Hard vs Soft Inquiry: How 1 Check Hits

Not all credit checks are equal. When a lender checks your credit, it can hurt your score. When you check it yourself, it never does. Knowing this difference can save your CIBIL score from unnecessary damage.

Here's what happened: A hard inquiry happens when a lender — bank, NBFC, or credit card issuer — pulls your credit report after you apply for a loan or card.. Multiple hard inquiries within a short period signal financial stress to bureaus like CIBIL, Experian, and CRIF, and can lower your score by up to 100 points.. A soft inquiry — like checking your own score on GoCredit, CIBIL's site, or a pre-approved offer check — has zero impact on your credit score, ever..

What you should do: Avoid applying to multiple banks or NBFCs for the same loan simultaneously — each application triggers a separate hard inquiry that dents your score.. Check your own CIBIL or Experian report at least once every 3 months using free tools — this is a soft inquiry and completely safe to do.. Before applying for a new credit card or loan, use eligibility calculators on platforms like GoCredit to get pre-screened offers without triggering a hard pull..

If you're rate-shopping for a home or car loan, try to complete all applications within a 14-day window — most bureau models count this as a single inquiry, not multiple hits.