anyone take the LEED Green associate exam? care to share your experiences/tips/recommend study guides--especially free ones, since i just forked over $50 (!!) to apply to take the exam ($50 in addition to the exam fee).
how much time did you spend reading/studying?
easy? lots of trick questions?
thanks!
LITS4FormZ
Jun 23, 10 9:58 pm
I'm studying for it as well, I have a copy of "LEED PREP GA : WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW TO PASS THE LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE EXAM" (Yes, the title is in all caps). It was given to me by a classmate who read it and passed it.
Also, my friends wife runs 'http://www.buildingmygreenlife.com/'. which has lots of useful info on all things LEED includuing a guide and practice tests.
byen01
Jun 23, 10 10:31 pm
Also studying for it, and as far as I know, the questions aren't so much trick questions, rather questions can be on any info pertaining to the LEED point system/implementation process/documentation process. It's just a matter of taking the time to hanker down and memorize everything, and I mean everything, about LEED. I honestly wished they'd break the GA test into categories a la GREs. I've found the PPI LEED GA flashcards and practice exams to be quite helpful; not sure how much it'll run you, as I have free access to it. Also, don't bother buying the 'Core Concepts' guide from GBCI/USGBC. It's absolute rubbish and rather vague.
Milwaukee08
Jun 24, 10 12:17 am
Eligibility requirements:
Candidates must have experience in the form of
* EITHER documented involvement on a project registered or certified for LEED
* OR employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work
* OR engagement in (or completion of) an education program that addresses green building principles.
Does anyone know if that is limited to only B. Arch's and M. Arch's, or if it includes 4 year unaccredited degrees in architecture?
byen01
Jun 24, 10 9:21 am
There are no limitations; I haven't even finished up my B.A. yet! Since this is just the GA test, not AP, even plenty of people from non-arch backgrounds have been taking the exam -- lawyers, product retailers, people who work at, say, the DEP.
prairie school drop out
Jun 24, 10 10:25 am
any idea how long people need to study for this thing? a few weeks, a week, a few days? i have this idea that its just an overview of facts and concepts, not much in the way of calculations or anything substantial (i mean, otherwise, why would there be LEED AP too?)
thanks for the resource suggestions!
byen01
Jun 24, 10 1:32 pm
I'd say put in a few weekends of study time?
jrwdesign
Jun 24, 10 1:43 pm
I'm hoping to take the test by the end of the summer. I don't want to pay for the exam then fail and have to take it again. It seems like a couple months studying will do the trick. At least thats what people are saying at this forum
I spent a couple of weeks studying (while unemployed so it could take longer for you if you have to do it at night) and passed with a 187. I used the GBES study guide, but all the information that you need is found in the free resources listed in the candidate handbook (including the optionals). The study guides just condense it. Though I did find the GBES audiobook version of the study guide useful as another way to absorb the information.
Definitely do at least a couple of practice tests to get used to the wording of the questions which can be confusing and to gauge where you need to focus your studying. I used Everblue, which was pretty good but expensive.
Make sure you study the GBCI website.
Make sure you understand synergies.
jrwdesign
Jun 26, 10 7:17 pm
Does anyone know if we need to know acronyms on the GA exam? I have seen CIR come up in practice tests, but what about organizations? Thanks.
Geof
Jun 27, 10 7:39 pm
@jrwdesign
You wont be asked a question like "What does SCAQMD stand for? But you will need to know what standards it is used to reference.
(FYI South Coast Air Quality Management District standards define maximum VOC concentrations in sealants, finishes and stains)
You should definitely know all the organizations and referenced standards, including but not limited to ACEEE, ASHRAE, ASTM, ANSI, Green Label/Plus, CFRs, Ecologo, Energy Star, EPACT92, FloorScore, FSC, Green-e, Green Seal, IECC, ISO 14000 Series, MERV, Montreal Protocol, SMACNA and SCAQMD.
I don't remember whether the acronyms were written out or not but they most likely were as that's not really what they are trying to test.
RealLifeLEED
Jun 28, 10 5:00 pm
My thoughts on LEED GA exam advice in blog post and webinar forms, both free!
