Totally a possibility. I know lots of people who are skilled problem solvers, but sometimes do poorly on exams because they simply aren't motivated enough. That

Totally a possibility. I know lots of people who are skilled problem solvers, but sometimes do poorly on exams because they simply aren't motivated enough. That was definitely the case for me entering college. I had work experience that proved I could do complicated computer science work, but I didn't have great exam grades, so I had a hard time getting into the department. That's not to say I couldn't have done well on the tests, I just didn't care enough to study hard for them because I had more interesting things taking up my time. Now, that's not to say there aren't problems with that philosophy too - but it's certainly one reason.