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Word count matters to an extent in that some queries require longer explanations/write-ups to properly address the topic while others can be pretty brief. If they’re using a SERP analysis tool to determine that all the top-ranking pages are longer in word count, it might be justified, but it sounds like they’re just keyword stuffing and writing low quality content.
Similar with exact-match keywords, they can be beneficial if you’re able to work them in naturally but you’re gonna suffer from poor engagement (and subsequently poor search rankings) if the text reads like a robot wrote it. It does usually help to work exact-match keywords or close variants into your title fields though.
