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 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, 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. | 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 |
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. | 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. | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | Only if you chose to type your real name — entirely optional, stored only in your browser, never sent to our servers |
| SAGE study-coach widget (local storage) | First-party | Remembers your recent chat with the in-portal study assistant and a couple of UI preferences (panel position, whether you’ve dismissed a notice). | Until you clear your browser data | Functional | Yes | Only whatever you choose to type into the chat — stored in your browser; a message is sent to our AI provider only to generate a reply, and is not stored on our servers |
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 August 28, 2026. Questions? Reach us through the support form on any portal.