Which of the following is an example of a soft inquiry?

• A. Checking your own credit report for accuracy
• B. A lender pulling your credit to pre-approve for a loan
• C. An employer requesting a credit check for employment
• D. A mortgage lender pulling credit at underwriting

Answer: (A)

Soft inquiries are checks of your credit that you initiate yourself or that are done for purposes other than evaluating whether to extend you credit. Checking your own credit report for accuracy is a classic soft inquiry because you’re not applying for new credit and no lender is deciding to lend you money based on that pull.

The other scenarios involve a lender or employer reviewing your credit to make a decision about credit, employment, or loan terms. Those are hard inquiries, which can affect your score and are used in the lending or decision-making process. So checking your own report is the example that fits a soft inquiry.