Built for the Test, but Failing Anyway: Why Gifted Thinkers Struggle with Standardized Exams
By Lisangelee Velazquez, M.S. | Founder, GiftedBecoming™
I Was Supposed to Be Smart… So Why Couldn’t I Pass?
I was the kid who always got A’s and B’s without studying. I connected patterns others didn’t even see. Teachers praised me for being a natural thinker, a quiet force in the classroom. But when I started taking standardized exams as an adult, everything changed.
Despite deep studying and knowing the material, I failed the BCBA exam. Again and again. The guilt, the shame, the confusion—they all grew heavier each time.
I kept asking myself: “If I understand this so well in conversation and practice, why does it fall apart on test day?”
Overthinking Is a Superpower — Until Test Day
It turns out, I wasn’t alone. Many gifted or twice-exceptional adults experience the same thing.
When you’re gifted, your brain sees layers of meaning, possibilities, and exceptions. You analyze not just the answer but how the question was constructed. You think: “What if they’re trying to trick me?” or “What if this word choice means something deeper?”
You don’t guess. You don’t skim. You go deep.
And in the world of rigid multiple-choice tests designed for linear thinkers, that superpower becomes your greatest barrier.
What No One Tells Gifted Test-Takers
The truth is: most test-prep strategies are built for the average processor. They’re built to teach recall, not to manage cognitive intensity. They don’t address anxiety born from perfectionism or the spiral of second-guessing. They don’t teach confidence anchors. They don’t help you translate complex logic into simple decisions.
For people like us, success isn’t about knowing more. It’s about learning how to take the test while staying in our lane of clarity.
The Day I Decided to Build It Myself
After my last attempt at the exam, I sat in silence, tears in my eyes, not from failure—but from clarity.
I realized the world didn’t have the solution I needed.
So I built it.
I created something called The Overthinker’s Toolkit™ — a method and mental framework for gifted and deep thinkers to:
Trust their first instinct
Stay grounded when the mind wants to overanalyze
Use their logic as a strength instead of a trap
And I wrapped it all into a program and research movement I call GiftedBecoming™.
This Isn’t Just About Me — It’s About All of Us
If you’ve ever felt too smart to keep failing… you’re not alone.
There are thousands of gifted and twice-exceptional adults who have never been told:
“Your brain is brilliant. You just need a different roadmap.”
This project is for us. For those who feel too much, think too far, and question everything.
We’re not broken. We’re built for impact.
And now—we’re building a new way to pass, with our minds fully intact.
Join the Movement
This is just the beginning. New tools, weekly insights, and research are on the way.
💌 Subscribe to updates, share your story, or explore the Toolkit.
Let’s test like the thinkers we are.
– Lisangelee
