Leed Ap Homes Handbook
Leed Ap Homes Handbook
Leed Ap Homes Handbook
CANDIDATE HANDBOOK
LEED AP® HOMES
Updated July 2018
LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
THE EXAM.............................................................................................................. 5
Exam Development
Exam Format
Exam Language
Exam Maintenance
CONTACT INFORMATION................................................................................. 18
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
Registration
1. Log in to your Credentials account using your existing USGBC® site user account or creating a
new account if you do not have one.
2. Verify that the name you enter in matches the name on the ID you will present at the test
center. If it does not match, please update your name in your site user account “settings.” This
may be of special concern to candidates who use more than one name (e.g., individuals who
use a nickname or those who use different names in different regions). Please update your
name with GBCI® at least 5 days prior to your exam. Contact GBCI if you experience issues
updating your name.*
3. Select the LEED® AP HOMES exam under the credentials section and follow the instructions on
the screen to complete the application.
4. You will be redirected to prometric.com/gbci to schedule your exam date and location.
5. When the exam appointment is scheduled, you will receive a confirmation number onscreen
and from Prometric through an email.
6. Record your confirmation number. You will need this confirmation number to confirm, cancel or
reschedule your appointment through the Prometric website, prometric.com/gbci.
7. Once you have scheduled an exam, please print your confirmation notice from Prometric.
Keep your confirmation notice for any communication with Prometric about your exam.
Once you register and pay for your exam, you have one year to schedule your exam session. Upon
taking your exam, if your attempt was unsuccessful you may register again in the same way as initial
registration. After three unsuccessful attempts, however, you must wait 90 days before submitting a
new registration to GBCI. Candidates must pay the registration fee for each exam attempt.
*If your native language utilizes non-Roman characters, be sure to enter your name in Roman
characters when you register for the exam. Make sure to bring identification, such as a passport that
includes your name in Roman characters, to the test center.
Eligibility Requirements
For the LEED AP with specialty exam, prior LEED project experience is strongly recommended.
Candidates must be 18 years of age or older and must hold a current LEED® Green Associate™ credential.
Practitioner experience is critical to earning the LEED AP HOMES credential and, as such, project
proficiency will be tested objectively within the exam
All candidates must also agree to the Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Policy and credentialing
maintenance requirements, and, if audited, must be willing to provide requested information.
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Audits
GBCI reserves the right to conduct an audit at any time (including prior to application submission
and after credential has been granted) of all current and past exam applications. Any information
contained in your Credentials account may be audited and a request for further documentation
of any information or claims submitted by the LEED professional may be made at any time. GBCI
further reserves the right to take disciplinary or legal action—including but not limited to revocation
of credential(s)—in the event that any conduct discovered during such an audit violates the LEED
professional Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Policy, GBCI policy and/or law.
Testing Accommodations
If you have a documented disability that would prevent you from taking a LEED professional
exam under normal testing conditions, you may request accommodations. GBCI complies with the
provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the ADA, entities that administer
standardized examinations must offer the examinations in a place and manner that is accessible to
candidates with disabilities. This may require reasonable modifications to the manner in which the
exam is administered. Prometric, GBCI’s exam delivery company, will provide candidates reasonable
auxiliary aids and services, except where it may fundamentally alter the validity of the exam results.
Available accommodations include, but are not limited to, a reader, a scribe and extended testing
time.
If you require testing accommodations, you must indicate this during your registration process by
checking the box that says “Yes, I need testing accommodations.” To request accommodations, you
and your health care provider will each need to complete one form, the Candidate Form and the
Provider Form, to document the disability and the need for accommodation. There is no additional
charge for testing accommodations. Each request will be evaluated individually.
GBCI will review this documentation and, if approved, will alert Prometric of the necessary
accommodations. If proper documentation is submitted, please allow up to two weeks to receive a
reply from GBCI. Once you have requested testing accommodations, you will not be able to schedule
an appointment with Prometric until your request is approved. You will be contacted by email
regarding the approval status of your testing accommodations request.
Exam Fees
See the exam page on the USGBC website for pricing. Your paid exam fee is good for only one exam
attempt.
For USGBC members to receive member pricing for your exam, please link your member status to
your USGBC account prior to registration.
