I wonder if US would attract more quality students for the undergrad programs from around the world if it adopted a blind standardized test approach like JEE in India. SAT/ACT aren't comparable to those tests. Anytime you involve something that is open to subjective interpretation like essays that don't need to be created "live", you will open up opportunities for workarounds like this one (i.e. hiring ghost writers). Or maybe tests + interviews is the best combination since interviews bring out character and at the end of the day that's what matters - character.