Conferred with a Catch

So which is better, to have a status conferred upon you, based on mandatory prerequisites, or simply constituting. Well, is seemed to earn a status has the more powerful edge in that it calls for the acceptance and recognition of others. However, I believe it is imperative that those doing the conferring, that is, those in charge, are constantly being tested themselves, so there is no room for slacking in any direction, and hopefully, makes they playing ground a little more equal.