“Don’t these “free” credit reports appear as a credit check which can cause your score to drop?”

It shouldn’t. Only credit checks which are for the purpose of extending credit are (or should) be marked as a “hard inquiry” on your report.

For example, if you go to rent an apartment, the apartment management company will generally pull your credit, however, this check should not show up on your report (and if it does, you can dispute it and get it deleted), as it was for a purpose other than extending credit to the person. Same goes for pre-employment credit screenings.