I don’t think I’m confused, as I didn’t bring up SATs at all and I’m quite comfortable with my understanding of how higher GPA affects class rank.
Lack of confusion aside, where we disagree is that you seem to believe that USNWR’s arbitrary 10% threshold has been universally adopted by elite schools as “good enough” and that as long as an applicant has cleared that bar, where they stand within that top 10% is meaningless.
I disagree, and I provided factual anecdotal support for my belief. If you can provide a statement from an admissions officer at an elite school that top 10% is equivalent, in their eyes, to top 1%, I’ll stand corrected, at least for that school.