Privacy policy

Effective September 27, 2026

Trade Forge Prep (“we”, “us”) runs tradeforgeprep.com, a study site for the California contractor license exams. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who helps us process it, and the choices you have. If you have a question about it, write to hello@tradeforgeprep.com.

What we collect

We collect only what the site needs to work and to improve.

  • Your email address, when you create an account or buy. Your email is your account: we send sign-in links to it instead of using passwords.
  • Your study activity: the practice questions you answer and how you answered them, the study guide chapters you mark as read, the job scenarios you work through, and your timed practice exam results.
  • Details you choose to give us: your exam dates, whether you passed, and a short story about your exam if you choose to share one. We quote a story only if you tell us we may.
  • Purchase records: what you bought, the price, the date, and the customer and checkout references our payment processor, Stripe, gives us. Stripe collects your card details directly. We never see or store your card number.
  • A device identifier: a random ID stored in a cookie and in your browser’s storage, so the site can keep your progress before you create an account and link it to your account after.
  • How you found us: the page you first landed on and, if the link you followed carried one, a short tag saying where it came from (for example, a particular post or partner).
  • Technical information our hosting provider records when any website is visited, such as IP address, browser type, and the pages requested. It is used for security and to keep the site running.

We do not collect Social Security numbers, license numbers, government IDs, or payment card numbers, and we do not ask for sensitive personal information such as health, financial account, or precise location data.

How we use it

  • To run the site: sign you in, save your progress, and show you what your account includes.
  • To process your purchase and give you the access you paid for.
  • To send the emails you ask for. Sign-in links and purchase receipts are part of using the site. An email asking how your exam went, and any product news, are sent only if you opt in. Each one has a link to stop them, and you can also turn them off where you set your exam date or reply and ask us to stop.
  • To understand, in aggregate, which parts of the site help people and which channels bring them, so we can improve the content and spend less on what does not work.
  • To keep the site secure, prevent abuse, and meet our legal obligations.

Cookies and browser storage

We use one cookie, which holds your device identifier so the site knows who you are before a page loads. We also keep a few small items in your browser’s storage: the same identifier, your light or dark setting, a marker that you have visited before, and whether you chose to reveal all the numbers on a study guide page. All of these are needed for the site to work the way you set it. We do not use them to track you on other websites.

Advertising and measurement

We do not currently use advertising cookies, pixels, or tags from advertising platforms, and we do not use your information to target ads to you on other sites. We may advertise on platforms such as Reddit, Meta, or Google and measure those ads using the source tag on our own links, which tells us which ad or post a visit came from without sharing anything about you with the platform.

If we ever add an advertising platform’s measurement tool to this site, we will update this policy before we do, describe what it collects, and give you a way to opt out, including honoring the Global Privacy Control signal your browser may send.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. We share it only:

  • With the service providers that run parts of the site for us, under contracts that limit their use of it to that job: Stripe (payments), Resend (sending email), Vercel (hosting), and Neon (our database).
  • When the law requires it, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or others.
  • If Trade Forge Prep is sold or merged, with the new owner, who would have to honor this policy for the information we already hold.

Trade Forge Prep is not affiliated with the Contractors State License Board, and we do not send your information to CSLB.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and study history for as long as your account exists, so your progress is there when you come back. We keep purchase records for as long as tax and accounting rules require. When you ask us to delete your account, we delete your personal information except what we must keep for those legal reasons.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to:

  • tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy of it;
  • correct information that is wrong;
  • delete your account and your personal information;
  • stop sending you optional emails.

To make a request, email hello@tradeforgeprep.com from the address on your account. We confirm the request came from you by replying to that address, and we respond within 45 days. We will not treat you differently for making a request.

California residents

The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, gives you the rights above: to know what we collect and why, to delete, to correct, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell or share personal information as that law defines those terms, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information. The categories we collect are listed under What we collect, their sources are you and your use of the site, and the purposes are listed under How we use it. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” signal. Because we do not track you across other websites, the site works the same whether or not your browser sends it.

Children

The site is for adults preparing for a contractor license exam. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us information, email hello@tradeforgeprep.com and we will delete it.

Security and where your data is stored

We protect your information with encrypted connections, access limited to the people who need it, and providers who maintain their own security programs. No system is perfectly secure, and we will tell you if a breach affects your information as the law requires. Your information is stored and processed in the United States.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will post the new version here with a new effective date. If a change materially affects how we use information we already hold, we will tell you by email or on the site before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions or requests: hello@tradeforgeprep.com. Our terms of service are at tradeforgeprep.com/terms.