LEED AP Handbook 2022
LEED AP Handbook 2022
LEED AP Handbook 2022
CANDIDATE
HANDBOOK
UPDATED AUGUST 2022
REGISTERING FOR YOUR EXAM 4
Registration Process 4
Eligibility Requirements 5
Audits 6
Testing Accommodations 6
Exam Registration Fees 7
GI Bill Benefits 7
THE EXAM 8
Exam Development 8
Exam Format 8
Exam Language 9
Exam Maintenance 9
PRE-EXAM CHECKLIST 10
Are You Ready? 10
Exam Security 11
What to Expect at a Test Center 11
What to Expect at Virtual Check-In 12
Identification Requirements 13
Prometric Regulations 14
Grounds for Dismissal from the Test Center 14
AFTER YOUR EXAM 15
Exam Results 15
Passing the Exam 15
Exam-related Complaints and Exam Content Appeals 15
Candidate Confidentiality 16
EXAM SPECIFICATIONS 17
LEED AP® BD+C Exam Specifications 17
LEED AP HOMES Exam Specifications
®
20
LEED AP ID+C Exam Specifications
®
24
LEED AP ND Exam Specifications
®
27
LEED AP O+M Exam Specifications
®
29
REFERENCES & SAMPLE QUESTIONS 32
LEED AP BD+C Exam References 32
LEED AP BD+C Sample Questions 33
LEED AP HOMES Exam References 34
LEED AP HOMES Sample Questions 35
LEED AP ID+C Exam References 36
LEED AP ID+C Sample Questions 37
LEED AP ND Exam References 38
LEED AP ND Sample Questions 39
LEED AP O+M Exam References 40
LEED AP O+M Sample Questions 41
CONTACT 42
ABOUT GREEN BUSINESS CERTIFICATION INC.
Green Business Certification Inc.™ (GBCI) is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green busi-
ness 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 Sustainability Excellence credentials.
If you legally have only one name, enter “No Name” in the first or last name fields as applicable. At least 10
business days before your scheduled exam date, you must notify GBCI that you only have one legal name
and provide us with the name you used to register, the date and time of your exam, and if you are testing
in-person, the test center location, and GBCI will notify Prometric proctors that your legal ID has only one
name. If you do not contact GBCI in advance and your legal ID does not EXACTLY match the first name and
last name you entered when you registered for your exam, you will not be permitted to test and you will
forfeit your exam registration fee.
b. If your native language utilizes non-Roman characters, be sure to enter your name in Roman characters
when you set-up your site user account and when you register for the exam. Make sure to bring
identification, such as a passport that includes your name in Roman characters, when you check-in for your
exam.
c. Please note that if the first name and last name in which you register for your exam does not EXACTLY
match the ID you will present when you check-in for your exam either at a Test Center or online for a
remotely proctored exam, you will not be permitted to test. You must contact GBCI at least 10 business days
before your exam date to change your registration, or you will risk being turned away and you will forfeit
your exam registration fee. (See Identification Requirements below for additional details)
2. Select the LEED AP exam you wish to take under the “Credentials” section and follow the instructions on the
screen to complete the exam registration application.
3. Once you have completed the registration process, you are given a unique eligibility ID (EID) and may schedule
your exam by visiting prometric.com/gbci. Prometric is the exam delivery organization for GBCI exams. There are
two ways to take your LEED AP exam. You have the option to take your exam either at a Prometric Test Center or
through a remotely proctored internet-enabled (online) exam using Prometric’s ProProctor application.
a. If you would like to schedule your exam in a physical test center, click here.
b. If you would like to schedule a remotely proctored online exam, you will first need to ensure that your
computer meets the technical specifications (See Pre-Exam Checklist below) and that the space within
which you intend to take your exam meets the testing environment requirements. Please review the GBCI
ProProctor Tips and Guidance document, the ProProctor Exam Checklist and GBCI online exam FAQs for
useful information. Once you have verified your computer meets the minimum system requirements, you can
click here to continue scheduling your remotely proctored online exam.
4. On the Schedule Appointment screen, read through the instructions and click the green forward arrow button
located on the right-hand side at the bottom of the page to proceed to the next screen. Read through the Policy
Notice and answer the age and consent questions at the bottom of the page and click the green forward arrow.
You will then be asked to enter your exam eligibility ID (EID) and the first four characters of the last name you
used when you registered.
5. Once you have successfully scheduled your exam appointment you will see a confirmation number on the
screen, and you will also receive an automated email from Prometric with important details about your exam
appointment. Check your spam filters, quarantine, clutter, and junk folder(s) to ensure you receive the automated
email – please be sure to read the email in its entirety. Please print your confirmation notice and record your
confirmation number. You will need this confirmation notice for any communication with Prometric to confirm,
cancel, or reschedule your exam appointment through the Prometric website. The confirmation number will also
Refund Policy Days before original exam date Cancellation Refunds Reschedule
4-29 days Yes, less a $50 cancellation fee Yes, less a $50 rescheduling fee
0-3 days No No
To register five or more candidates at one time, contact GBCI customer service.
Eligibility Requirements
For the LEED AP with specialty exam, prior LEED project experience is strongly recommended. Practitioner experience
is critical to earning the credential and, as such, practitioner competency and project proficiency is tested objectively
within the exam.
To be eligible for a LEED AP with specialty credential, you must:
a. Be 18 years of age or older.
b. Hold a current LEED® Green Associate™ credential*.
c. Agree to GBCI’s Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Policy and credential maintenance requirements.
*This requirement is waived if you register for the combination exam. More information can be found under Exam Format.
