low performance SEP flying!