''1st place , 13th place, none of that matters '' yeah sure it doesn't matter to spoiled girl whose father is a millionaire... In my country exam rankings are everything it basically determines which university you will get into, and if your familly doesn't have too much money it is basically one of the few ways you will ever get a decent job/position etc(univerties are public) . From what I seen it is somewhat like this in japan too, correct me if I am wrong.