How does Credit Sesame rate?

CC40 · ‎08-01-2012

How does this score compare to the FICO? Does anyone know? I read that it is not the same, but that if your rating is good then the real FICO would be comparable but not the same number. If you rated poor then your FICO would fall in the same category. True or False?

namvet · ‎08-01-2012

Credit Sesame score is similar to my EX fico score. I don't have any experience with below 700 scores so YMMV.

CC40 · ‎08-01-2012

I am wondering if the real EX FICO score is usually higher or lower than the Credit Sesame score.

MarineVietVet · ‎08-01-2012

@CC40 wrote:
How does this score compare to the FICO? Does anyone know? I read that it is not the same, but that if your rating is good then the real FICO would be comparable but not the same number. If you rated poor then your FICO would fall in the same category. True or False?

IMO that's false because you can never predict what a FAKO score will do compared to a FICO in reaction to the same event. Your FAKO could go up while FICO goes down and vice versa.

You can never reliably compare the two. My advice is always the same: Ignore all FAKO's all the time.

CC40 · ‎08-01-2012

Okay. Fair enough. I have never even pulled any other scores for that very reason (information from these forums) . . . until today. But what about the category placement? Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor? Is that information reliable at all?

MarineVietVet · ‎08-01-2012

@CC40 wrote:
Okay. Fair enough. I have never even pulled any other scores for that very reason (information from these forums) . . . until today. But what about the category placement? Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor? Is that information reliable at all?

If you can't rely on the scores from FAKO sites then the ratings are also worthless.

Again that's just one man's opinion.

jsucool76 · ‎08-02-2012

Definitely wouldn't use these scores to try to determine where you fall on the scale, it's a great tool for looking at how things report though, it'll tell you about new inquiries and new accounts (if they've reported) once it updates, same with CK. I don't rely on their scores at all but I definitely use it to follow my reports.

GregB · ‎08-02-2012

Mine tends to move mostly like my EX Plus Score. That makes it very different than EX FICO as they frequently move in opposite directions for the same changes.

Trying to use either of those scores to determine any real score actually used by any lender will be impossible. You could rely on them being similar in very general terms.