Get your butt into the GBCI testing center and take that exam today if you can!! Depending on which exam you are taking, it may already be too late. For LEED for Commercial Interiors 2.0 and LEED for New Construction 2.2 the last day to register for the LEED AP credentialing exams will be March 31, 2009 (11:59 PM, Eastern Time).

Registrations for the LEED EB 2.0 exam ended in September 2008.

There are a ton of reasons for taking the current LEED AP exam (which will make you a "Legacy LEED AP" under the new LEED 2009 rules) instead of a LEED AP+. Here are just a few suggestions for taking the LEED AP exam sooner rather than later:

1. One Exam vs. Two!: Under the new LEED 2009, to become a LEED AP+ you will need to pass two exams (the LEED Green Associate Exam (aka the "Core Exam") AND the LEED AP+ Specialty Exam). If you take the current LEED exam, you must pass only one exam!

2. It's Cheaper!: The cost of taking a current LEED exam is $300 for USGBC members and $400 for non-members.

However, in the LEED 2009 credentialing program, the cost of taking the LEED Green Associate Exam will be $150 for USGBC members and $200 for non-members (plus $50.00 application fee!). So, if you are applying to be a LEED Green Associate, as opposed to a LEED AP+, it's actually cheaper than the current exam, but apples to oranges, really.

However, THIS IS IN ADDITION TO the $300 required for the LEED AP+ Specialty Exam fee for USGBC members and $450 for non-members (plus $100 application fee!). Seems like a awful lot of fees for one credential (LEED AP+).

3. Easier!: Perhaps because of the increased number of questions, the new LEED exams are expected to be more difficult than the current versions with an expected pass rate of only 20%, compared to 34% for the current exams.

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