In FICO’s commonly published general-population description of its score factors, which category has an approximately 35% weighting?
Correct Answer
A) Payment history, at 35% the largest single factor in the score
A. Payment history is the approximately 35% category. The published breakdown assigns payment history 35%, amounts owed 30%, length of history 15%, new credit 10% and credit mix 10%. These describe general category importance, not a personalized formula for predicting how many points an individual score will gain or lose. Scope and exceptions: FICO explains that importance varies by credit profile and changes with the full report. These percentages are not universal to every scoring model. Source: What’s in my FICO Scores?; The importance of credit categories varies by person — https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/whats-in-your-credit-score
Why This Is the Correct Answer
A. Payment history is the approximately 35% category. The published breakdown assigns payment history 35%, amounts owed 30%, length of history 15%, new credit 10% and credit mix 10%. These describe general category importance, not a personalized formula for predicting how many points an individual score will gain or lose. Scope and exceptions: FICO explains that importance varies by credit profile and changes with the full report. These percentages are not universal to every scoring model.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: Amounts owed, at 35% the largest single factor in the score
Amounts owed is the 30% category.
Option C: Length of credit history, which carries 35% of the total weight
Length of history is the 15% category.
Option D: New credit and mix together, which carry 35% between them
New credit and mix total 20% in this breakdown.
Exam Tip
Learn the general factors without promising individual point gains.
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