Hey brains, I am back. If you are familiar with Cadence_Mercado, that’s me!!! I forgot my last password so I am using my other email here 
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Right now, I am preparing myself for college entrance exams and I am feeling very nervous about them. I know others who know me in real life say that I am very smart but lately I don’t feel like it. Another thing, I am scared about this new stage especially we’re allowed to go outside again.
I don’t know how to act around others anymore due to quarantine…
Welcome back to the forums @Celestial_Gem !
I’m a little surprised that’s not a more common occurrence here, to be honest 
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(Even though I’m a “technology” guy, I’ve had the same issue with at least a couple of accounts within the last few years.)
It’s been a long while since I went through that. From all my experience taking tests (in high school, college entrance exams, in college, and the occasional work “questionnaire” ), I have this advice to give… Trust yourself. While taking the test, try to be in the present (not worrying about the future, or questioning the past).
While significant, a college entrance exam does not determine your worth.
If others say you’re smart, then they are probably right. Not feeling like you are might be due to “imposter syndrome”.
Keep in mind, there are different ways a person can be “smart”. Some people are good with facts, others are great at working with numbers and formulas, still others have great verbal skills. Some people may be well rounded, while others are phenomenal in a particular area while being more average in other things.
A wise man told me the following:
“The purpose of a ‘test’ is to show what you ‘know’ and what you ‘don’t know’.”
Seriously, that’s it. That’s all that tests exist for. They simply measure a person’s recall at a particular point in time. They do not measure a person’s worth or potential.
The same goes for all of us (not just ADHD Brains…I mean everyone on Earth who just lived through the pandemic and two-and-a-half years of social isolation).
Here’s a thought: maybe this is a perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and make a fresh start in some way. Maybe this is a chance to make some positive changes.
Like having a blank canvas, a palette full of every good color, and various styles of brushes. Just take a que from Bob Ross, and see what “happy little accidents” will happen as you go out into a newly-released post-pandemic world.
