No kidding. People make mistakes while entering their answers into the grid, and it can cost them big-time. This slipup occurs most frequently after you skip a question. If you left question 43 blank and then unthinkingly put the answer to question 44 into row 43, you could be starting a long, painful chain of wrong answers. Don’t do this.

Some test prep books advise that you fill in your answer sheet five questions at a time rather than one at a time. Some suggest that you fill out each oval as you answer the question. We think you should fill out the answer sheet whatever way feels most natural to you; just make sure you’re careful while doing it. In our opinion, the best way to ensure that you’re being careful is to talk silently to yourself. As you go from the test booklet to the answer sheet ovals, say to yourself: “Number 23, B. Number 24, E, number 25, A.”