EXACTLY its because our society has become so focused on credentialism over actually having skills or knowledge on something, weve made knowledge into a series of check boxes where if youre missing something all the rest of the knowledge you have is useless

Luckily in the occidental world, even though credentials are important and helpful they aren't everything. And even without formal credentials there are many good business that will hire you. And I say this because I have friends without degree working as CS and other stuff that usually requires a degree.
But in Asia (at least in China, Korea, India and Japan) credentials are everything, and a difference of 0.1 is the difference between getting into a good uni and having a job or having zero chances (this is said by some Asian friends, I haven't had that experience first hand).

So as Europeans we are kinda lucky. And also we have more chances to repeat the exams throughout our lifes.

But even with that, the system of exams is absurd and only proves that you can do exams, nothing more. It doesn't prove knowledge nor skill. And once I finish my degree I'll study other things, but outside the university system; because I don't need the stress of exams no more.