The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is the official administrator of the LEED AP exam. Go to www.gbci.org and click on “Professional Credentials” to sign up to take the exam.
The exam is computer-based and is offered at more than 275 Prometric test sites in the U.S. and at more test sites in countries around the world. Each LEED exam is comprised of one-hundred (100) randomly delivered multiple choice questions which must be completed in 2 hours (2:00). While you are permitted up to 2 hours (2:00) to complete each exam, be prepared to commit 2 hours and 10 minutes (2:10) to the entire process.
Total exam time is broken out as follows:
•10 minute tutorial (optional)
•2 hour (2:00) exam
What is the format of the LEED Green Associate Exam?
The following outline provides a general description of exam content areas for the LEED Green Associate exam:
I. Synergistic Opportunities and LEED Application Process
A. Project Requirements (e.g., site; program; budget; schedule)
B. Costs (e.g., hard costs; soft costs; life-cycle)
C. Green Resources (e.g., USGBC; Environmental Building News)
D. Standards that support LEED Credit (e.g., American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers [ASHRAE]; Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association [SMACNA] guidelines; Green Seal)
E. Credit Interactions (e.g., energy and IEQ; waste management)
F. Credit Interpretation Rulings/Requests and precedents that lead to exemplary performance credits
G. Components of LEED Online and Project Registration
H. Components of LEED Score Card
I. Components of Letter Templates (e.g., project calculations; supplementary documentation)
J. Strategies to Achieve Credit
K. Project Boundary; LEED Boundary; Property Boundary
L. Prerequisites and/or Minimum Program Requirements for LEED Certification
M. Preliminary Rating (target certification level)
N. Multiple Certifications for Same Building (e.g., Operations & Maintenance for certifed building new construction; core and shell and commercial interior; certified building in neighborhood development)
O. Occupancy Requirements (e.g.,existing building--building must be fully occupied for 12 continuous months as described in minimum program requirements)
P. USGBC Policies (e.g., trademark usage; logo usage)
Q. Requirements to Earn LEED AP Credit
II. Project Site Factors
A. Community Connectivity
1. Transportation (e.g., public transportation; bike storage; fuel efficient vehicle parking; parking capacity; car pool parking; car share membership [e.g. Zipcar™]; shuttles; carts)
2. Pedestrian Access (e.g; circulation and accessibility such as cross walks; ramps; and trails)
B. Zoning Requirements (e.g., density components such as calculations -site area and floor area ratio; construction limits; open space; building footprint; development footprint; specific landscaping restrictions)
C. Development
1. Heat Islands (e.g., non-roof; roof; Solar Reflectance Index [SRI]; emissivity; albedo; heat island effect;green roofs)
III. Water Management
A. Types and Quality of Water (e.g., potable; graywater; blackwater; stormwater)
B. Water Management (e.g., water use reduction through fixtures such as water closets; urinals; sinks; lavatory faucets; showers; harvesting; baseline water demand; calculations of Full Time Equivalent; irrigation)
IV. Project Systems and Energy Impacts
A. Environmental Concerns (e.g., chlorofluorocarbon [CFC] reduction, no refrigerant option, ozone depletion, fire suppressions without halons or CFC’s, phase-out plan, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons [HCFC])
B. Green Power (e.g., off-site generated, renewable energy certificates, Green-e providers)
V. Acquisition, Installation, and Management of Project Materials
A. Recycled Materials (e.g., pre-consumer, post-consumer, collection requirements, commingled)
B. Locally (regionally) Harvested and Manufactured Materials
C. Construction Waste Management (e.g., written plan; accounted by weight or volume; reduction strategies; polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) removal and Asbestos-containing materials (ACM) management)
VI. Stakeholder Involvement in Innovation
A. Integrated Project Team Criteria (architect, heating-ventilation-air-conditioning [HVAC] engineer, landscape architect, civil engineer, contractor, Facility Manager)
B. Durability Planning and Management (e.g., material lifecycle, building re-use)
C. Innovative and Regional Design (regional green design and construction measures as appropriate and established requirements)
What score must I get to pass the LEED Accredited Professional Exam?
