Answer: -They average out the top two. No one is any more "true" than another and no one is seen as "better" by lenders. It is just a way for them to get a better overall picture of someone's credit. -It depends. Different companies check your credit using one or all of the 3 companies. I would make sure all 3 have your correct information. -The lenders look at your FICO score. Also the FICO uses a different range than the three reoprting agencies. I have provided an excellent link for you. Also, I wouldn't get all three credit reports at the same time. You are entitled to one free report per year from each. So order them individually every few months and you can keep up with what is being reported so you will get no nasty suprizes when trying to get a loan. -They all share information so you have to be knowledgeable of all of them. They are separate companies but seem to work together. The type of bureau that an individual lending company looks at should be on the application you fill out. If it is not, you can request that information (recommended) from the Representative you're in contact with! They have to disclose this information to you if requested! -It varies from lender to lender, but most look at all three and go with the middle score. Some will go with the lowest score and others will average the score. I've heard of a few looking at the highest score, but this rarely happens.You should get all three credit scores from www.myfico.com and I'd suggest getting the Suze Orman FICO kit for a few dollars more. Look at the information on your credit reports, too, and see if there are any errors and dispute them (unless it's a card that's listed as open that's actually closed... it's helping your score).