 TITLE: Why Is My Credit Score Different When Lenders Check My Credit? CONTENT: How to Improve Your Score Before Applying for Credit\n----------------------------------------------------\nA tried-and-true way to establish excellent credit is to pay all your bills on time, across each of your credit accounts. This isn't a fast way to improve a credit score, but done consistently, it will strengthen your scores no matter the model or version you look at. Paying off debt balances, if possible, will also lower your credit utilization, similarly improving your score.\nIf you're applying for credit very soon, avoid other hard inquiries in the weeks leading up to the application, as these could cause a temporary drop in your score. Also avoid closing old credit accounts—as long as they're not expensive or unwieldy to maintain—so your scores benefit from the account's credit limit and long credit history. Lenders will be glad to see that you've been able to responsibly manage an account over an extended period of time. END