First, it is largely area dependent insofar as it MOC nominees are concerned; you will be competing against the others on your slate(s) of nominees. However, all bets are off when you get on a fully competitive venue, e.g. Presidential, etc; there you will be competing with all of the other nominees on a much larger scale. But, bear in mind that even on the MOC slate you should not assume that you are competing with a less rigorous slate; all you need is one fully qualified candidate who trumps your SAT/ACT scores. Also, keep in mind that this is supposed to be a whole person scoring system, so someone who can't beat you on SAT/ACT scores may well have other factors that are superior or more desirable than yours. You need to accept that you should be working to compile the best file you can, and not be satisfied with anything less than the best you know you can do! Unlike your current situation where you know everyone you are competing against in school and have insight into their strengths and shortcomings, in this venue you will be competing with peers you do not know. A real risk here is that a candidate will sell him(her)self short, thereby under-mining his(her) efforts. This also is a major reason I feel wholesale playing the odds is a loser's game. Think about it. You (and your family and loved ones) are the one who has to deal with the outcome. One of the worst things a person can do is to fool him(her)self into accepting something less than his/her best.