Every league has a person who's in charge to settle any disputes. When it comes to discrepancies in your credit score, you also need to know who to turn to so you can correct any errors.

Winning strategy: Once you get your credit reports, review them for accuracy, says Sweet. If you find any errors, in the majority of cases, disputing them online via the credit reporting bureau's website is the way to go, she says.

When filing a dispute, do your part to speed up the process. "Be very specific -- don't just say, 'It's wrong,'" says Sweet. It can then take up to 30 or 45 days to see a resolution to a dispute, but "most of the time it doesn't take that long."

What's even more convenient is that any corrections will automatically get updated on all three credit bureaus if you go through one of the credit reporting companies.