Scores for the LEED Exam range from 125-200. A passing score is 170. Harder questions carry more weight, and each exam is weighted differently. Therefore, one person may pass with 80/100 correct while another may fail. As the test is multiple choice and multiple answer, it is important to note that there is no partial credit. Be sure you answer each question, paying close attention to how many answer choices you select.
Most importantly, the score you receive on the LEED Exam does NOT matter. The only part that matters is whether or not you PASS. There is no higher reverence toward those with higher passing scores, nor is there an additional distinguishing credential for someone who passed with a 200.
Your main focus should be gaining as many points as possible and subsequently passing!
So, what was your score on the LEED Exam? Leave it in a comment!
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: leed certification application, leed certification fees, leed certification process, leed credit template, leed documentation
10. LEED Referenced Standards associated with each credit
9. Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) process
8. Who on project team is primarily responsible for documenting each credit
7. LEED Terms and Acronyms
6. Format of the LEED Exam/Testing Strategies
5. LEED Implementation Timeline for the project
4. How to choose the appropriate rating system
3. LEED Certification Process
1) Register with USGBC
2) Prepare documentation
3) Request any CIRs
4) Assemble documentation
5) Submit to USGBC
6) Respond to audits
7) Final approval
2. Application & Fees Associated with LEED Certification -Most LEED registered projects are able to use LEED-Online to document their application for LEED certification. This online workspace allows an administrator to build a project team, assign credits to appropriate individuals, and submit to USGBC for review. LEED registration is a flat fee paid up front at the time of registration. The rates are as follows: Members: $450.00, Non-Members: $600.00.
1. Familiarize yourself with the online LEED Credit Template format – Follow the link to download a zip file of a sample credit template. These templates are the flattened, public versions of the dynamic credit templates within LEED-Online, which are available to registered project team members. Please note that LEED-Online is the location for the most recent versions of these templates. You will find that the interface of the credit template is very intuitive and helpful. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1447
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: leed exam, mark, prometric testing center, review, testing strategies
10. LEED Referenced Standards associated with each credit
9. Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) process
8. Who on project team is primarily responsible for documenting each credit
7. LEED Terms and Acronyms
6. Format of the LEED Exam/Testing Strategies
For some, taking the computerized LEED Exam can be an exasperating and overwhelming experience. It is best to know and understand the test format before entering the Prometric Testing Center.
An important feature of the LEED Exam is the ability to mark and review. “Marking” a question indicates that you are unsure of your answer or needing to return the question for further review. Marks do not affect your score. They serve as reminders for you to answer every question, even if you are unsure. Once you are done answering all the test questions, you may hit the Review button and see all the questions that you have marked.
Most people mark between 20-30 questions, but you may mark as many questions as you would like. If you’re in doubt, you should mark the question. When you’re done with the exam, you should spend time reviewing the marked questions in depth, and then move on to reviewing the exam questions in their entirety.
Some additional exam testing strategies include:
- Answering all questions straight through
- Eliminating incorrect answers (as well as finding the correct ones)
- Keep notes
- Guess — don’t leave anything blank (wrong answers do not count against you)
Register today for your LEED Exam prep course with Everblue and learn more about the exam format.
5. LEED Implementation Timeline for the project
4. How to choose the appropriate rating system
3. LEED Certification Process
2. Application & Fees Associated with LEED Certification
1. Familiarize yourself with the online LEED Credit Template format
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: leed acronyms, leed affiliates, leed agencies, leed organizations, leed partners, leed supporters, leed terminology, leed terms
10. LEED Referenced Standards associated with each credit
9. Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) process
8. Who on project team is primarily responsible for documenting each credit
7. LEED Terms and Acronyms – To be a LEED Green Associate or LEED Accredited Professional, you must know LEED terminology. Many people get confused by the various LEED terms. Here is a listing of some of the organizations and acronyms.
Organizations and Agencies:
- AIA American Institute of Architects
- ANSI American National Standards Institute
- ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers, Inc.
