How I passed my LEED AP exam

I passed my LEED AP exam in the first attempt past weekend. I wanted to share my insights and experience with those who want to take the exam.

Few tips for those preparing for the exam. I will keep updating the info.

1. LEED NC Version 2.2 Reference Guide September 2006; my primary source of reading material. There is however one major change in the EA Credit 1 Optimize Energy Performance. There are 4 paths instead of 3 as per October 2007 edition. I bought the reference guide sometime in September 2007. I managed with the older version. It is better to buy the latest version though. My advice: read EVERY page of this handbook. This 400 page book is the foundation for the credits and their requirements. My guess is that >70% questions on the exam were based on the content of this handbook.

LEED N.C 2.2 reference handbook is the primary source of updated info on the different credits and their requirements, referenced standards. The standards applicable to each credit is an important aspect of LEED rating and hence often questioned in the exam. One must also be mindful of interrelatedness of the various credits. There were a lot of Qs which just outlined a particular scenario and asked what different credits could be applied. Something a LEED consultant should offer as advice to clients on real projects.

2. USGBC Colorado chapter guide to preparing for the US Green Building Council’s Leadership and Energy and Environmental design(LEED) Professional Accreditation Exam. I borrowed this guide from a friend of mine who attended the training class at USGBC Northern California chapter. My comments on this guide:

Read through the initial introduction sections.

LEED process information, how the rating system works. CIRs and how they work: one of the most important areas on the LEED process. I had atleast 3-4 questions on this alone.

Sustainable design synergies and challenges of interconnectedness. This section is probably the most enriching part of the handbook. Examples discussed have solid foundation of technical and execution experience.

Sample Exam: very challenging set of questions. These questions represent the toughest that you might get on the exam. Qs are lenghty to read, dense and challenging to answer. A must read!. Infact, I would say read it twice. On an average, questions on my exam were easy compared to this sample paper. Some were of the same intensity.

3. Practice Exam:

Timeline: 2 hr exam. I do not think you need to practice a simulated exam. There is enough time to solve 80 questions. Time is not an isssue. I finished in about an hour and half and could revise.

Questions: Practice or read as many questions as possible. I managed to get these: USGBC Colorado chapter sample exam, handbook’s sample exam(12 q’s), a few more online when I googled.

Will write more next time, keep posted.

PS: USGBC has spun off another entity to manage the LEED AP accreditation program. The link to the website is: http://www.gbci.org/

So I finally got my LEED AP certificate. It is pretty decent with signature of Rick Fedrizzi, founding chairman of the USGBC and the current President & CEO of USGBC.