The blog post reviews many of the study guides mentioned above and provides links to a free set of study materials that are pretty good. The webinar covers most of the blog post materials but in more detail.
Sorry for the spam, but I thought it would be legitimately helpful in this instance!
When did LEED 'GA' come out? I presume it's still more desirable for an architect to get LEED 'AP' certification?
DisplacedArchitect
Aug 16, 10 2:53 pm
wouldnt it be funny if a medical Doctor would get certified to check different parts of the body.
Elbow and arm certified.
head and neck sertified.
spine and rib cage certified.
fingers and toes certified.
Certified to tell people how to take medication.
DisplacedArchitect
Aug 16, 10 3:01 pm
I vote we start Archinect Certification. lets see, lets start it the same way Leed started. ... ok bing your certified, bing your certified too, you the one in the back row you are certified too, ding! you the one reading this you are certified too!
Displaced Architect , Archinect Certified
prairie school drop out
Aug 30, 10 11:21 am
while i definitely wouldn't argue against leed (or maybe even any other such pay-for-credentials scheme) being bs, i do want to share my experience studying and passing (yay!) the exam.
1. i did not pay for any materials/study guides/practice tests whatever. i used the primary source materials that are available on the usgbc/gbci website (though somewhat hard to find). i also used the free studio 4 study guide and practice test.
2. in terms of time spent, i read through the materials listed above starting in may in a sort of half-assed way (on the bus, while at work and things were slow). i finished reading everything last week. i meant to start studying and reviewing about two weeks ago but that didn't happen. i think finally, last weekend (a week before the exam) i finally sat down to try to memorize everything. i studied a few hours monday and tuesday nights, did the practice exam thursday night. reread some stuff at lunch/while at work, and did a little studying friday afternoon. saturday was a marathon review session (about 8:30 am till 10 pm with some breaks for lunch/head over to a favorite coffee shop/run to the corner store/yell at the neighbors for having a band play at night and being loud assholes). sunday i woke up to study, again starting at around 9, stopping around noon, and took the test at 3.
3. i actually finished the exam in about 35 minutes and spent another hour or so looking over my answers and being sure i didn't make any stupid mistakes. i don't think time would be an issue (i also finished the practice test in about the same amount of time).
4. as for content, i'd say there was a lot dealing with refrigerants, a lot dealing with water efficiency, what constitutes local/recycled/reused materials, integrated design process, and very little about how to achieve certain credits (though there was some of that). i was actually surprised at how much stuff referred to existing buildings/operations and maintenance. a lot of identifying which standards certain credits referred to as well (wtf, i know! that's like the stupidest information to need to retain). i had to do no calculations (not even simple ones). there were some questions referring to stuff outside of my materials that i just had to make an educated guess for, but not many (maybe 3 or 4).
5. i was exhausted while doing it (noisy neighbors and their stupid band). i thought it was challenging while doing it, but while i reviewed my answers, i decided it was pretty easy after all. if i were focused i could have done all the reading and studying in 2 weeks, though it would be a lot for someone working full time.
chigurh
Jul 29, 15 10:04 am
just passed leed GA a couple of weeks ago...easy as shit...just used a flashcard app on my phone. Taking AP this weekend...gonna start studying tonight..ha!
I agree with all comments above that LEED blows...3rd party building rating system that you gotta pay a bunch of money for and create a bunch of paperwork and submittals to achieve?
Our jobs are hard enough as is, if USGBC wants to promote green building, it should be free or should give some incentives back to the design team, like a free pizza or something. They got it all wrong to create a whole other bureaucratic bullshit submittal system where you have to review a project with a bunch of pencil pushing do nothings with no sense of urgency or economy of a real project.
natematt
Jul 29, 15 11:01 am
^GA is easy, from what i understand AP is much harder, so good luck with that. Let us know how it goes so we can decide if we want to schedule for next weekend haha.
JeromeS
Jul 29, 15 11:13 am
So, not sure if I understand; Is GA open for any professional to take? Or is there some prerequisite experience?
