@Anonymous wrote:
I had enitally been using CreditKarma to see my scores but then read that they are not really right.
They're right but they're not FICO's. If you want to know what your score is with a given model then you need to pull that specific score. Keep in mind that FICO has many models used by creditors -- not just the more commonly used FICO 8 model. You cannot use a score generated by one model to determine a score generated by another model. Different models use different algorithms that weight the report data differently and can even have different scoring scales. In addition to the model the CRA used as a data source matters as well.
Instead of simply seeing scores as right/wrong/real/fake/accurate/inaccurate, consider the relevance of any given score. Which creditor uses that score?
@Anonymous wrote:
So I signed up for Experian to see my fico score but it came up as unavailable. This is probably due to the fact that I have not had a credit card since 2013.
See:
http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/questions/requirement-for-fico-score.aspx
It's not just your credit card accounts that matter. Have you had any credit accounts open for at least the past 6 months?
@Anonymous wrote:
I guess my question is will my score be dramatically different from Credit Karma once I am able to see it?
No telling. Again, you can't rely on a score generated by one model to determine a score generated by a different model. Two different models can be coincidentally close or even the same in some situations but remember that coincidental and causal are two entirely different things. Different models are likely to produce different results and they do not simply have fixed offsets. The amount of variance itself can vary. Even the trending can vary. If you want to know what your FICO 8 is for a given CRA then you need to pull it. If you want to know what another FICO is then you need to pull it.
