*note, this is a professional exam, not academic, plz do not move to study hall*

anyone else taken this since 2.2?

i'm taking the NC exam on Monday, tips / advice?

i heard there's a large focus on the process (25% or so of exam) and a lot of details about intent, requirements, submittals, etc.

just curious.

9/16/2007 1:25:03 AM

I'm studying for it at the moment. I've heard 2.0 was super easy and it gets tougher with each version. The practice exams don't look extremely difficult.

Let me know how it goes. I'll probably take it before the end of the year.

9/17/2007 11:08:22 AM

i passed w/ a 175 (rating goes from 125 to 200, 170 req. to pass)

pretty difficult, more-so than any of the 2.1 mock exams.

you pretty much have to know everything, they pull numbers from nearly all the credits, from requirements to intent to submittals to strategies

there's also quite a bit of stuff from the CIR process, the registration and certification process and roles.

if you study it all to great detail you'll pass but that should be obvious.

i'd say i should've studied more than i did, but then again i passed and that's all that matters with this exam... i mean on any given project you'll be referencing the book/online no matter what anyways....

9/17/2007 3:07:21 PM

i was told today that i will need to become a LEED AP. we're only aiming for 2.0 right now i think. any tips? i have no clue what i'm getting into.

9/18/2007 4:23:51 PM

PM me for a link to my notes if you are taking LEED-NC 2.2 exam

assuming you are going with LEED-NC everything has to be v2.2, they phase all the older versions out.

are you doing LEED-CI or LEED-EB? both of those are still at v2.0

i think what stantheman was talking about was the old 2.0 exam versus 2.1 and 2.2, the exams have gotten more difficult over the years

[Edited on September 18, 2007 at 6:48 PM. Reason : .]

9/18/2007 6:43:30 PM

^Yeah, I was talking about the different editions of the NC exam (New Construction, not North Carolina). NC v2.2 is what I'm studying for.

I'll send you a PM. I'd like to take a look at those.

9/18/2007 6:50:04 PM

yeah i'm studying for this now too.

i was ready to take it a year ago but couldn't drive to an examination station.

11/10/2008 10:08:50 AM

11/10/2008 10:12:12 AM

good job

I was about to take this while at the A/E firm I worked at, but instead they laid me off

Wouldn't benefit me in the new job, so it's on the back burner for me right now

11/10/2008 10:28:25 AM

thanks for the bump. I was just informed that they want me to take this in the near future (before the NC 2.2 test is retired which sounds like its going to be very soon...wish I had more notice hah).

Mainly I wanted to see what you all did to study (especially the process section). I found some very useful posts on the ARE forums including a few people who have posted PDF files of what they studied including flash cards etc.

I have also heard that Colorado's USGBC chapter has a $50 study guide that is easily worth the money, in fact some people recommended it instead of the $150 reference guide. People have also told me http://www.greenexamprep.com is the best exam site to use as well.

This is just what I have gathered from reading some other forums this morning. Any confirm/deny on this? Any additional information (like how long you studied etc.) would be very much appreciated!

I have heard a few different stories on when 2.2 ends and when 2009 begins (for New Construction). Some have said testing for 2.2 is going to end Dec 31 2008, others have said it wont be until February or March 2008. I emailed the people responsible for the exam today, hopefully I will get a correct response (since it is not listed on their website).

[Edited on November 10, 2008 at 10:35 AM. Reason : ]

11/10/2008 10:33:18 AM

I have heard they are eventually going to require people to "renew" their accreditation since it changes so much from version to version.

when I was actually studying, I had a copy of the reference guide, and basically went through and made flash cards of everything.

As it's been said, I knew they will ask specific credits, and how they link up with other credits. In some of the practice exams I had, there were some obscure questions about the general LEED process (such as info about their website, or where you go to find a file to download, etc) but I have no idea if that was actually on the test. Prospero might be able to answer that one.

11/10/2008 10:48:28 AM

I went to a LEED seminar recently and what I was told is that the tests for v2.2 will end at the end of the year and there would be a black out period for new APs while the new test is being formulated. So if you don't want to wait several months then go ahead and get it in before the end of December.

If you are already an AP then there is no new testing or renewing of your certification for the new guidelines. They will, however, start requiring continuation education each year.