GI Bill Benefits
The LEED professional exams have been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for
reimbursement. The VA, in accordance with the GI Bill, has agreed to reimburse veterans, active
service members, eligible dependents, spouses and reservists for the cost, up to $2,000, of any of the
LEED professional exams administered by GBCI since December 3, 2009. Learn more.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
THE EXAM
Exam Development
A LEED AP with specialty credential holder possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to support
the LEED certification process. The development of a valid exam begins with a clear and concise
definition of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in order to successfully perform the job of
a LEED AP with specialty. All LEED exams are developed by a global network of Subject Matter
Experts and meet the specifications of a job analysis. The exam specifications are subject to rigorous
validation by these experts, which ensures that the exam is valid, measuring what it is intended
to measure. Once the exams are launched the exam questions are regularly monitored to ensure
continued reliability.
The exams assess candidates’ abilities at three cognitive levels: Recall, Application and Analysis.
• Recall Questions: These questions assess a candidate’s ability to recall factual material that is
presented in a similar context to the exam references.
• Application Questions: These questions provide the candidate with a novel problem or
scenario that the candidate can solve using familiar principles or procedures described in the
exam references.
• Analysis Questions: These questions assess a candidate’s ability to break the problem down
into its components to create a solution. The candidate must not only recognize the different
elements of the problem, but must also evaluate the relationship or interactions of these
elements.
Exam Format
The LEED AP with specialty exam contains 100 randomly delivered multiple choice questions and
must be completed in 2 hours.
Candidates who have a current LEED Green Associate credential can register for the specialty-only
portion of the exam and do not need to sit for the entire combined exam. Please be aware that
the option to take the combined exam in one sitting is not available in all languages and at all test
centers. If you cannot find the option to register for a combined LEED AP exam, please register for
the two core parts separately.
The exam has both scored and unscored questions. All questions are delivered randomly throughout
the exam and candidates are not informed of a question’s status, so candidates should respond to
all the questions on the exam. Unscored questions are used to gather performance data to inform
whether the question should be scored on future exams.
The exam is computer-based. Exam questions and answer options are displayed on screen. The
computer records your responses and times your exam. You are able to change your answers, skip
questions and flag questions for later review.
During the exam, candidates may submit comments on any question(s) they believe to contain
technical errors in content by using the comment button located in the navigation bar. In order to
challenge an exam question, the candidate must have commented on the question and provided
an explanation of their concerns. After the exam, inform GBCI that you have left comments on your
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
exam; in your correspondence, be sure to note the email address used to sign up for the exam, as well
as the date on which you took it. You must notify GBCI within 10 days of your exam date that you
have left comments within your exam.
Be prepared to commit 2 hours 20 minutes for a specialty-only exam and 4 hours 20 minutes for a
combined exam. Total exam time is broken out as follows:
• For a specialty-only exam, an optional 10 minute tutorial, the 2 hour exam and an optional 10
minute exit survey.
• For a combined exam, an optional 10 minute tutorial, the 2 hour LEED Green Associate exam,
the 2 hour specialty exam and an optional 10 minute exit survey. Be aware that if a candidate
exits the exam session before completing the exam, the exam cannot be restarted and the
exam session and fee are forfeited.
Exam Language
The LEED AP HOMES exam is currently only available in English.
Exam Maintenance
Each year, LEED professional exams are updated on July 1. Exams go through a maintenance process
where the questions are evaluated based on performance; poorly performing questions are removed
and replaced with new questions. Additionally, questions are reviewed against LEED addenda
published through January of the same year to ensure that all questions remain current and valid.
Please check the References section of the handbook for the most current list of exam references.
Exams are not offered from June 23 - June 30 of each year in order to accommodate deployment of
updated exams at test centers globally.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
PRE-EXAM CHECKLIST
Exam Security
To ensure the integrity of the LEED professional exams, you will be required to review and accept a
nondisclosure agreement that prohibits any disclosure of exam content:
• The exam, questions and answers are protected by copyright law. The exam may not be copied
or reproduced in part or in whole, by any means whatsoever, including memorization.
• Future discussion or disclosure of the content of the exam, orally or in writing, or by any other
means, is prohibited.
• Theft or attempted theft of exam questions is punishable to the fullest extent of the law.
• Failure to comply with the agreement will prevent you from testing.
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. Raise your hand to notify test center staff if:
• An error message appears on the computer screen (do not clear the message)
• You need the test center staff for any other reason
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
Identification Requirements
Candidates must provide a valid, unexpired ID with a signature, a photograph that looks like the
candidate and an expiration date. Acceptable examples include:
• Current government-issued photo ID with signature
• Current photo ID without signature plus 1 credit card with signature—first and last names must
match on both
Examples of acceptable forms of unexpired photo ID include, but are not limited to:
• Driver’s license
• Passport
• Military ID
*If the ID has a picture but no signature, it must be provided with a form of signature ID (e.g., a credit
card) in the same name.