JeromeS
Jul 29, 15 11:20 am
Never mind - I did the ubiquitous google search and answered my own question...
chigurh
Jul 29, 15 4:04 pm
@natematt, not worried bout it...
those exams are just a buy-in, as far as I can tell.
multiple choice master.
natematt
Jul 30, 15 4:00 am
It's just the counter intuitive nature of the material that worries me. With added specificity I could see where it might get hard.
I'm overly cautious though. I was stressing on the GA exam and I got an almost perfect score.
anyone take the LEED Green associate exam? care to share your experiences/tips/recommend study guides--especially free ones, since i just forked over $50 (!!) to apply to take the exam ($50 in addition to the exam fee).
how much time did you spend reading/studying?
easy? lots of trick questions?
thanks!
I'm studying for it as well, I have a copy of "LEED PREP GA : WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW TO PASS THE LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE EXAM" (Yes, the title is in all caps). It was given to me by a classmate who read it and passed it.
Also, my friends wife runs 'http://www.buildingmygreenlife.com/'. which has lots of useful info on all things LEED includuing a guide and practice tests.
Also studying for it, and as far as I know, the questions aren't so much trick questions, rather questions can be on any info pertaining to the LEED point system/implementation process/documentation process. It's just a matter of taking the time to hanker down and memorize everything, and I mean everything, about LEED. I honestly wished they'd break the GA test into categories a la GREs. I've found the PPI LEED GA flashcards and practice exams to be quite helpful; not sure how much it'll run you, as I have free access to it. Also, don't bother buying the 'Core Concepts' guide from GBCI/USGBC. It's absolute rubbish and rather vague.
Candidates must have experience in the form of
* EITHER documented involvement on a project registered or certified for LEED
* OR employment (or previous employment) in a sustainable field of work
* OR engagement in (or completion of) an education program that addresses green building principles.
Does anyone know if that is limited to only B. Arch's and M. Arch's, or if it includes 4 year unaccredited degrees in architecture?
There are no limitations; I haven't even finished up my B.A. yet! Since this is just the GA test, not AP, even plenty of people from non-arch backgrounds have been taking the exam -- lawyers, product retailers, people who work at, say, the DEP.
any idea how long people need to study for this thing? a few weeks, a week, a few days? i have this idea that its just an overview of facts and concepts, not much in the way of calculations or anything substantial (i mean, otherwise, why would there be LEED AP too?)
thanks for the resource suggestions!
I'd say put in a few weekends of study time?
I'm hoping to take the test by the end of the summer. I don't want to pay for the exam then fail and have to take it again. It seems like a couple months studying will do the trick. At least thats what people are saying at this forum
http://www.areforum.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=47
I bought the core concepts guide and the Green Exam Prep/Practice Exam from https://www.greenexamprep.com
Here is another helpful website. Good luck!
http://www.green-buildings.com/content/781257-free-leed-green-associate-study-guide-5-tips-successful-preparation
I spent a couple of weeks studying (while unemployed so it could take longer for you if you have to do it at night) and passed with a 187. I used the GBES study guide, but all the information that you need is found in the free resources listed in the candidate handbook (including the optionals). The study guides just condense it. Though I did find the GBES audiobook version of the study guide useful as another way to absorb the information.
Definitely do at least a couple of practice tests to get used to the wording of the questions which can be confusing and to gauge where you need to focus your studying. I used Everblue, which was pretty good but expensive.
Make sure you study the GBCI website.
Make sure you understand synergies.
Does anyone know if we need to know acronyms on the GA exam? I have seen CIR come up in practice tests, but what about organizations? Thanks.
@jrwdesign
You wont be asked a question like "What does SCAQMD stand for? But you will need to know what standards it is used to reference.
(FYI South Coast Air Quality Management District standards define maximum VOC concentrations in sealants, finishes and stains)
You should definitely know all the organizations and referenced standards, including but not limited to ACEEE, ASHRAE, ASTM, ANSI, Green Label/Plus, CFRs, Ecologo, Energy Star, EPACT92, FloorScore, FSC, Green-e, Green Seal, IECC, ISO 14000 Series, MERV, Montreal Protocol, SMACNA and SCAQMD.
I don't remember whether the acronyms were written out or not but they most likely were as that's not really what they are trying to test.
My thoughts on LEED GA exam advice in blog post and webinar forms, both free!