I took and passed v2.2 about a year ago and in order to prepare us for the test my company brought in a group from UF who gave us a two day seminar going over LEED and the requirements for the test. They went over all of the credits and gave us test taking strategies. One very helpful bit was that they also provided practice tests as well. The ARE forum that was mentioned was also very helpful. There is a spreadsheet that someone formulated on there that is excellent.

As far a how long to prepare all depends on you. I took a week to study and passed. A coworker took it in two days and passed. I think the average time for the people in our office was about a week to two to study. To me the test was pretty heavy on the memorization. I especially loved the questions that asked to pick the correct three out of five possible answers. To me the test was a big pain in the ass but very doable. Good luck.

11/10/2008 6:44:00 PM

thanks Having not done anything with LEED before I am wary of just studying for a couple weeks and paying to take the test mainly because my company will only reimburse us for a passed test so I am trying to decide what I want to do. If I am going to take it right before Christmas then I need to get into gear ASAP and start studying.

The other thing is that if I dont pass it when I would have to take it in like 4-5 weeks (if the end of 2008 is indeed the cutoff for v2.2) I would have to restudy the new data for the next test which contains a lot of changes. I havent seen any official word on it being over at the end of the year, though I have heard several people say that. I have also heard February though

[Edited on November 10, 2008 at 7:46 PM. Reason : ]

11/10/2008 7:29:41 PM

sorry to double post but time is past. This is a response I found on the ARE forums about when the current exams will end. Someone emailed them within the past month and got a response (I also emailed them but have not heard back). The original sender was foreign so his email has some weird phrasing but here it is nonetheless:

Quote :

"Please let me know what will be the implication of LEED 2009 on someone passing the LEED AP exam with NC Ver2.2. Will he still be considered as LEED AP or there is some upgradation process that he needs to go through. Can he participate in projects registered with LEED2009 as LEED AP and help that project earn one ID point. Approximately when the exam mode will change from NC ver2.2 to LEED2009? I am planning to take the exam in Feb2009 and preparing on NC ver2.2. Will it hold good then or there is possibility of LEED2009 coming in around then. Last of all should one wait for the new version to kick off or take the exam right away? Looking forward to a reply. Thanks Dipankar"

Reply from GBCI

Quote :

"Dear Dipankar, This a question we have been receiving a lot of lately, but unfortunately the decision about whether to take the current version of the LEED AP Exam is up to the individual candidate. You should ask yourself the following questions: What is my study timeline? How much time will I need to fully prepare for the test, including attending a workshop and gaining practiceexperience? Am I working on a project which will be registered under LEED 2009? Will it be beneficial to my professional development to study LEED 2009 or to study one of the current LEED Rating Systems? To help you with these questions I can offer the following information. We are still in the high-level planning stages for the LEED 2009 exam program and do not yet have a solid timeline, but a standard turnaround for an exam would be 3-9 months after LEED 2009 is launched next year. We will provide public announcements and press releases as the program takes shape, and you will have plenty of advanced notice about when we will stop offering the current LEED AP Exams. Also, you need to consider that if you take the current version of the exam and fail, you might not have the opportunity to take the same version of the exam again before it is retired. I hope this information will help you make a decision. Accreditation currently does not expire. However, as stated on page 19 of the attached candidate handbook, we will announce our plans for accreditation maintenance this year to ensure that the credential continues to distinguish those who maintain current knowledge and skills. I hope you found this information helpful; if not, please don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions. Regards, "

To me that doesnt seem like the test will be stopped for 2.2 NC at the end of 2008 since the reply email is only 2-3 weeks old

[Edited on November 10, 2008 at 8:15 PM. Reason : ]

11/10/2008 8:13:14 PM

Well to clarify, what I heard was not set in stone but it did come from the USGBC North Florida Education Chair. Another thing to keep in mind is that supposedly any project started before the end of the year will be allowed to continue with the v2.2 standards or, if desired, switch to the new guidelines.

From what I hear the new guidelines are pretty interesting. Instead of segregating the different types of projects the USGBC is creating what they call LEED bookshelf. Basically you go in and grab what best fits with your project. The guidlines will also take into account the geographic location of the project. This will help will help with several credits. For instance, down here in Florida we would almost never do a building flush out, because of humidity, and we are hampered a bit by the local resources requirement seeing as most of the 500 mile circle around Florida is ocean. It is also said that the number of innovation credits is increasing but only a limited amount are allowed to be exemplary performances. They are also looking at the best and most common CIRs and ID credits and incorporting them into standard credits. This is done to make sure that the innovation and design credits have real innovations for each new version of the standards.