Unacceptable forms of ID include, but are not limited to, an expired ID, an ID without an expiration
date and a Social Security Card.
GBCI will make a ruling based on the consideration of both the candidate’s report and Prometric’s
report of the incident. To appeal GBCI’s ruling, send an email of your formal appeal to GBCI. At this
stage, the Credentialing Steering Committee will review and make a final ruling on the case.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
Exam Results
All LEED professional exams are scored between 125 and 200. A score of 170 or higher is required to
pass. Your exam score will be displayed on screen at the end of the exam and a score report will be
emailed to you following your exam session. For the LEED AP combined exams, you must earn a 170
or higher on both parts within the same application period to earn the credential.
Within 72 hours of your appointment, your exam results will be processed, your Credentials account
will be updated and, if applicable, your badge will be updated in the usgbc.org People directory.
You should no longer use LEED Green Associate as the LEED AP with specialty credential supersedes
the LEED Green Associate credential.
Please review the LEED professional credentials section of the USGBC Trademark Policy and
Branding Guidelines for additional guidance.
Certificates
Once your exam results have been processed, you can download a copy of your certificate through
your usgbc.org account.
Earning the LEED AP with specialty after the LEED Green Associate
Your LEED Green Associate credential expires and is replaced by the LEED AP with specialty.
GBCI does not modify exam scores under any conditions. In the event of a successful exam content
appeal, you will be given the opportunity to retest; your score will not be changed. The only way to
earn a LEED professional credential is to earn a 170 on the required exam(s).
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
Candidate Confidentiality
GBCI recognizes your rights to control personal information. GBCI policy is designed to safeguard
this information from unauthorized disclosure. You can change your preference to be contacted by
updating your personal preferences in your usgbc.org account.
To protect your rights to control score distribution, exam scores are released only to you, the exam
taker, and authorized GBCI staff. GBCI does not release exam scores except for use in research studies
that preserve your anonymity. Candidates’ scores will always remain confidential unless released with
written consent of a candidate.
Official statistics regarding the LEED professional exams, including all question performance data,
individual data and demographic data, will be considered confidential; however, GBCI may publish
aggregate, non-identifying information based on such data.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
EXAM SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications
The following outline provides a general description of exam content areas for the LEED AP
HOMES exam.
Knowledge Domains reflect the rating systems’ credit categories and what one needs to know.
These include concepts such as LEED Process, Integrative Strategies, LEED credit categories
and Project Surroundings and Public Outreach.
uu Knowledge Domains
B. Roles and responsibilities of verification team (e.g., green rater; energy rater; quality
assurance designee)
D. Project eligibility (e.g., which rating system to use—Homes, Midrise or New Construction)
J. LEED Online
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
i. Sensitive land
i. Testing for water leaks (e.g., total and indoor water use)
C. Outdoor water use (e.g., general requirements: decrease turf grass and increase
native plants)
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
B. Building components (e.g., required systems; building envelope; HVAC; service water
heating; power; lighting; lighting power density; receptacle load; insulation; windows,
SIP and ICF construction techniques)
C. On-site renewable energy (e.g., wind; solar; passive solar; geothermal; biomass; low
impact hydro; biogas)
H. Energy usage (e.g., building schedules; occupancy and off-hours; indoor/outdoor air
usage rates and impact on energy performance)
I. Minimum energy performance (e.g., general requirements to meet ENERGY STAR for
Homes; what projects need to be commissioned; processes)
J. Energy metering (e.g., metering requirements for single and multifamily projects)
L. Annual energy use (e.g., which option includes the home size adjuster; definition of
LEED energy budget; minimum energy requirements for midrise; conditioned floor
area of ENERGY STAR v3 reference home by number of bedrooms)
M. Efficient hot water distribution system (e.g., multifamily central circulation system;
performance testing; insulation)
N. Advance utility tracking (e.g., options for tracking and reporting energy and water use)
O. Active solar-ready design (e.g., photovoltaic-ready design; solar direct hot water-
ready design)
R. Air infiltration (e.g., who performs the test and what is the test)
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
U. Space heating and cooling equipment (e.g., required duct leakage rate)
V. Heating and cooling distribution systems (e.g., ductwork in conditioned space; ductwork
