1. LEED Exam Eligibility Requirements
There are no prerequisites, no experience, or requirements to apply for the LEED Green Associate exam. Nevertheless, it is advised that you gain exposure to LEED and green building principles through your studies, volunteer activity, employment, or training courses.
Whereas the LEED AP, the second tier has a requirement. Only one, which is the LEED Green Associate title. You need to pass the LEED Green Associate exam to earn the Accreditation.
When valid and active, meaning it is not expired, then and only then you are able to apply for any LEED AP exam.
2. Format of the LEED Exam
Question format
The exam consists of 100 multiple questions. No fill in the blanks, no essays or anything other than an A, B, C, D, E format. As previously noted before, the LEED GA is a prerequisite for the LEED AP and both exam formats are the same, 100 multiple questions.
Most questions, you only need to choose one answer. But some, you need to choose two or three and the question always states the number of correct answers.
Passing Score
To pass the exam, you need to achieve 170/200. You might think that each question weighs two points, since the exam is made up of 100 questions and is out of 200. But this is not the case, the test taker achieves 125 points for showing up. Some questions weigh more than others especially choosing two or three vs questions with just one answer.
Lastly, some questions are pilot questions. Meaning they do not contribute to the overall score, testing users to answer more difficult or general questions. Which might be in future exams and become counted.
LEED Exam Outline
Depends on which accreditation one is targeting. Both the LEED Green Associate and the LEED AP revolve around LEED categories, but the amount of points for each can differ.
| Categories | LEED GA | LEED AP BD+C |
| LEED Process | 16 Questions | 8 Questions |
| Integrative Strategies | 8 Questions | 9 Questions |
| Location and Transportation | 7 Questions | 9 Questions |
| Sustainable Sites | 7 Questions | 9 Questions |
| Water Efficiency | 9 Questions | 9 Questions |
| Energy and Atmosphere | 10 Questions | 14 Questions |
| Materials and Resources | 9 Questions | 12 Questions |
| Indoor Environmental Quality | 8 Questions | 11 Questions |
| Project Surroundings and Public Outreach | 11 Questions | 4 Questions |
That mainly is due to the fact that the LEED GA exam is about the basic principles of LEED and Green buildings. So more weight will be on the LEED Process and Public Outreach. Whereas the LEED AP has calculations and goes more into detail of achieving the credits inside the categories, so you will have more questions on the categories in the exam.
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3. Registeration, Schedule and LEED Exam Fee
Register at USGBC
First things first you need to go to USGBC then select credentials. It will take you to a login page, where you must create an account and then choose the exam you are targeting. After creating your account, you will be redirected to a payment page.
LEED Exam Cost
The LEED Green Associate exam is 250$ for non-USGBC members and 200$ for USGBC members. If you are a university student, meaning you are enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD or similar program. The LEED GA exam price will be reduced to 100$. Whereas the LEED AP exam is 350$ and students get a 100$ discount which brings the price down to 250$.
Schedule at Prometric
After registration, you should receive a receipt and a unique USGBC ID that allows you to schedule the exam with a validity of 1 year. So you have a whole year to choose a day and time to take the exam.
Now that you have your USGBC ID, you head on Prometric. Insert your unique USGBC ID, filter your location and select the available test centers in your area. After doing so, you will be able to select the day and time available to do the official exam.
4. How to Pass the LEED Exam Preparation
Study Guides
One option can be study guides, that range between 100$ – 200$. They can be confusing, boring, and over 800 pages long. Study guides are the traditional way of preparing for official exams but have proven to be inefficient and do not guarantee a pass for the non-refundable exam.
Local Training Centers
Training centers are a good option but can be pretty expensive. They are usually engaging, the instructor is with the students to streamline the preparation process but are no less than 400$ and can go up to 800$. Not to mention the limitation of having to show up on a specific time and day, ranging up to 3 months of training. This is usually problematic for anyone busy with long unstable working hours.
Online On-Demand Courses
Especially after COVID, online courses have proven to achieve results, flexibility and the most economic. I know this can be scary to invest in because online courses lack engagement and a physically responsive being to respond to. This is solved since LEED does not need engagement but on-demand instructor support.
The advantage is clear, it is the least expensive, money-back guarantee, and allows the user to prepare at their own pace.
Get started with our LEED Green Associate complete exam prep course that has helped more than 2000+ Architects and Engineers pass the exam. It is a fraction of the price of training centers, comes with a money-back guarantee to pass the exam, and gets you prepared in 2 weeks . Prepare at your own pace and achieve the title on the first try.
