And it is very possible for them to post in places where posts cannot be deleted or reported, such as in games and rounds or in ANN thread. I've noticed cases like this in the past where many posters had this habit of increasing their ranking before the merit system was introduced. In fact, it's not uncommon to find many newbie posting on off-topic board instead of posting in places that help them develop their skills and knowledge.

So yes, that is the impression I would have had about newbies had the merit system not been introduced. Of course, not all newbie are the same, it's just that many newbie have habits like that in many cases of discovery.