Cookie Policy
This page lists every cookie and browser-storage item SummitCert Publications and our study portals actually use — nothing here is theoretical or aspirational. "Necessary" items don't require your consent because the site (or the specific feature you're using, like the portal you already unlocked) can't work without them; everything else is off until you say otherwise, and you can change your mind at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer of any Hub page.
On this site (summitcertpublications.com)
| Name | Party | Purpose | Duration | Category | JS-readable | Contains PII? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __Host-summitcert_session | First-party | Proves this browser already entered a valid access code for a portal you unlocked (or is using a time-limited preview — see "Preview access" in our Terms), so you aren’t asked again on every visit. | Session only by default; up to 180 days only if you tick "Remember my access on this device" when entering a code (a preview session always expires with the preview itself). | Necessary (session) / Functional (if persistent chosen) | No — HttpOnly | No — random token only |
| summitcert_cookie_consent | First-party (browser storage, not a cookie) | Remembers your cookie choice so we don’t ask on every page. | Until you change it | Necessary | Yes (plain local storage) | No — a yes/no + timestamp |
| _ga, _ga_*, _gid (Google Analytics) | Third-party (Google) | Aggregate, anonymized site-usage analytics — which pages get visited, roughly how many people, etc. | Set by Google, typically up to 2 years | Analytics — only set after you choose "Accept all" or enable Analytics in "Customize" | Yes (Google’s own script) | No direct identifiers; Google’s own privacy policy governs its processing |
| Vercel Web Analytics | First-party infrastructure | Anonymous page-view counts for our own infrastructure monitoring. | Not a cookie — a hashed, non-persistent identifier discarded after 24 hours | Necessary-equivalent — no cookie is set, no consent required | N/A | No |
| sc_cart_v1 (local storage) | First-party | Your shopping cart, so items stay in it between pages and visits until you check out. | Until checkout completes or you clear your browser data | Necessary (a feature you asked for) | Yes | No — product IDs and prices only |
| hub_lang (cookie and local storage), sc_theme, sc_theme_special (local storage) | First-party | Your chosen site language and your light/dark theme choice. The language choice is also kept in a small first-party cookie so the site can show you that language when you return. | Until you clear your browser data (the language cookie expires after 12 months) | Functional | Yes | No |
| sc_geo_currency_v1, sc_fx_rates_v1 (local storage) | First-party | Your approximate country and cached exchange rates, used only to show an approximate local-currency price next to the US-dollar price. | Refreshed automatically; cleared with your browser data | Functional | Yes | No — a country code only |
| sc_acquisition_v1 (local storage) | First-party | Which advert or campaign link brought you to the site (e.g. utm_* tags, ad click IDs), so we can tell which of our adverts actually lead to purchases. If you accepted Analytics and complete a purchase, the ad click ID is reported to Google Ads with the order reference and value (no name, email or card details). | Kept in memory for your visit only; stored in the browser only after you accept Analytics, and removed if you withdraw it | Analytics — only stored after you choose "Accept all" or enable Analytics in "Customize" | Yes | No direct identifiers — campaign tags and an ad click ID |
| preview_attempt_{exam} (local storage) | First-party | A one-time token that proves this browser started a portal preview, so the matching follow-up offer can be shown to you and only you. | Removed once the offer is shown | Necessary (a feature you asked for) | Yes | No — random token only |
| sc_council_paid_v1 (local storage) | First-party | Confirms you already paid for a Study-Confidence Council pass on this device, so you are not asked to pay twice. | Until you clear your browser data | Necessary (a feature you asked for) | Yes | Only the name you typed for the Council |
| __Host-sc_credit | First-party | Confirms that this browser has been recognised as belonging to the owner of your email address (by an unlocked portal on this device, or a one-time code), so the SummitCert Credit on your account can be shown and applied at checkout. | Up to 2 hours, or until you sign out of credit | Necessary (a feature you asked for) | No — HttpOnly | No — a signed token only |
| special_cardstats_{link}, special_errorlog_{link} (local storage) | First-party | Your progress and missed-question log on a special mock exam link, kept on your device only. | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | No |
| First-party | Remembers, for up to 12 hours, the partner referral link that brought you to the site, so a purchase you make in that window can be credited to that partner. | Up to 12 hours | Analytics — only set after you choose "Accept all" or enable Analytics in "Customize"; without that choice the referral lives only in the page's memory for your visit | No — HttpOnly | No — a signed referral token only |