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 Credential 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 LEED professional exam under standard
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 way 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 magnifying screen for the computer monitor, a scribe,
additional breaks, and extended testing time. For remotely proctored online exams, Prometric may not be able to
accommodate all requests due to the testing environment security requirements.
If you require testing accommodations, you must indicate this during the registration process by checking the box
that says “Yes, I need testing accommodations.” To be eligible for accommodations, you and your health care provider
will each need to complete one form, the Candidate Form and the Provider Form, to document your disability
and need for accommodation. Please email the completed forms along with your testing accommodation request
to [email protected] or by faxing it to 202-545-3708. GBCI will process your testing accommodations
request once you submit both the Candidate and Healthcare Provider forms. There is no additional charge for testing
accommodations. Each request is evaluated individually. Once a testing accommodation request is approved, it is valid
for 12 months. When registering for a new exam during your 12-month window, you must still check the box that says
“Yes, I need testing accommodations.” Please email [email protected] to request that your previously approved
testing accommodations be applied to your new exam registration and state the date you originally sent your testing
accommodations request. After 12 months from your original Candidate form and Healthcare Provider form approvals,
you must submit a new set of Candidate and Provider forms to request your testing accommodations
GBCI reviews this documentation and, if approved, alerts Prometric of the necessary accommodations. Please allow up
to 10 business days to receive a reply from GBCI following submission of all your documentation. Please note that once
you have requested testing accommodations, you are not able to schedule your exam with Prometric until your request
is processed. You will be contacted by email regarding the status of your request.
GI Bill Benefits
The LEED professional exams have been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 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, for any of the LEED professional exams administered by GBCI since
December 3, 2009. Learn more.
Exam Format
Each LEED AP with specialty exam contains 100 multiple choice questions and is delivered in a 2-hour period. Each
multiple-choice question will only have one correct answer option.
If you have a current LEED Green Associate credential, you can register for a LEED AP with specialty exam. As an
alternative, if you do not hold a current LEED Green Associate, you may register for a combined LEED Green Associate/
LEED AP with specialty exam. Please be aware that the option to take a combined exam in one 4-hour sitting is not
available in all languages and they are only available at Prometric Test Centers. If you cannot find the option to register
for a combined LEED Green Associate/LEED AP with specialty exam, please register to take the two exams separately.
See Exam Results section for more information regarding the combined exam.
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 can 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 business days inform GBCI that
you have left comments on your exam; in your correspondence, be sure to note your questions and 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 business days of
your exam date that you have left a comment within your exam.
Be prepared to commit 2 hours 20 minutes for a specialty-only exam and 4 hours and 20 minutes for a combined exam.
Total exam time is broken out as follows:
a. Specialty-only exam: an optional 10-minute tutorial, the 2-hour exam, and an optional 10-minute exit survey.
b. 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.
If you need to take a break before completing your exam in a test center, 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 exam
registration fee are forfeited.
CANDIDATE HANDBOOK | LEED AP® WITH SPECIALTY | 8
Please note that breaks are not permitted during remotely proctored online exams. It is strictly prohibited for you to be
out of the webcam’s field of vision at any point while taking the exam. If you leave your seat during the exam, except
when authorized to leave by the Remote Proctor at the end of the exam, your exam session and exam registration fees
are forfeited.
Exam Language
The primary language for all exams is English. In the case of any discrepancies between the original English content and
translated content or challenges made to the exams, the English content will be used as the basis of consideration. The
translation is offered solely as an aid to non-native English speakers. Please refer to the table below for a list of available
languages. The use of translators or foreign-language dictionaries during the examination is not permitted. Additional
time to complete the exam will not be provided.
Please note that the non-disclosure agreement, exam tutorial, and end of exam survey are in English. Only the exam
content will include your selected translated language. The translated exam is presented with the English text on top and
the translated text below.
If you do not see the translated language once you enter the exam section, please immediately alert your exam proctor.
For remotely proctored online exams, in addition to the non-disclosure agreement, exam tutorial and end of exam survey
being in English, all interactions with the Readiness Agent during the virtual check-in process and with the Remote
Proctor will be in English.
LEED AP ND English
Exam Maintenance
The LEED professional exams are 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, to accommodate deployment of updated exams.
We strongly suggest that you send the General Instructions for Corporate Computers, ProProctor System
Requirements, and the ProProctor User Guide to your IT department so that they fully understand what is
required.
d. Perform a system readiness check one week before your scheduled exam to ensure that your systems are
compatible with ProProctor requirements. In addition, carefully review the ProProctor Software Installation
guides Windows OS and Mac OS. If the system readiness check fails, the page will alert you to the failed item
and prompt you to troubleshoot the errors and complete the check again. Note that the system readiness
check does not assess whether you have the necessary permission levels to install and launch the ProProctor
application. You may need to temporarily disable your browser’s ad blockers and computer’s firewall and
antivirus as per ProProctor’s installation guides.
• Screen Resolution: 1024 x 768 is the minimum resolution required, 1920 x 1080 is recommended.
Minimum recommended screen scaling: 100%
• Operating System: Windows 8.1 or higher | MacOS 10.13 or higher
• Web Browser: Latest Google Chrome
• Webcam Resolution: 640 X 480 pixels external for desktops, internal for laptops
Exam Security
To ensure the integrity of LEED professional exams, you 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. This includes reading the questions out loud during your exam.
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 (See section 14 and 15 of GBCI’s Disciplinary and Exam Appeals Policy). 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 except as required by law.. 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 LEED professional exams, 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.
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.