What information on the periodic table is used to complete electron dot diagrams? The number before the A at the top of a column shows how many dots to draw in the diagram. The number before the B at the top of a column shows how many dots to draw in the diagram. The number at the left of each row shows the number of valence electrons that are in atoms of elements in that row. The number at the left of each row shows how many dots to draw above the symbol for elements in that row.