- ASTM American Society for Testing Materials
- CEC California Energy Commission
- CFR Code Federal Regulation
- CRS Center for Resource Solutions
- DOE U.S. Department of Energy
- EIA Energy Information Administration
- EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- FEMA U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
- FSC Forest Stewardship Council
- GBCI Green Building Certification Institute
- IMEX Industrial Material Exchange
- ISO International Organization for Standardization
- USDA United States Department of Agriculture
- USGBC United States Green Building Council
Abbreviated General Terminology:
- ACH Air Change per Hour
- AFV Alternative-Fueled Vehicle: i.e., hybrid-electric, electric, natural-gas, bio-diesel, and fuel-cell
- AHU Air Handling Unit
- BIPV Building Integrated Photovoltaics: i.e., integrated roof, spandrels, glazing, or shading devices
- BMP Best Management Practice
- BOD Basis of Design
- CBECS Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
- CDVR Corrected Design Ventilation Rate: design ventilation rate divided by the air-change effectiveness
- DEC Design Energy Cost
- ECB Energy Cost Budget: a method of demonstrating compliance with ASHRAE 90.1
- EER Energy Efficiency Rating
- FTE Full Time Equivalent
- GPF Gallons per Flush
- GPM Gallons per Minute
- IAQ Indoor Air Quality with respect to human occupancy of a building
- IEQ Indoor Environmental Quality: encompasses IAQ, thermal comfort, daylighting, views, etc.
- LAV Lavatory
- LCC Life-Cycle Cost
- LPD Lighting Power Density
- MEP Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing
- MERV Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value: a measure of the effectiveness of air filtration media
- MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet: provides essential information on composition, hazards, & precautions
- ODP Ozone Depleting Potential: rating of a gaseous substance’s ability to destroy stratospheric ozone
- OPR Owner Project Requirements
- OSA Outside Air
- PM Particulate Matter
- RA Return Air
- Rc Refrigerant Charge
- REC Renewable Energy Certificate
- RH Relative Humidity
- SA Supply Air
- SRI Solar Reflectance Index
- TSS Total Suspended Solids: particles too small or light to be removed from a liquid by gravity settling
- VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds: potentially hazardous substances omitted as a gas from certain solids/liquids.
6. Format of the LEED Exam/Testing Strategies
5. LEED Implementation Timeline for the project
4. How to choose the appropriate rating system
3. LEED Certification Process
2. Application & Fees Associated with LEED Certification
1. Familiarize yourself with the online LEED Credit Template format
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: credit interpretation ruling process, LEED CIR, LEED credits, leed decision makers, leed exam prep, leed project team responsibilities, leed project team roles, LEED referenced standards
10. LEED Referenced Standards associated with each credit – For the LEED Exam, you’ll need to memorize ALL of the referenced standards mentioned in the reference guide. Some LEED credits do not reference any standards while others can reference quite a few. Upon taking the Everblue LEED Green Associate exam prep course, you will receive seven 11×7″ study worksheets with all pertinent information related to LEED credits. Using Everblue’s study sheets will easily allow you to visually remember every credit reference and standard.
9. Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) process - Effective June 26, 2009, CIRs submitted by any registered project will no longer be vetted by USGBC or its LEED Technical Advisory Groups. CIR rulings will now be applicable only to the project that submitted them. Teams from unrelated projects will not be able to review these rulings. Therefore, a LEED AP candidate must know how to effectively use the CIR process to guide his or her project. Consult the USGBC’s list of guidelines for submitting a CIR.
8. Who on project team is primarily responsible for documenting each credit – Allow the following graphic to illustrate this point (Click to enlarge):
7. LEED Terms and Acronyms
6. Format of the LEED Exam/Testing Strategies
5. LEED Implementation Timeline for the project
4. How to choose the appropriate rating system
3. LEED Certification Process
2. Application & Fees Associated with LEED Certification
1. Familiarize yourself with the online LEED Credit Template format
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: leed certification, leed exam, leed exam prep
The LEED Rating System encompasses a wide range of information. Simply reading the reference guide or cramming for the exam is not going to help you pass. You need to know where to focus your energy and concentration. Here is a list of important topics that you need to know:
10. LEED Referenced Standards associated with each credit
9. Credit Interpretation Ruling (CIR) process
8. Who on project team is primarily responsible for documenting each credit
7. LEED Terms and Acronyms
6. Format of the LEED Exam/Testing Strategies
5. LEED Implementation Timeline for the project
4. How to choose the appropriate rating system
3. LEED Certification Process
2. Application & Fees Associated with LEED Certification
1. Familiarize yourself with the online LEED Credit Template format
Check back for descriptions, images and listings for each topic in the coming days!
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: everblue training institute, leed exam prep, leed exam prep course, leed green associate exam, leed help, leed study help, leed study tips
A few people have asked me what I did to prepare to pass the LEED Green Associate Exam. Here are a few things that helped me get ready:
1. Participate in an actual LEED project. Anybody who has worked on a LEED project will have a tremendous advantage when taking the LEED GA exam.
2. Read the “brief” version of the LEED Reference Guide (approximately 88 pages). This is a FREE overview of the various credits — credit intent, requirements and potential strategies to achieve points. This is one of the best ways to get your head around the LEED credit requirements.