These are a few of the things that I've heard that are supposed to be coming out but for right now none of them are set in stone.

11/10/2008 11:17:40 PM

^^thanks. I'm studying as well. Have it scheduled for next Tuesday, but need to push it back. It'll cost me $30 to reschedule, but I got to do b/c too much OT at work and not enough time to really study. I don't plan on pushing it back much though, b/c I'll just forget everything I already studied.

11/11/2008 9:13:09 AM

How much have you been studying? Good luck though, and you'll have to tell us how it was

11/11/2008 2:34:03 PM

133D

11/11/2008 3:14:18 PM

i read the Colorado study guide and I'm reading through the v2.2 Reference Guide (Oct. 2007) right now. i could crunch it over the weekend, but i'll likely be in the office working. going to nicaragua for 10 days over T-giving and i have deadlines while i'm out which have to be finished before i leave. thankfully i get paid OT b/c i'll be putting in around 70 hrs this week and likely next.

[Edited on November 11, 2008 at 7:22 PM. Reason : []

11/11/2008 7:22:04 PM

word.

Also, I received a very clear response to my question to when 2.2 NC exam will be retired:

Quote :

"Dear Jamie, GBCI has NOT announced plans to retire the LEED AP Exam for New Construction v2.2 or Commercial Interiors v2.0. When we do, we will give advanced notice to all stakeholders through our website. It is safe to say that the LEED NC and CI AP Exam tracks will be offered through the first quarter of 2009 at least, and possibly further into the year. There are currently NO deadlines to register for or schedule a LEED NC or CI AP Exam. I hope you found this information helpful; if not, please don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions. "

11/12/2008 6:28:19 PM

that's good to know. i rescheduled mine to jan 26. figured monday is the best day of the week to take it... so it's all fresh after a weekend of cramming.

11/13/2008 12:04:30 AM

Quote :

"In order to maintain alignment with the new LEED 2009 Rating System, the last date that candidates will be able to register for the current LEED for Commercial Interiors 2.0 and LEED for New Construction 2.2 LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) credentialing exams will be March 31, 2009 (11:59 PM, Eastern Time). New registrations will not be accepted by GBCI after March 31, 2009. Scheduling and testing deadlines for the LEED NC 2.2 and LEED CI 2.0 LEED AP credentialing exams have not been determined. "

So right now you can take it all the way into at least april technically as long as you schedule it by May. I imagine they will set a cap sometime and say no matter when you schedule it has to be taken by april 31st or something like that but at the moment as long as your REGISTER by march 31st you can take the old exam. They also have a huge FAQ on how the new system will work and how ALL LEED accredited people will have to start getting continuing ed hours and pay maintenance fees.

There are some advantages for those who are already LEED APs under the old system, but even current LEED APs only get a 2 year break and then they too have to start maintaining the license.

1/7/2009 10:55:05 AM

bump for those interested

[Edited on January 8, 2009 at 6:50 PM. Reason : ]

1/8/2009 6:21:15 PM

I'm about to start studying for the New Construction exam. I studied last summer and got about 2/3 ready, but then I got burnt out on the interiors and mechanical systems because my main experience is in site design.

If anyone is interested in starting a study group, let me know.

1/9/2009 10:52:08 AM

burned out? study groups?

dude unless you're shooting for a perfect score, this thing isn't that hard

1/9/2009 11:16:30 AM

Maybe I was taking it too seriously.

1/9/2009 1:08:04 PM

i want to take this exam

what sort of base knowledge do you have to have going into it? or is it one of those things that you can pick up just through studying the exam prep materials?

[Edited on January 9, 2009 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2009 1:51:04 PM

What kind of ppl take this? Civil engineers? Electrical engineers? construction folks? architects?

I'm a EE and am looking into "green" technology. but i guess this is more for building services and not the specific technologies? or what? i could google, but i'll TWW instead.

