Most people pass the LEED AP ID+C v5 exam after about 2 weeks of study with archiroots. The first week of LEED AP ID+C training takes about 30 minutes a day, then a second week with one of the 7 LEED AP ID+C practice exams a day and 30 minutes of LEED AP ID+C flashcards.
Split your time evenly across Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality, which have 17 scored questions each, and practice the materials calculations, where students make the most mistakes. If you already hold the LEED AP BD+C, about one week is enough. You are ready to book when you have passed all 7 practice exams with 80% or more. The 15 other questions on the exam are pretest questions and don’t count toward your score.
This LEED AP ID+C study guide is for interior designers, who make up most ID+C candidates, and for architects and consultants preparing for the Interior Design and Construction specialty (also written ID&C) on LEED v5.
| Detail | LEED AP ID+C exam |
|---|---|
| Version | LEED v5 (ID+C: Commercial Interiors) |
| Questions | 100 multiple choice, 85 of them scored |
| Time | 2 hours, about 72 seconds per question |
| Passing score | 170 on a scale of 125 to 200 |
| Before you can sit it | An active LEED Green Associate credential |
| Official reference | LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, July 2026 edition |
Start with the free LEED AP ID+C practice exam: 100 questions on LEED v5 with an explanation for every answer. Your score shows how far you are from ready.
How long does it take to study for the LEED AP ID+C?
Two weeks is enough for most people, and any pace from 1 week to 3 months works as long as you finish the training and all 7 practice exams. The ID+C takes about the same effort as the BD+C: the same question style and depth, with different credits.
| Week | What you do | Time per day |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Go through the training material | About 30 minutes |
| Week 2 | One full practice exam a day, then review the flashcards | About 2.5 hours |
The second week is the heavier one, because a full practice exam takes 2 hours. Squeezing two practice exams into one day sounds faster, but at 4 hours a day little of it sticks.
Where to spend your study time
Three categories carry 17 scored questions each: Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality. Together they are 51 of the 85 scored questions, so give them equal time.
| Category | Scored questions | Share of the score | Points on a project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and Atmosphere | 17 | 20% | 31 |
| Materials and Resources | 17 | 20% | 26 |
| Indoor Environmental Quality | 17 | 20% | 18 |
| Water Efficiency | 10 | 12% | 10 |
| Integrative Process, Planning and Assessments | 9 | 11% | 1 |
| Location and Transportation | 8 | 9% | 14 |
| LEED Process and Project Priorities | 7 | 8% | 10 (Project Priorities) |
There is no Sustainable Sites category on the ID+C exam, because a tenant fit-out does not control the site. Integrative Process is worth 1 point on a project but gets 9 exam questions, mostly on the three required assessments: climate resilience, human impact and carbon. And Water Efficiency gets 10 questions, one more than on the BD+C exam.
Why materials calculations trip people up
Materials and Resources is where students make the most mistakes. Most people who take the ID+C are interior designers, so the products and finishes feel familiar, but the exam asks you to calculate: what share of the interior is reused, how it is priced, which option a material counts under and where the points stop.
Here is a question in the style of the exam. An office fit-out keeps its existing flooring, walls, ceilings and furniture in place. Priced as if new, the reused elements are worth $180,000 and the new ones $420,000. The team also brings in salvaged carpet from another site for half of the carpeted area. How many points does it earn under Interior Materials Reuse?
The answer is 4 points. The on-site reuse is $180,000 of $600,000, or 30%, which earns 3 points. The salvaged carpet counts under the separate material reuse option: carpet is a targeted material, and 50% of one targeted material earns 2 points. That makes 5, but the credit stops at 4. There are two traps. One is pricing the reused elements at their used value instead of as new. The other is counting the off-site carpet in the on-site percentage.
