Check for Errors / Memory and Coding Accuracy
Check for Errors / Memory and Coding Accuracy
This section tests clerical precision: comparing strings of numbers or letters, spotting differences in addresses or codes, applying a stated coding rule, and remembering rules or lists long enough to use them. Speed matters, but accuracy dominates-a fast wrong answer earns nothing and may cost more than a skipped item.
Concepts to master: character discrimination (0 versus O, 1 versus I versus l, 5 versus S, 8 versus B, 2 versus Z), transposition (4821 versus 4812), insertion or deletion (an extra digit or space), and rule application (map a code to a category exactly as instructed). For memory items, use chunking-group digits into pairs or threes-and rehearse the rule once before starting.
Traps: near-identical distractors, differences hidden at the end of a long string, rules that change partway through a block, and the temptation to reread the whole item instead of comparing position by position. Watch answers that look right because the first three characters match.
Rule of thumb: compare left to right, one character at a time, and stop at the first mismatch. If a rule is given, restate it silently before each item.
Worked example: Compare 74-2091 with 74-2901. The first three characters match, so a careless reader marks same. Reading position by position, the fourth character differs (2 versus 9)-a transposition-so the strings are different. Answer: different.