going by your post and fudge's, the theory would be the less you
bother or the more muddled it is, the scores get better? 
After 5 1/2 years, all I can say is this:
There are no absolutes. Results are all relative.
You can screw up a paper and still do well if everyone else
screws up even more.
You can do a paper well and still fare poorly if everyone else
performs better.
