2019 LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook
2019 LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook
2019 LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook
CANDIDATE
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
HANDBOOK
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
UPDATED AUGUST™ 2019
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ LEED® GREEN ASSOCIA
ABOUT GREEN BUSINESS CERTIFICATION INC.
Green Business Certification Inc.™ (GBCI) is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green
business industry performance and practice globally.
Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates
within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green
building rating systems as well as the PEER® standard for power systems, the WELL Building Standard™, the Excellence
in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) program, the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES®), the City Climate Planner
Urban Greenhouse Gas Inventory Specialist credential, the Investor Confidence Project Investor Ready Energy Efficiency
(IREE) certificate, Parksmart℠, TRUE, and the GRESB® benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the
sustainability performance of the global property sector.
THE EXAM 6
Exam Development 6
Exam Format 6
Exam Language 7
Exam Maintenance 7
PRE-EXAM CHECKLIST 8
Are You Ready? 8
Exam Security 8
What to Expect at the Test Center 8
Identification Requirements 9
Test Center Regulations 9
Grounds for Dismissal from the Test Center 9
EXAM SPECIFICATIONS 11
Exam Specifications 11
References 13
Sample Questions 14
CONTACT 15
Green Business Certification Inc. 15
Prometric 15
To register five or more candidates at one time, contact GBCI customer service.
Eligibility Requirements
GBCI recommends that you have exposure to LEED and green building concepts through educational courses,
volunteering or work experience prior to testing.
To be eligible for the LEED Green Associate credential, you must:
a. ask your parent or guardian to complete the Parental Consent form, if you are under the age of 18.
b. agree to the Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Policy and credentialing maintenance requirements.
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 you 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 GBCI 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, the exam delivery company used by GBCI, 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 be eligible for accommodations, you and your health care provider
each need to complete one form, the Candidate Form and the Provider Form, to document your disability and need for
accommodation. There is no additional charge for testing accommodations. Each request is evaluated individually.
GBCI reviews this documentation and, if approved, alerts Prometric of the necessary accommodations. Please allow up
to two weeks to receive a reply from GBCI following submission of your documentation. Please note that once you have
requested testing accommodations, you are not able to schedule an appointment with Prometric until your request is
processed. You will be contacted by email regarding the approval status of your testing accommodations request.
GI Bill Benefits
The LEED Green Associate exam has 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.
Exam Format
The LEED Green Associate exam contains 100 multiple choice questions and is delivered in a 2-hour period.
The exam has scored questions and unscored questions. All questions are placed randomly throughout the exam and
candidates are not informed of a question’s status, so you should respond to all questions on the exam. Unscored
questions are used to gather data regarding how the question performs. This data informs the use of the question 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, you may submit comments on any question(s) believed to contain a technical error in content by using
the comment button located in the navigation bar. In order to challenge an exam question, you must have commented
on the question and provided an explanation of your concerns. After the exam, within 10 days inform GBCI that you have
left comments on your 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 a
comment within your exam.
Be prepared to commit 2 hours 20 minutes for the exam. Total exam time is broken out as follows:
a. An optional 10-minute tutorial, the 2-hour exam, and an optional 10-minute exit survey.
If you need to take a break before completing your exam, you may do so by raising your hand for assistance. Testing
time is NOT suspended. Be aware that if you exit the test center or end the exam session by pressing “Finish” within your
exam before completing the exam, the exam cannot be restarted and the exam session and fee are forfeited.
Exam Maintenance
The LEED Green Associate exam is updated each year. Exams go through a maintenance process, in which the questions
are evaluated based on performance; poorly performing questions are removed and replaced with new questions.
Additionally, questions are reviewed against updates to the LEED standards (LEED addenda) that are published through
January of the same year to ensure that all questions remain current and valid.
Please check the References section of this handbook for the most current list of exam references.
For a one-week period each year, exams are not offered in order to accommodate deployment of updated exams at test
centers globally.
Exam Security
To ensure the integrity of the LEED Green Associate exam, you (or your parent or guardian if you are under 18) are
required to review and accept a nondisclosure agreement that prohibits any disclosure of exam content:
a. Exam questions and answers are the exclusive property of GBCI
b. 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
c. Future discussion or disclosure of the content of the exam, orally or in writing, or by any other means, is
prohibited
d. Theft or attempted theft of exam questions is punishable to the fullest extent of the law
e. Failure to comply with the agreement will result in forfeiture of your credential
Candidate Confidentiality
GBCI recognizes your right 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 right to control score distribution, your exam score is 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. Candidate exam scores always remain confidential unless released with written consent of a candidate.