in unconditioned space; hydronic systems; who conducts the duct leakage test)
D. Durability management (e.g., requirements of ENERGY STAR for Homes v3 check list;
indoor moisture control measures)
A. Minimum ventilation requirement (e.g., indoor air quality; natural ventilation; mixed
mode ventilation)
C. Garage pollutant protection (e.g., seal, weather-strip and install carbon monoxide
detectors; EPA Indoor AirPLUS Label)
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
H. Enhanced ventilation (e.g., strategies that qualify for enhanced ventilation controls;
systems that qualify for enhanced whole-house ventilation)
I. Contaminant control (e.g., strategies including walk off mats; shoe removal and
storage; preoccupancy flush or EPA Indoor AirPLUS label and air testing - max
contaminant concentrations)
J. Balancing of heating and cooling distribution systems (e.g., basic requirements of Case
1 - Forced-Air Systems; Options 1-3; Case 2 - Radiative Systems, Options 1 and 2
L. Enhanced garage pollutant protection (e.g., credit awarded for either exhaust fan or no
garage/detached garage)
8. Innovation (5 Questions)
A. Preliminary rating (e.g., who needs to be at the preliminary rating, prerequisite status in
rating system and goals of preliminary rating)
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
References
The primary sources for the development of the LEED professional exams are the LEED
Rating Systems. The following list of references are not meant to be comprehensive. When
combined with the exam specifications, the candidate has the material from which the exam
is based.
References
• U.S. Green Building Council. LEED Reference Guide for Homes Design and Construction.
v4 e-Document (PDF) Edition. U.S. Green Building Council, 2017.
• “Green building incentive strategies.” U.S. Green Building Council, 2014.
• U.S. Green Building Council. Foundations of LEED. U.S. Green Building Council, 2009.
• U.S. Green Building Council. LEED v4 for HOMES Design and Construction Checklist. U.S.
Green Building Council, 2013.
• “LEED Addenda (Corrections + Interpretations).” U.S. Green Building Council.
• “LEED Online: Register a project.” U.S. Green Building Council, 2014.
• “LEED Certification Fees.” U.S. Green Building Council, 2014.
• “Rating System Selection Guidance.” U.S. Green Building Council, 2014.
• “Addenda Database.” U.S. Green Building Council.
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Sample Questions
Disclaimer: The exam questions listed here were discarded in the process of creating questions for
new exams.
The questions are provided for your convenience to allow you to better familiarize yourself with the
format and general content of questions on exams.
The content of these questions, while representative of the type of questions you can expect, does
not necessarily mirror the content that will appear on the actual exams.
Furthermore, your ability to correctly answer these sample questions does not in any way predict or
guarantee your ability to successfully answer questions on the actual exams.
(A) To define the credits that could be achieved easily and cost effectively.
(B) To define target certification level at the beginning and declare it to all parties.
(C) To maximize opportunities for integrative, cost effective adoption of green design and
construction strategies.
(D) To encourage exceptional performance for current credits and promote innovative performance
in pioneering areas.
This question represents Knowledge Domain 8A: Innovation; Preliminary rating (e.g., who needs to
be at the preliminary rating, prerequisite status in rating system and goals of preliminary rating).
2. Regional Priority Credits focus on which of the following types of environmental issues?
This question represents Knowledge Domain 9A: Regional Priority: Regional Priority Credits - What
are they and how to find them.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
CONTACT
Prometric
1501 South Clinton Street, Canton Crossing Tower, 14th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224
prometric.com/gbci
Prometric’s website is available for scheduling, rescheduling, cancelling and confirming exam
appointments 24 hours per day. To schedule an exam, you will need to have first applied and
registered with GBCI. To reschedule, cancel or confirm an exam appointment, you will need your
Prometric-issued 16 digit confirmation number.
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LEED AP® HOMES Candidate Handbook
USGBC’s website is available 24 hours per day for exam application and registration, information
regarding the LEED professional exams and access to your account.
Call Center: 1-800-795-1746 (within the US) or +1-202-742-3792 (outside the US)
GBCI’s call center is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 17:30 ET for questions regarding
exam registration, USGBC or CaGBC member pricing, your Credentials account, the LEED
professional directory and the LEED professional exams.
GBCI staff are available for questions, comments and concerns regarding certificates, LEED
professional exam records, USGBC or CaGBC member pricing refunds, exam content appeals,
exam development, exam scoring, exam format and all other LEED professional exam policies and
procedures.
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