1/9/2009 2:33:25 PM

^ similar question here: i did "environmental technology" in undergrad, but we never really touched on this (my focus was toxicology and phyto/bioremediation)...i'd be interested in being LEED certified if it didn't require an extensive engineering/architectural background

1/9/2009 3:14:19 PM

LEED is for the building (construction) and planning industries, specifically contractors, engineers, architects, and developers.

that's the only thing USGBC/LEED does... is certifies buildings. 40% of the energy being used today is coming from buildings, the goal is to help reduce the energy/environmental impact that's coming from buildings.

there are other "green" agencies out there that certify other things.... like "green label" for carpet, etc.

i still have my exam notes in PDF if anybody wants them. (v2.2)

Quote :

"i want to take this exam what sort of base knowledge do you have to have going into it? or is it one of those things that you can pick up just through studying the exam prep materials?"

well it's going to be a lot easier if you're familiar with building terminology, but it IS just a book. if you're good at memorizing, you'll be able to pass the test. NONE of the material i learned in school, some at work, but 60-70% of it was new to me.

[Edited on January 9, 2009 at 4:22 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2009 4:12:26 PM

^ pm sent

1/10/2009 9:55:37 AM

what all did most of you look at to study? Ive mainly been studying the credit intent and requirements +prereqs and the names of the standards and I plan to go over some of the procedural stuff. Then my plan was to take some of the recommended practice exams online and look up all my wrong answers to see what i misinterpreted/got wrong.

i got the 400 page book from work but I dont think I am going to have time to go through that beast

1/12/2009 12:11:02 AM

i didn't read that book, it was way too much

learn about the process - i didn't have any questions that were "what is the intent of..."

spent too much time memorizing things i didn't need. they never say just the credit like "SS Credit 2" instead they say "Sustainable Site Credit 2: Development Density & Community Connectivity" so even if you can't remember was SS 2 is, you'll remember the requirements and stuff for it.

i had a lot of questions on strategies to acheive points

1/12/2009 7:55:51 AM

good to hear.

1/12/2009 8:19:40 AM

http://www.areforum.org/forums/

click on LEED Topics. I've found a ton of info in there. a lot of it is repetitive, so you have to have patience, but for the most part everyone seems to know what they're talking about. most will be talking about LEED for new construction.

1/12/2009 10:12:42 PM

^you'll find my notes there too

2nd thread
http://www.areforum.org/forums/view_forum.php?id=12&show=popular&sort_by=views_desc

[Edited on January 15, 2009 at 11:20 AM. Reason : ,]

1/15/2009 11:19:07 AM

cool, thanks. Ill check them out. I have a lot of other stuff queued up to study for this thing haha. But I will definitely try and make time to look at it.

1/15/2009 12:03:09 PM

for stuff like the low VOC adhesives and paints and coatings and sealants etc. do you have to memorize all of the thresholds? if so thats a little ridiculous and pointless for the exam considering there are 50+ types plus thresholds to memorize.

seems like understanding the intent and requirements of the credit would be more important for the test but you never know on this kind of stuff...

1/16/2009 3:28:16 PM

also, does/did anyone else kind of get mixed up in the material and resources credits?

All of the recycling ones tend to kind of run together. Im guessing there can just be a lot of synergy between the credits for things that are reused for another purpose on site from a previous existing building.

1/18/2009 11:47:25 PM

Quote :

"well it's going to be a lot easier if you're familiar with building terminology, but it IS just a book. if you're good at memorizing, you'll be able to pass the test. NONE of the material i learned in school, some at work, but 60-70% of it was new to me."

I think you grossly overestimate the capability of your average college student. Maybe Mechanical/Civil/Industrial engineers, but EE or "environmental technology"? Not without a whole lot of refresher courses or material.

Quote :

"I'm a EE and am looking into "green" technology. "

If you want to really learn about green technology, processes and materials then LEED isn't the place to go. It's a good start, but LEED certification is a bit of a joke in terms of it's real "green"-ness

1/19/2009 5:39:24 AM

Quote :

"If you want to really learn about green technology, processes and materials then LEED isn't the place to go. It's a good start, but LEED certification is a bit of a joke in terms of it's real "green"-ness"

I agree and disagree at the same time. certification is a joke and is nothing more than memorizing stuff and some of the credits a building can earn points for are pretty weak, BUT there are definitely some great credits as well. Unfortunately the best ones are hardest to get and most people working on a LEED project don't pursue them if they don't have to :/

1/19/2009 8:09:00 AM

Quote :

"for stuff like the low VOC adhesives and paints and coatings and sealants etc. do you have to memorize all of the thresholds? if so thats a little ridiculous and pointless for the exam considering there are 50+ types plus thresholds to memorize. "

nope. you may have one question in which the thresholds are referenced but they won't directly impact your ability to answer. learn which one is (i think) smaqmd, which one is green seal vs green label.

