I'm not knocking it. I'm just saying it is what it is. You're right, I never felt top notch after any checkride. But I did feel proficient and competent to fly instruments both immediately after my instrument ride and 3 months later. I felt neither after my multi ride and if I had gotten into a twin 3 months later, I would've remembered very little from my 1-1/2 days of cram session training. Of course with 6 multi hours in my book and about 4 real hours in the plane (the CFI and examiner were both liberal with their logbook pens), no one would've let me anywhere near a twin by myself at that point.
It's now been about 6 years since my multi checkride. I've never logged another hour in a twin and I can say that the only thing I remember about flying twins is the #### ME memory aid for engine outs. But they didn't teach me that at the school, I learned it on the 'net a few years ago. IOW, what I have to show for my $1500 multi rating is a certificate in my pocket and absolutely no retention of any of the training I recieved. OTOH, I haven't been instrument current since right around the same time I took the multi ride. But if I had to get current today, I'd remember quite a bit about how instruments are flown. Again, I'm not knocking it, I'm just saying it is what it is. And as training goes, it's the absolute minimum you can do and walk out with a cert in your pocket.
If I had it to do over I would probably do it the same way, but I would go in knowing I was going come out with a cert I didn't earn and only slighty more qualified to fly twins than I was when I went in.