Official statistics regarding the LEED Green Associate exam, including all question performance data, individual data and
demographic data, are considered confidential; however, GBCI may publish aggregate, non-identifying information based
on such data.
CANDIDATE HANDBOOK | LEED® GREEN ASSOCIATE™ | 10
EXAM SPECIFICATIONS
Exam Specifications
The following outline provides a general description of exam content areas for the LEED Green Associate exam.
Knowledge Domains reflect the rating systems’ credit categories and what one needs to know as a LEED Green
Associate.
The LEED Green Associate exam tests your general knowledge of green building practices for both commercial and
residential spaces and both new construction and existing buildings as well as how to support other professionals
working on LEED projects.
Knowledge Domains
1. LEED Process (16 Questions)
A. Organization fundamentals (e.g., mission/vision; non-profit; role of USGBC/GBCI)
B. Structure of LEED rating systems (e.g., credit categories; prerequisites; credits and/ or Minimum Program
Requirements for LEED certification)
C. Scope of each LEED rating system (e.g., rating system selection; rating system families [BD+C, ID+C, O+M,
ND, Homes])
D. LEED development process (e.g., consensus-based; stakeholder and volunteer involvement; rating system
updates/evolution)
E. Credit categories (e.g., goals and objectives of each [LT, SS, WE, EA, MR, EQ, IN, RP]; synergies)
F. Impact categories (e.g., what should a LEED project accomplish?)
G. LEED certification process (e.g., certification levels [Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum]; LEED Scorecard; third
party verification; role of documentation submission; LEED Interpretations; Addenda; awareness of different
system versions [e.g., LEED Online]; components of LEED Online and Project Registration)
H. Other rating systems (e.g., in general, what other rating systems are out there?)
2. Integrative Strategies (8 Questions)
A. Integrative process (e.g., early analysis of the interrelationships among systems; systems thinking; charrettes)
B. Integrative project team members (e.g., architect; engineer; landscape architect; civil engineer; contractor;
facility manager, etc.)
C. Standards that support LEED (e.g., breadth not depth of American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and
Air-conditioning Engineers [ASHRAE]; Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association
[SMACNA] guidelines; Green Seal; ENERGY STAR®; HERs; Reference Standards listed in ACPs, etc.)
3. Location and Transportation (7 Questions)
A. Site selection (e.g., targeting sites in previously developed and brownfields/high- priority designation area;
avoiding sensitive habitat; located in areas with existing infrastructure and nearby uses; reduction in parking
footprint)
B. Alternative transportation (e.g., type, access and quality; infrastructure and design)
4. Sustainable Sites (7 Questions)
A. Site assessment (e.g., environmental assessment; human impact)
B. Site design and development (e.g., construction activity pollution prevention; habitat conservation and
restoration; exterior open space; rainwater management; exterior lighting; heat island reduction)
5. Water Efficiency (9 Questions)
A. Outdoor water use (e.g., use of graywater/rainwater in irrigation; use of native and adaptive species)
B. Indoor water use (e.g., concepts of low flow/waterless fixtures; water-efficient appliances; types and quality)
C. Water performance management (e.g., measurement and monitoring)
1 Introductory and overview sections are available to download separately from purchasing the full reference guide.
2. A developer wants to make a profit by building a new office that maximizes daylighting and
views. What actions might the developer take to fulfill all parts of the triple bottom line?
A. Restore habitat onsite
B. Purchase ergonomic furniture
C. Pursue local grants and incentives
D. Provide lighting controllability for occupants
This question represents Knowledge Domain 9A: Project Surroundings and Public Outreach,
environmental aspects of the built environment.
Prometric
1501 South Clinton Street, Canton Crossing Tower, 14th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224 | prometric.com/gbci
Prometric’s website is available for scheduling, rescheduling, canceling and confirming exam appointments 24 hours per
day. Please see Registration on page 4 for more information.
View the list of Prometric Call Centers for regional numbers to schedule, reschedule, or cancel your exam, or for general
information.