Quote :

"seems like understanding the intent and requirements of the credit would be more important for the test but you never know on this kind of stuff..."

pretty much. you need to know the performance level for some of the points (like % energy improvement, % water reduction, etc) but you don't need to know the VOC crap like X parts per million, etc.

Quote :

"also, does/did anyone else kind of get mixed up in the material and resources credits? All of the recycling ones tend to kind of run together. Im guessing there can just be a lot of synergy between the credits for things that are reused for another purpose on site from a previous existing building."

yes, i did at least. and they'll try to trick you on the synergies between the credits too.

1/19/2009 11:08:35 AM

awesome thanks, sounds like im on the right track so far

1/19/2009 6:33:43 PM

Taking the test next monday Mar 2. Signed up for the greenexamprep practice exams and have taken 3 over the past week.

A 70% last weekend (100% after retest)
B 69% last weekend (96% after retest)
C 80% today (retest pending)

After each test I have gone over and read the explanation from the questions that I got wrong.

I feel like these scores are probably pretty decent leading into the exam considering I have done em all closed book. If you used green exam prep, what kind of scores were you guys getting going into the exam?

Also, my worst section out of the 4 types of sections is consistently coordinate project and team. For example, my last test score I was:

100% section 1
77% section 2
50% section 3(coordinate)
76% section 4

as you can see its pretty out of proportion. Im going to go back to the reference guide for..well reference in those sections, but anyone have any tips on improving that one section that I seem to epic fail in?

Thanks!

2/21/2009 7:59:10 PM

Hrmmmm.. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself.

I'm trying to find a job and i'm seeing building services, often with green keywords, everywhere in the Electrical Engineering sections.. No doubt this will be big business for awhile. I don't have a particular affinity with building services, but my family is all into it up north (they own a big electrical contracting business) so maybe its in my blood. An hey, i'm even building a deck right now!

But, my focus in school was control and my last and only real job of five hears was in the semiconductor biz so i don't know a whole lot about this industry. Where would one begin? Just look for an entry level job? Study for some kind of exam? Maybe the Leed? I'm unemployed now so i have lots of time for studying and learning new software skills, etc if need be.

2/22/2009 3:42:15 PM

Quote :

"spent too much time memorizing things i didn't need. they never say just the credit like "SS Credit 2" instead they say "Sustainable Site Credit 2: Development Density & Community Connectivity" so even if you can't remember was SS 2 is, you'll remember the requirements and stuff for it."

so they always have the credit name listed with the abbreviation, even in scenario questions such as which credits does this project meet the requirements for?

ie SS2: development density and community connectivity, SS5.1 site development: protect or restore habitat as opposed to just listing SS2, SS5.1

i was planning on studying the credit names and abbreviations by writing them all out because i have seen just the abbreviations listed on several practice exams i found online

any advice?

2/22/2009 4:48:49 PM

i think it helps either way but yes almost all the time on the practice tests I am taking that are supposed to be most equivalent to the real test, they supply more than just the number. I was studying the way you are too at the beginning. But I think it was worth it because there still are a few I have run across that don't supply you with it, or when they do sometimes its not as specific as you might be thinking

ie

A project team will build a cafeteria with a 50,000 sq. ft. footprint on an Air Force base. What amount of the site area must remain vegetated to qualify for SS Credit 5.2 Site Development?

where SS Credit 5.2 Site Development - maximize open space is the full name for 5.2.

Obviously this is practice tests I am basing this on at the moment. I will say though that I think you will start to know them all anyways. i stopped focusing on the full title with the credit number after the 2nd category of credits (when people told me I didnt have to memorize the full titles) and now just after studying for awhile I know all the titles to go with the credit numbers by default simply by having studied for awhile.

2/22/2009 6:12:48 PM

As part of the construction industry, is Leed applicable to anyone other than design engineers, artichokes, I mean, architects, or Construction Managers/Project Expediters?

I work for a utility contractor and we do water, sewer, storm drain, steam, and chilled water installations on a wide variety of types of projects; institutional, medical, private, public, etc. How would the certification apply to what I do?

2/22/2009 9:07:53 PM

Quote :

"artichokes, I mean, architects"

LoL I know exactly what you mean

2/22/2009 10:34:14 PM

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2/22/2009 10:58:22 PM