How To Become LEED Certified (Accredited)
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How To Become LEED Certified (Accredited)
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Whenever I am asked, "How Do I Become LEED Certified?" I answer simply, "You can't."
But why?
The reason is that LEED Certification is often confused with LEED accreditation. The difference is that buildings are LEED Certified and people are LEED Accredited.
RELATED: The Best LEED Exam Prep Materials
The purpose of this article is to discuss the process of how you can become LEED Accredited. If you are interested in learning more about how to get a new or existing building LEED Certified, check out the USGBC website.
Now that we have established the proper nomenclature we can look at the steps involved.
How To Become LEED Accredited
UPDATED: January 11, 2022
USGBC vs. GBCI vs. Prometric
There are three separate organizations involved in the LEED process:
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): deals with outlining and establishing the LEED standards.
GBCI: (Green Business Certification Inc): runs the LEED Accreditation programs for people and LEED Certification for buildings.
Prometric: the organization that administers the exams at their testing centers or remotely.
LEED Green Associate vs. LEED AP
There are two levels of LEED accreditation: LEED Green Associate and LEED AP.
LEED Green Associate
Entry-level certification that requires passing one test.
LEED Green Associates have a documented, up-to-date understanding of the most current green building principles and practices, and are committed to their professional future.
LEED AP
Advanced qualification for sustainability professionals.
The most common AP specialty is the LEED AP Building Design + Construction (LEED AP BD+C) which is primarily suited for architecture and design professionals working on residential, retail, and commercial projects. As an architect, this is the qualification I currently hold.
However, what you choose to specialize in will depend on your current and future career goals. There are four additional specialties available:
LEED AP Operations + Maintenance (LEED AP O+M) - for those who want to reduce impacts on the environment by improving existing building performance.
LEED AP Interior Design + Construction (LEED AP ID+C) - for those working on commercial and residential interiors.
LEED AP Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND) - for those planning sustainable communities.
LEED AP Homes - for those working to create more sustainable residences.
If you are new to all of this, check out this video summary on LEED for a quick overview:
Here are the six simple steps detailed in the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook on How To Become LEED Accredited.
1. Register For The Exam
Log in to your Credentials account by using your existing USGBC site user account or create a new account.
Select the LEED Green Associate exam under the credentials section.
You will be redirected to the Prometric site to schedule your exam date and location.
You then will pay the registration fee. Note that there is a fee for each exam attempt.
2. Study For The Exam
The LEED Green Associate exam contains 100 randomly delivered multiple-choice questions and must be completed in 2 hours. Obviously, you do not want to waste your time and money on a useless resource. There are free resources out there but in my experience, you typically get what you pay for.
I recommend the exam bundles below for anyone who is looking for an all-in-one solution. You don't need to search around and piece together study guides, practice tests, audio, and video lessons - it is all provided for you in one convenient package.
If you are looking to pass the LEED Green Associate or LEED AP exams on your first try, these resources are what I recommend.
This LEED study package combines several different tools into one easy-to-use bundle. Both audio and visual study materials are provided to reinforce the concepts and terms you need to study to pass the first time.
The LEED Green Associate Platinum Pack includes LEED practice tests, that have been updated for the latest LEED v4 Green Associate content. Each question includes an explanation about why the answer is correct.
In addition, the online LEED webinars will walk you through the core material covered by the exam. The included study guide is searchable with definitions and examples to expand on the videos and practice tests. Also included are flashcards to quickly review and remember definitions and concepts.
Learn more about the LEED Green Associate Platinum Pack
As with the Green Associate bundle, this LEED AP BD+C Platinum study package uses the same audio and visual techniques to help you pass on the first try. It includes the practice tests, updated for the latest LEED v4 Building Design and Construction content. In addition, the online LEED webinars will walk you through the core material covered by the exam.
The online tools cover all knowledge domains that reflect the BD+C rating system credit categories. These topics follow the exam outline from the candidate handbook and mirror the content of the actual exam.
Learn more about the LEED AP BD+C Platinum Pack
Note, they also offer resources for all of the specialty AP exams.
3. Go To The Test Center or Schedule a Remote Exam
In-Person Test Center Procedures
They recommend that you arrive at the test center at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled exam appointment.
If you arrive at the test site after the scheduled exam time you will lose your seat.
You will be escorted to a workstation by test center staff.
You must remain in your seat during the exam except when authorized to leave by test center staff.
If you need to take a break, testing time will NOT be suspended.
You must provide a valid, unexpired ID with a signature and expiration date.
Schedule a Remotely Proctored Exam
Prometric recently started offering remotely proctored exams in which you use your own computer, camera, and microphone to take the test. This allows you to take the test from anywhere via a remote Prometric proctor.
The remote check-in process includes providing ID confirmation, 360-degree environmental check, and a person check, along with a tutorial and sample test. They offer a 30-minute “test drive” of this process which you can learn more about here: GBCI TEST DRIVE.
TIP: You will want to make sure you have a reliable internet connection to reduce the risk of the connection dropping at any point in the exam. They recommend using a hard-wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi.
You can learn more about his testing option here: Online Exam FAQs.
Whether you decide to take the exams at a testing center or remotely will depend on your specific situation. If you are simply not near an available center or feel more comfortable in your own space, then remote is the obvious choice. However, if you don’t want to deal with potential IT problems or don’t have access to a quiet space with an internet connection for several hours, going to the testing center would be your best option.
4. Take The Exam
The exam is computer-based with the question and answer options are displayed on the screen.
The computer keeps track of your responses and times the exam.
The system offers the ability to go back and change your answers, skip questions, and flag questions for later review.
The total time for each exam is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes, broken into sections:
An optional ten-minute tutorial.
The two-hour exam and an optional
A ten-minute exit survey.
Note that if you exit the exam session before completion, it cannot be restarted and you will automatically forfeit the fee.
5. Pass The Exam
There is no waiting required, your score will be displayed on the screen at the end of the exam and you will receive a copy of your results via email.
All LEED professional exams are scored between 125 and 200.
A score of 170 or higher is required to pass.
When you pass (which of course you will) your credentials account will be updated within a few days and, your badge will be updated on usgbc.org.
Congrats and time to celebrate your new qualification!
6. Designate Your Credential
Once you have passed the LEED Green Associate exam, you are permitted to use the LEED Green Associate title and logo. The same goes for when you pass the LEED AP specialty exam(s).
You can download a copy of your certificate through your usgbc.org account at any time.
I hope this summary on how to become LEED certified (accredited) has been helpful.
If I left something out that you have found particularly useful please let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading, see also my posts on:
The Best LEED Exam Prep Materials
Good luck!
Brandon Hubbard, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