On a study portal (e.g. yourexam.summitcertpublications.com)
| Name | Party | Purpose | Duration | Category | JS-readable | Contains PII? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __Host-summitcert_session | First-party | Same session cookie as above — every portal calls the same secure session check, and Sage (the study companion) uses it to confirm your portal is unlocked before it appears or answers. | Session only, or up to 180 days if you opted in | Necessary / Functional | No — HttpOnly | No |
| {exam}_unlocked (local storage) | First-party | Legacy holdover from before our secure-session upgrade. Where sessions are live, this is read once (to show a one-time "please re-enter your code" message) and then deleted — it is never trusted as proof of access on its own. | Deleted automatically the first time it’s seen post-upgrade | Necessary (transitional) | Yes | No |
| {exam}_display_name (local storage) | First-party | The name you optionally typed in, so the portal can greet you by it. If you use Sage, it is also sent with your chat requests so Sage can use it in replies; it is not stored on our servers. | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | Only if you chose to type your real name — entirely optional, stored in your browser, and sent to our servers only with Sage chat requests (not stored there) |
| SAGE study-coach widget (local storage) | First-party | Remembers your recent chats with Sage on this device and a couple of UI preferences (panel position, whether you’ve dismissed a notice). Separately, inside an unlocked portal, short private notes of your Sage chats about that exam are kept on our servers so they can follow you between your devices (see the Privacy Policy); "Forget what Sage remembers" clears both. | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | Only whatever you choose to type into the chat — stored in your browser; each message is sent to our AI model providers to generate a reply (see the Privacy Policy) |
| sc_credit_inv (session storage) | First-party | Keeps the signed link from your review-credit email for this browser tab, so the review form can recognise your invitation. It is removed from the address bar and cleared once you submit. | This browser tab only (session storage) | Necessary (a feature you asked for) | Yes | No — a signed invitation token only |
| First-party | Your study progress and settings in the portal: answers and scores, spaced-repetition schedule, bookmarks, error log, study plan, exam date, watched videos, light/dark theme and sidebar state. A one-time welcome notice flag is kept for the browser session. | Until you clear your browser data (the welcome flag lasts for the browser session) | Functional | Yes | No — study activity only, stored in your browser unless you turn on progress sync | |
| First-party | If you turn on cross-device progress sync, the email address you gave for it, and a flag that you have already seen the sync prompt, so your progress can follow you between your own devices. | Until you turn sync off or clear your browser data | Functional (a feature you asked for) | Yes | Yes — the email address you typed | |
| First-party | When the portal last asked you for a quick rating or review, and whether you have already rated, so it does not ask again too soon; a short-lived tab setting also pre-selects the review form when you tap the pop-up. | Until you clear your browser data (the tab setting lasts for that browser tab) | Functional | Yes | No | |
| First-party | A flag that you have already seen the one-time notice about SummitCert Credit, so it is shown to you only once. | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | No |
A note on legacy links. Most current SummitCert portal domains use our secure access-session cookie described above; a small number of older links may still require you to verify your access code again rather than using that cookie. If that happens, your purchased access itself is completely unaffected — you just re-enter the same code.
Your choices
On this site: use the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of any page to accept all, essential-only, or customize which optional categories are on. Turning Analytics off takes effect immediately and stops any further Analytics cookies/requests going forward.
On a portal: the "Remember my access on this device" checkbox on the access-code screen is your choice for that portal's persistent cookie — leave it unticked for a session-only login, or tick it to stay signed in on that device for up to 180 days. You can change your mind at any time using the small "Cookie & access settings" link shown once you're unlocked, which logs this device out so you can choose again the next time you enter your code. Declining the persistent option never blocks access to anything you've purchased — it only means you may need to re-enter your code the next time you open a new browser session.
Changing any cookie choice never revokes your purchased entitlement, your access code, or removes any of your account data unrelated to cookies.
Last updated October 23, 2026. Questions? Reach us through the support form on any portal.