How to Ace the LEED Exam?

A decision to pursue the sustainability path is a great step. So now what? How much work is this going to be? Do I need to start preparing now to be equipped to do certain things, or have specific skills? 

Whether you are a last-minute reader or a first-hand reader, this blog is aimed at giving you some tips and pointers to set you up for success in LEED exam.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification system and guide developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for both promoting and recognizing high-performance buildings and sustainable neighborhoods.

I’ve been a LEED AP professional for several years, and here are my tried-and-true tips for preparing for the exam. The process of preparation can vary from person to person, but the touchpoints can help.

I have two purposes in mind for this post: first, to describe my study process for anyone else who is interested, and second, to reflect on the LEED exam. There’s one thing that everyone should get straight on: the exam goes beyond the basics. A deep understanding of the resources is essential.

LEED Green Associate is the introductory-level credential under the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program and is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council after passing the credentialing exam. This credential demonstrates a general understanding of all the LEED rating systems and corresponding green design strategies. This is a great way to stand out in the building industry and to distinguish yourself as a sustainability-minded professional.

LEED AP is an advanced professional credential signifying expertise in green building and a LEED rating system. When earning your LEED AP credential, you will need to choose a specialty which indicates your specialization within that rating system.

The current LEED AP specialties are:

• LEED AP BD+C
• LEED AP ID+C
• LEED AP O+M
• LEED AP ND
• LEED AP HOMES

Both these exams consist of 100 multiple-choice questions, each of which you have 2 hours to complete.

How to Prepare for the LEED GA & LEED AP BD+C Exams Effectively?

Studying for your exam can be a daunting task; however, it doesn’t have to be. You can have access to study guides available at our website for LEED GA and LEED AP BD+C. While reading the materials, familiarize yourself with the facts and knowledge.

1. Create pointers that make it easy to memorize when reread.
2. Highlight keywords that are associated with an option for a particular requirement. This helped me to see what I had missed.
3. Create flashcards to break down any complex topics.

As you read through the study guide, you will notice that each topic or category has prerequisites and credits. To avoid confusion of which credit has the description associated with it, mnemonics can be helpful. Mnemonic is a learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. This can be at your flexibility to make it simple and clear. This is not mandatory, it is an option to make your preparation easier.

For example, in LEED AP BD+C:

• Mnemonics (personalized): Not So High Stephen!
• LEED for Neighborhood Development Location
• Sensitive Land Protection
• High Priority Site
• Surrounding Density…. And so on for the other credits!

Again, this is your choice. It has helped me to remember the prerequisites and credits for the associated category. You can create yours using your own technique!

LEED Green Associate lacks calculations and technicality,y but LEED AP has calculations, scores, and synergies. Every credit has associated calculations or formulas that must be memorized. In my experience, you will learn the calculations as you read through the requirements. Nevertheless, you can make a separate note on the formulae to go through it later!

Going Beyond the text!

Read the Candidate Handbook very carefully.

Explore all the know-how of registration, including which rating systems different project types are eligible for—as well as certification and appeals, including Credit interpretation requests (CIRs), Templates, Scorecards, Pilot Credit and fees.

• Memorize the MPRs – Minimum Program Requirements
• Know prerequisites and credits for both LEED GA and LEED AP
• Know standards and calculations
• Go through the glossaries and definitions attached in the study material.

Synergies – LEED AP Only

This area is unavoidable, especially for LEED AP prep! Each prerequisite or credit has an associated credit or vice versa. A deeper understanding of the topic does help to recollect different synergies between the credits. Or you can use mnemonics taking the category name and associating it with credits.

Practice Tests

Here is the game changer to test your knowledge. Take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. Quizzing yourself regularly and getting in practice with answering LEED questions is a vital step to being prepared for the exam. Practice tests are available based on topics and can be done several times till you are confident.

Day of the Exam

When the test-day finally comes, it’s important to make sure that you are well-rested and fueled for the exam. You are not permitted to bring study materials into the testing area, but you will be given a pen and scratch paper for notes. I recommend preparing a brain dump on your scratch paper during the first few minutes of the exam.

So, all the best for your LEED exam! With the right amount of will, effort and guidance, you will be able to pass with flying colors and move with purpose on the path of sustainability!

Cost of LEED Exam:

The cost of the LEED Green Associate exam is $250 ($200 for USGBC members).

The cost of the LEED AP exam is $350 ($250 for USGBC members) or $550 ($400 for USGBC members) for the combined LEED Green Associate and LEED AP exam.

You are required to score 170 out of 200 points to pass the LEED Exam and will receive the results at the test center immediately following the test.

How to REGISTER for the LEED Exam?

Registration for the exam is done online, through USGBC’s website. If you don’t have an account, you can create one at www.usgbc.org/credentials. The exam is administered globally by the outside testing agency, Prometric.