This, of course, immediately brings up a different question: if a
teacher is grading exams, at first glance it seems that this verb would
be appropriate. However, what happens if there's only one exam to be
graded? Do {patlh} and {patlhmoH} imply "be ranked/have a status/be
graded *with respect to other items/people*", or can they refer to a
rank or status that exists on its own? 

You're still giving it a rank according to an external measure. If I get a D, it means I'm ranked poorly compared to hypothetical other students.

-- 
SuStel
http://trimboli.name