Credit scores — they’re like report cards for grown-ups. It’s a three-digit “grade” you get on a scale that ranges from 300 to 850. Your score indicates your creditworthiness to potential lenders, banks, landlords, insurance companies, and even to some employers, for instance. I’m sure you know that the higher your score the better.

FICO isn’t the only number used to determine your credit risk — the score that counts is the one your lender uses. There is no single credit score number — the compilers of the widely accepted FICO Credit Score allow lenders to customize their system, so different lenders produce different scores.

A credit score is either a blessing or a curse cast down upon you from the digital cloud. A score of 740 qualifies you for the best interest rate on a conventional mortgage. A score under 640 means ugly interest, and a number under 620 makes it very hard to get a mortgage at all.

There are a wide variety of myths floating around about what you should and shouldn’t do to improve your credit reports and credit scores.

Wells Fargo bank announced Wednesday it will be offering free credit scores and credit reports to all of its customers through November 16, 2014 — you can get these scores by obtaining a personal access code from a Wells Fargo branch. The bank also has provided some credit management tips on its website as part of the promotion. Wells Fargo also offered free credit reports and credit scores in 2013 and 2012.