That poor students were not given the same resources and educational opportunities as richer ones, and they were therefore discriminated against.
What that overlooks is that the test is so dumbed-down (it's said to be at the level an 8th grader would ordinarily attain) that no matter how dismal your educational conditions, you should be able to pass it. Maybe your school didn't have a Nobel laureate teaching math like some school in Palo Alto, but even you, matriculating at a campus where the teachers are all drunks and time-servers, ought to be able to get through it.
My son is a sophmore and passed the exit exam last fall with 89%. it is not that tough, the parents need to get involved with there kids.