The blog post reviews many of the study guides mentioned above and provides links to a free set of study materials that are pretty good. The webinar covers most of the blog post materials but in more detail.
Sorry for the spam, but I thought it would be legitimately helpful in this instance!
sorry about the links... let me try that again...
LEED GA advice blog post - webinar
leed is a joke
is it a joke.... in this economy?
in any economy, LEED is a joke.
When did LEED 'GA' come out? I presume it's still more desirable for an architect to get LEED 'AP' certification?
wouldnt it be funny if a medical Doctor would get certified to check different parts of the body.
Elbow and arm certified.
head and neck sertified.
spine and rib cage certified.
fingers and toes certified.
Certified to tell people how to take medication.
I vote we start Archinect Certification. lets see, lets start it the same way Leed started. ... ok bing your certified, bing your certified too, you the one in the back row you are certified too, ding! you the one reading this you are certified too!
Displaced Architect , Archinect Certified
while i definitely wouldn't argue against leed (or maybe even any other such pay-for-credentials scheme) being bs, i do want to share my experience studying and passing (yay!) the exam.
1. i did not pay for any materials/study guides/practice tests whatever. i used the primary source materials that are available on the usgbc/gbci website (though somewhat hard to find). i also used the free studio 4 study guide and practice test.
2. in terms of time spent, i read through the materials listed above starting in may in a sort of half-assed way (on the bus, while at work and things were slow). i finished reading everything last week. i meant to start studying and reviewing about two weeks ago but that didn't happen. i think finally, last weekend (a week before the exam) i finally sat down to try to memorize everything. i studied a few hours monday and tuesday nights, did the practice exam thursday night. reread some stuff at lunch/while at work, and did a little studying friday afternoon. saturday was a marathon review session (about 8:30 am till 10 pm with some breaks for lunch/head over to a favorite coffee shop/run to the corner store/yell at the neighbors for having a band play at night and being loud assholes). sunday i woke up to study, again starting at around 9, stopping around noon, and took the test at 3.
3. i actually finished the exam in about 35 minutes and spent another hour or so looking over my answers and being sure i didn't make any stupid mistakes. i don't think time would be an issue (i also finished the practice test in about the same amount of time).
4. as for content, i'd say there was a lot dealing with refrigerants, a lot dealing with water efficiency, what constitutes local/recycled/reused materials, integrated design process, and very little about how to achieve certain credits (though there was some of that). i was actually surprised at how much stuff referred to existing buildings/operations and maintenance. a lot of identifying which standards certain credits referred to as well (wtf, i know! that's like the stupidest information to need to retain). i had to do no calculations (not even simple ones). there were some questions referring to stuff outside of my materials that i just had to make an educated guess for, but not many (maybe 3 or 4).
5. i was exhausted while doing it (noisy neighbors and their stupid band). i thought it was challenging while doing it, but while i reviewed my answers, i decided it was pretty easy after all. if i were focused i could have done all the reading and studying in 2 weeks, though it would be a lot for someone working full time.
just passed leed GA a couple of weeks ago...easy as shit...just used a flashcard app on my phone. Taking AP this weekend...gonna start studying tonight..ha!
I agree with all comments above that LEED blows...3rd party building rating system that you gotta pay a bunch of money for and create a bunch of paperwork and submittals to achieve?
Our jobs are hard enough as is, if USGBC wants to promote green building, it should be free or should give some incentives back to the design team, like a free pizza or something. They got it all wrong to create a whole other bureaucratic bullshit submittal system where you have to review a project with a bunch of pencil pushing do nothings with no sense of urgency or economy of a real project.
^GA is easy, from what i understand AP is much harder, so good luck with that. Let us know how it goes so we can decide if we want to schedule for next weekend haha.
So, not sure if I understand; Is GA open for any professional to take? Or is there some prerequisite experience?
Never mind - I did the ubiquitous google search and answered my own question...
@natematt, not worried bout it...
those exams are just a buy-in, as far as I can tell.
multiple choice master.
It's just the counter intuitive nature of the material that worries me. With added specificity I could see where it might get hard.
I'm overly cautious though. I was stressing on the GA exam and I got an almost perfect score.