Privacy Policy

Step2Study is operated by Network Sphere, located in San Jose, California, USA. If you have questions about this policy, contact us at support@step2study.com or (888) 679-9099.

Account data you provide: name, email address, and a securely hashed password.

Learning activity: questions answered, scores, XP, badges, streaks, and course progress so we can save your progress and power your dashboard.

Device and browser data: IP address (truncated unless you consent to analytics), full user-agent string, device type, operating system, browser name, preferred language, time zone, screen and viewport size, device pixel ratio, platform, approximate hardware capabilities (CPU cores, memory), connection type, touch capability, and dark-mode preference.

Usage data: pages visited, timestamps, referrer URL, landing page, session count, active time on site, time spent on each page, and how far you scroll.

Interaction events: actions such as starting or finishing a practice test or exam simulation, searches on the site, signing up or signing in, and clicks on outbound links or downloads.

Advertising data: which ads were shown to your browser and which you clicked, used to measure ad performance and bill advertisers.

Traffic source: whether you arrived from a search engine, social network, another website, email, a paid ad, or directly, and ad click identifiers (such as gclid, fbclid or msclkid) included in the link you followed.

Location data: approximate country, region, and city, derived from HTTP headers provided by our infrastructure or from your device time zone (not from GPS or fine-grained geolocation).

Marketing attribution: UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign) from links you follow to our site.

We also check for the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal your browser may send.

Essential cookies (always on): keep you signed in (session cookie), remember your cookie choice (s2s_consent), identify your browser for anonymous traffic counting (s2s_vid, 2-year expiry), group page views into a visit (s2s_sid, expires after 30 minutes of inactivity), and remember a Do Not Sell or Share opt-out (s2s_optout, 1-year expiry).

Analytics cookies (opt-in): if you choose "Accept all" or enable analytics, we use Google Analytics to understand traffic patterns.

Advertising cookies (opt-in): if you consent, Google AdSense and our own ad system may set cookies to display ads. Advertising revenue keeps Step2Study free.

You can change your cookie choice at any time using the controls at the bottom of this page.

To operate and improve the Service: sign you in, save your progress, send emails you request (such as email verification and progress milestones), monitor site health, and improve our content.

To display ads: only with your consent, we show personalised ads via Google AdSense and our own ad placements.

To enforce our Terms: detect and prevent misuse, fraud, scraping, and unauthorised access.

We do not sell your name, email address, or password to anyone.

Service providers: hosting, email delivery, and analytics providers that process data on our behalf under contract.

Advertising partners: when you consent, Google and other ad networks may receive cookies and device identifiers to serve relevant ads.

Legal obligations: if required by law, court order, or governmental request.

Advertising and data partners: only if you choose "Accept all" and have not opted out, we may share device identifiers, approximate location, and browsing and interest data (for example, which exam topics you study) with advertising and data partners for targeted advertising and audience measurement. This may count as a "sale" or "sharing" under California law. We never share your password, and we do not include records of visitors who opted out or send a Global Privacy Control signal.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used; to request deletion of your data; to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (as those terms are defined by the CCPA); and to not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.

When advertising cookies are enabled, device identifiers and cookie data may be "shared" with ad partners for cross-context behavioural advertising, which qualifies as a "sale/share" under the CCPA. To opt out, use the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" control at the bottom of this page (also linked in the site footer), or switch to "Essential only" in the cookie banner. We also honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal.

To submit a data request (access, deletion, or correction), email us at support@step2study.com from the address associated with your account.

EEA/UK residents (GDPR): You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and to object to processing. Our legal basis for processing is (a) contract performance (running your account), (b) legitimate interest (site security, basic analytics), and (c) consent (advertising and enhanced analytics). Contact us at support@step2study.com for any GDPR request.

All users: You may delete your account by contacting us. You can clear cookies in your browser at any time.

Step2Study is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we learn we have done so, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact us at support@step2study.com.

We use HTTPS, hashed passwords, security headers (HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, Referrer-Policy), rate limiting on authentication endpoints, and input validation to protect your data. No system is 100% secure, and we encourage you to use a strong, unique password.

Account data is retained while your account is active. Visitor analytics data (IP, device information) is retained for up to 26 months for trend analysis, then deleted or anonymised. You may request earlier deletion by emailing us.

We honour the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. When detected, it is treated as a Do Not Sell or Share opt-out for that browser: advertising cookies are disabled, only basic essential data is recorded, and your records are excluded from anything shared with advertising or data partners.

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated via a notice on the website.