The first stumbling block came ten seconds into the HSK, right on the first question. As Bill read it, his pencil gravitated to the first answer before he paused with lingering doubt. Could it really be so simple, or was this a trap? And the more he reflected on the other options and their potential uses, the more doubt seeped into his mind. Hours later, when the invigilator finally announced the end of the exam, Bill was still holding his pencil over that first blank, his mind reeling with the madness of it all.

HSK Tip #411: if you have problems with a particular question, skip it and come back once you've finished the others. In a crunch, your first impulse is more likely to be correct.