3. Purchase a copy of the LEED 2009 Reference Guide. While the LEED Green Associate exam contains few technical questions, there are some that pertain to assisting your team obtain points and managing a LEED project. Having an understanding of the credits will then be necessary.
4. Form a study group. You will be less likely to fall behind on your studying if others are counting on you.
5. Write out key LEED information. Writing reinforces information. We are more likely to remember information after having written it down than simply reading or listening to it.
6. Develop a plan of attack. One strategy may be to divide material into 10+/- sections, covering one section a week.
7. Schedule an exam date. Working toward a realistic plan will force you to prepare. By putting off an exam date, you will more than likely put off the exam. Your studying won’t be as concentrated and focused, and you will be more likely to forget the sparse information you did study.
8. Obtain a set of flash cards. Everblue offers 210 flashcards for the LEED Green Associate exam, in both PDF and hard copy format. This kind of repetition will help you memorize, if not learn, the information.
9. Take a practice exam. Your score should be a good indication on areas requiring more attention or if you are prepared to proceed in taking LEED Green Associate Exam. The practice exam will also help you learn the format of the test. It’s better not to waste any time figuring out the format and just focusing on the testable information.
10. Allow yourself time to study. The LEED Exam is not one that you can just cram for the night before. It tests real knowledge and understanding of the LEED process. It is best to study for 2-3 concentrated weeks prior to your scheduled exam.
Enroll now in Everblue Training Institute‘s LEED Green Associate Exam Prep course. Everblue’s exam prep course includes 400 practice questions, 7 memorization worksheets, and a certificate of eligibility to sit for the exam. Everblue students report a historic 90% first-time pass rate on the LEED Exam.
Filed under: leed exam | Tags: leed accreditation, leed ap section, leed ap+ specialty, leed credential, leed exam, leed ga section, leed green associate
The LEED Green Associate standard is a step below LEED AP+. It is for individuals that want to have some recognition of expertise in green building (product manufacturers, marketers, students, etc). The exam for this level of certification is 2 hours in length, with 100 questions. It covers basic green building knowledge and does not require the in-depth knowledge necessary to build a LEED building.
The LEED AP + Specialty exams are an additional 2 hours for each one of the five specialization tracks available. The five LEED AP + Specialty tracks are:
LEED AP Interior Design + Construction (ID+C): Previously Commercial Interiors (CI)
LEED AP Homes: Homes
LEED AP Operations & Maintenance: Previously Existing Buildings (EB)
LEED AP Neighborhood Development (ND)
LEED AP Building Design + Construction: Previously New Construction (NC)
You may take as many LEED AP exams as you would like, but you only have to take one to achieve the LEED AP+ Specialty status.
It is possible to take the LEED Green Associate and the LEED AP+ Specialty separately or together in the same sitting. If you decide to take them together, keep this in mind: You will be without a credential if you pass the LEED GA portion and fail the LEED AP portion. You may sign up again to retake the exam, and since you passed the LEED GA portion the first time around, you’ll only have to take the LEED AP exam portion. It will only be at this point (upon passage of the LEED AP section) that you can consider yourself accredited.
For example, if you take them together and fail the AP BD&C part, you will be not allowed to claim the Green Associate credential.
It is my recommendation to take these exams separately. It will be less overwhelming to take two 2-hour exams on different days than to take one 4-hour exam in one sitting. Once you pass the LEED GA Exam, you will be a LEED Green Associate. You can choose to stop right there and still remain accredited. It will then be up to you to pursue the additional LEED AP accreditation.
For more information about LEED 2009 accreditation standards, visit the Everblue Training Institute web site.
Filed under: LEED Training | Tags: everblue, everblue training institute, gbci, leed ap, leed green associate, prometric testing center
The LEED Green Associate exam and the five LEED AP+ Specialty exams are each comprised of 100 multiple choice, multiple answer questions that must be completed in two hours. The exam is proctored at a Prometric Testing Center and is available to take six days a week, as the candidate schedules to take it.
Exam questions default to the best answer, and scores range from 125-200. Individuals receive a passing score when they have earned 170 points. Wrong answers do not count against the individual. Because it is a computer-based test, there are no scheduled breaks. Digital watches are not permitted, as calculators will be provided. Prometric will also provide scrap paper and pencils for any calculations.
Individuals should arrive 15 minutes early at the Prometric Testing Center and should bring a photo ID with the individual’s signature. Headphones and lockers will be available to individuals taking the exam. To register for the exam, visit www.GBCI.org.
For LEED Exam prep courses, visit Everblue Training Institute.