Examination raw scores are converted to a scaled score that ranges from a low of 125 to a high of 200 with a passing score set to 170. The scaled score is reported in the score report that is received at the test site following completion of your exam. If you receive a score of 170 or higher, you earn the corresponding LEED credential. Upon receipt of that notification, you may use “LEED Green Associate” credential if you pass the LEED GA Exam, or the “LEED Accredited Professional” credential if you pass one of the LEED AP with Specialty exams, as a professional designation on business cards and signatures. All other instances should be noted as “LEED® Green Associate” “LEED® Accredited Professional”. Passing a LEED Green Associate or LEED Accredited Professional exam also authorizes you to use the LEED AP logo in accordance with the GBCI Logo Guidelines
Can I get professional learning units from passing the exam?
AIA Learning Units
AIA will award learning units for time spent successfully preparing for the LEED Professional Accreditation Exam. Any candidate who has taken and passed the exam since January 1, 2006 will be eligible to receive 3 HSW Learning Units (LUs). Please email your name, test date and valid 8-digit AIA member number to exam@gbci.org to receive credit. Allow at least 4 weeks for the credit to appear on your AIA transcript.
CaGBC Reciprocity
The U.S. Green Building Council and the Canadian Green Building Council have a policy of reciprocity regarding the LEED AP credential. LEED APs from either country are eligible to achieve ID/IU Credit 2 toward projects registered with the other country’s green building council.
Are there eligibility requirements that I must meet to take the LEED Green Associate exam?
Yes, to take the LEED Green Associate exam you must meet the following requirements as outlined on the Green Building Certification Institute website at www.GBCI.org.
You must have experience as demonstrated by one of the following:
-Involvement on a LEED-registered project
-Employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work
-Engagement in (or completion of) an education program that addresses green building principles (When you take a Planet Principles online course, we have certificates of completion available to help you meet this requirement).
You only have to meet one of these criteria to demonstrate eligibility.
Your experience must be documented in the form of a letter of attestation from a supervisor, client, project manager, or teacher and must describe your involvement on the job or in the classroom.* Your eligibility documentation should meet these requirements:
The letter must be on letterhead or provide other evidence of its authenticity.
The body of the attestation should be limited to 750 words or less.
The letter must be dated.
The letter must be authored and signed by a supervisor, client, project manager, teacher, or someone else qualified to evaluate the applicant’s performance.
The author’s title and relationship to the applicant should be demonstrated, for example the author’s business card.
The letter must summarize and confirm the applicant’s participation in one of the three qualifying experience categories (project involvement, employment, or education).
For eligibility based on project involvement:
The letter must name a specific LEED-registered project.
The letter must affirm that the applicant was involved with the project.
The letter must provide the date(s) of the applicants involvement with the project
For eligibility based on employment:
The letter must explain how the applicant’s profession or company relates to environmentalism or the green building industry.
The letter must affirm the applicant’s employment and provide the applicant’s job title or company.
The letter must provide the applicant’s date(s) of employment
For eligibility based on education:*
The document must provide the course’s title and provider
The document must explain how the course relates to green building principles or LEED
The document must affirm that the candidate was enrolled in the course
The document must provide the applicant’s date(s) of enrollment
*For candidates who have attended or are attending an education program that addresses green building principles, GBCI will accept a certificate of completion or an official transcript in lieu of a letter of attestation. Any other eligibility documentation must be in the form of a letter of attestation.
Are there eligibility requirements that I must meet to take one of the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) exams?
Yes, to take a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) exam you must meet the following requirements as outlined on the Green Building Certification Institute website at www.GBCI.org.
You must have previous experience with a LEED Registered Project within three years of your application submittal date. This work experience must be documented in the form of a letter of attestation from a supervisor, client, or project manager and must describe your involvement on the LEED Project as a consultant, contracted worker, member of the LEED Project Team, LEED Homes Provider, LEED Commercial Reviewer, LEED Homes Green Verifier, or staff member of a Certifying Body (CB).If you are audited, GBCI auditors will review this letter of attestation based on these requirements:
The letter must be on letterhead or provide other evidence of its authenticity.
The body of the attestation should be limited to 1,500 words or less.
The letter must be dated.
The letter must be authored and signed by a supervisor, client, project manager, or someone else qualified to evaluate the applicant’s performance.
The author’s title and relationship to the applicant should be demonstrated, for example the author’s business card.
The letter must summarize and confirm the applicant’s involvement with the LEED Project.
The full name or Project ID for the LEED Project must be provided.
The letter must provide the dates of the applicant’s relevant involvement.
If the applicant is not currently involved with this LEED project, the end date of this involvement cannot be more than three (3) years ago.
(0) items 