| Credit | What to know |
|---|---|
| Interior Materials Reuse, on-site interiors and furniture | Share of the total cost, reused items priced as new: 10% earns 1 point, 20% earns 2, 30% earns 3, 40% earns 4 |
| Interior Materials Reuse, furniture only | 20% of furniture cost earns 1 point, 40% earns 2 |
| Interior Materials Reuse, off-site salvaged materials | Targeted materials are carpet, ceilings and furniture. 50% of one targeted material earns 2 points, 75% earns 3. The whole credit stops at 4 points |
| Building Product Selection and Procurement | Up to 10 points, the largest Materials and Resources credit |
| Enhanced Water Efficiency, fixtures and fittings | 25% below the calculated baseline earns 1 point, then 1 more point for every extra 5%, up to 6 points at 50% |
| Enhanced Energy Efficiency | Up to 12 points, the largest single credit in ID+C |
The LEED AP ID+C flashcards cover the full set of thresholds for daily review.
Already a LEED AP BD+C?
Then you already know most of the ID+C, and about one week of study is enough. The categories and concepts are the same. Spend that week on what changes for a tenant space: credits like Interior Materials Reuse, point values that differ (Compact and Connected Development is worth up to 8 points in ID+C and up to 6 in BD+C), and thresholds that differ. The water fixture path, for example, starts at a 25% reduction for 1 point in ID+C, while the BD+C indoor fixture path starts at 30%. You can drop Sustainable Sites. Then finish with the practice exams, the same as anyone else.
Should you take the ID+C or the BD+C?
Take the ID+C if your career is in interiors: fit-outs, tenant improvements, workplace and hospitality design. Take the BD+C if you work on whole buildings. The full comparison is on the LEED AP ID+C page.
When are you ready to book the exam?
Take your first full practice exam after the training. Around 60% or more means you are on track, so carry on with one exam a day. Below that, go back to the lessons and flashcards first. You are ready when you have passed all 7 full practice exams with 80% or more.
LEED AP ID+C study materials
| Material | Free or paid | What it is good for |
|---|---|---|
| Free LEED AP ID+C practice exam | Free | A first check: 100 questions on LEED v5 with explanations |
| Free LEED AP ID+C flashcards | Free | 50 LEED v5 cards to try before the full deck |
| Candidate Handbook | Free | The exam rules and the questions per category |
| Free LEED AP ID+C ebook | Free | The exam facts and the 2 week plan in one PDF |
| LEED v5 ID+C credit library | Free | Checking a credit’s requirements and thresholds |
| LEED v5 Reference Guide for ID+C | Paid | Looking up a credit in depth, optional for the exam |
| LEED AP ID+C practice exams | Paid | 7 full v5 exams with explanations |
| LEED AP ID+C flashcards | Paid | The numbers and thresholds for daily review |
| LEED AP ID+C exam prep | Paid | The training, the practice exams and the flashcards, following the plan above |
| LEED group training for companies | Paid | Training a team: per user pricing, one invoice or purchase order |
Get the free LEED AP ID+C ebook
The free Archiroots LEED AP ID+C ebook is a short PDF with the exam facts, the 2 week plan and links to the free resources.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pass the LEED AP ID+C exam?
Finish the training, then take full practice exams until you pass all 7 with 80% or more, reviewing your mistakes with flashcards between them. Give equal time to Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality, which carry 51 of the 85 scored questions, and practice the materials calculations.
Which LEED AP ID+C topics have the most questions?
Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality, with 17 scored questions each. Water Efficiency follows with 10.
Is there Sustainable Sites on the LEED AP ID+C exam?
No. The ID+C v5 exam has no Sustainable Sites category. Its seven categories are LEED Process and Project Priorities, Integrative Process, Location and Transportation, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality.
Is there a free LEED AP ID+C study guide PDF?
Yes. Archiroots offers a free LEED AP ID+C ebook in PDF with the exam facts and the 2 week plan, and the USGBC candidate handbook is free. Avoid free PDFs of v4 study guides, since the exam is now on LEED v5.
How many people hold the LEED AP ID+C?
The USGBC people directory lists 2,134 LEED AP ID+C holders, against 25,446 for the LEED AP BD+C.
