After March 31st, 2009, candidates for the LEED Green Associate (GA) credentials must fulfill eligibility requirements.

LEED Green Associate candidates are required to do ONE (1) of the following:

Option 1: You must be (or have previously been) employed in a sustainable field of work

This is perhaps one of the more nebulous requirements posed by the GBCI, because no definition of a "sustainable field of work" is given. The USGBC does state that the company needs to "relate to environmentalism or the green building industry". If you are in any doubt that your profession would qualify, contact the GBCI at gbci.org or by calling 1-800-795-1746.

Option 2: You must be (or have been) involved in a LEED Certification Project

To prove eligibility by way of LEED project involvement, you must have been involved in the certification process of a LEED registered project. This means that your name must be on the registry of a specific LEED project that has already taken place, or which is currently in progress. Note: the building does not have to have earned its LEED rating yet, it just has to be registered with the GBCI. This can sometimes be difficult to achieve, as many organizations prefer to have existing LEED APs take care of the certification process, but as there is no requirement for a person working on a LEED project to be a LEED AP, it is possible to be added to a project.

If taking part in a LEED project led by your place of business isn't an option, we are able to help. We offer a Green Professional Training Program, in which you can take part in an actual LEED certification process over the course of a few months, and when all is said and done, your name will be listed on the LEED project, making you eligible for not only the Green Associate exam, but for future LEED AP exams as well. Please contact us for details.

Option 3: You must show involvement in an education program that addresses green building principles.

This is perhaps the most straightforward of the three eligibility options for the Green Associate exam: You have to show that you've taken (or are currently taking) some sort of training course to do with Green Building. This, thankfully, is one of our specialties. We have a number of training courses available weekly, and are adding more all the time. Our classes range from one-day online classes to two-day in-person classes, and everything in between. To get started, just head to our Green Exam Prep Training section and have a look at our offerings. We have a number of Green Associate exam preparation classes happening all the time, any of which will make you eligible for the Green Associate exam!

Assuming you are able to fulfill one of those three requirements, you are eligible to register for and take the LEED Green Associate exam.

Remember that this exam is considered to be "part 1" of the LEED AP process, and is considered to be a prerequisite for the LEED AP+ exams. To register to take the Green Associate exam, visit the GBCI and get started today!

The LEED AP exam pass rate is estimated to be in a range of 30%-34%.

To determine this number, Green-Buildings.com has gathered reports from various established providers of LEED preparation products and courses.

The GBCI and/or the USGBC do not provide guidance on, nor do they make public, details of the various LEED accreditation exam statistics.

After March 31st, 2009, candidates for the LEED AP credentials must fulfill eligibility requirements.

Along with the change over to LEED Version 3, the USGBC has introduced some fairly strict requirements in order to be eligible to take the LEED AP exam. We hope to be able to clear up some of the confusion surrounding these requirements so you can determine your eligibility, and if ineligible, show you the programs we offer in order to make you eligible for the test.

To take any of the Tier 2 LEED AP Exams (i.e. Building Operations & Maintenance, LEED AP Homes, Building Design + Construction, Interior Design + Construction) you must meet both of the following requirements:

1: You must have taken and passed the LEED Green Associate Exam

This is not made explicitly clear in the candidate handbook, but the first requirement for eligibility for the AP test is to have passed the Green Associate test. Some paperwork often refers to the Green Associate test as "Exam 1" and the AP tests as "Exam 2". There is no minimum time necessary between taking the Green Associate exam and when you take the AP exam.

For more information on the eligibilty requirements of the LEED Green Associate Exam, head here.

2: You must be (or have been) involved in a LEED Certified Project within three years.

To prove eligibility by way of LEED project involvement, you must have been involved in the certification process of a LEED project within three years of the application's submittal date. This means that your name must be on the registry of a specific LEED project that has already taken place, or which is currently in progress. This can sometimes be difficult to achieve, as many organizations prefer to have existing LEED APs take care of the certification process, but as there is no requirement for a person working on a LEED project to be a LEED AP, it is possible to be added to your businesses project.

If taking part in a LEED project led by your place of business isn't an option, we are able to help. Green-Buildings.com offers our Green Professional Training Program, in which you can take part in an actual LEED certification process over the course of a few months, and when all is said and done, your name will be listed on the LEED project, making you eligible for the LEED AP+ exams. Call Us for details.

If you meet both of those requirements, you are eligible to register for and take any of the v3 LEED AP exams.

To register to take the LEED AP+ exam, visit the GBCI and get started today!

As part of the LEED CMP (credential maintenance program), the GBCI requires that LEED Green Associates must complete 15 Continuing Education (CE) hours biennially (i.e. every two years).

LEED APs must complete 30 Continuing Education (CE) hours biennially (i.e. every two years).

Certificates of Completion from eight hour online, eight hour virtual and one and two day offline LEED Green Associate prep courses sold on Green-Buildings.com have been accepted by the GBCI as a valid education requirement.

However, Green-Buildings.com is not affiliated with the GBCI and does not guarantee that the GBCI or any specific entity will recognize courses offered through Green-Buildings.com.

Candidates should refer to the LEED candidate handbooks and LEED reference guides for the fundamental information needed to pass the LEED AP exams.

Handbooks and reference guides provide an overview of the Green Building Certification Institute's ("GBCI") and Prometric's policies and procedures throughout the credentialing process as well as detailed information on the LEED rating system in the candidate's area of focus.

You may find the Candidate Handbooks and reference guides on the GBCI.org website. There are candidate handbooks available for the LEED Green Associate and all the LEED AP credential exams. These handbooks include exam specifications, study materials, sample questions, GBCI and Prometric contact information and application, registration, and scheduling information.

Individuals should read and understand their particular exam's handbook, including all policies, procedures, and consequences.

The GBCI states that Candidate Handbooks are valid for one month from release and they are updated, as necessary, and released on the first business day of each month.

LEED reference guides provide detailed information on the LEED certification process according to the various specialty tracks.

It is not a requirement to enroll in a prep course before taking the exam, however, it is recommended.

Many students who have passed the LEED AP or LEED Green Associate exams report that prep courses helped them better understand the LEED certification process, the relevant material on green building and the science of sustainability.

Candidates who fail the LEED exam may retake the exams as many times as they like, however they are limited to a maximum of three times per year.

If a LEED AP candidate fails the Tier II, the LEED AP exam, but passes the Tier I, LEED Green Associate exam, they do not have to retake the LEED Green Associate exam again, they only have to retake the Tier II specialty exam for LEED AP that they failed.

The exams are multiple-choice and computer-based. The first part will be the core knowledge exam (taken by Tier I, LEED Green Associates) about green building and general knowledge about the LEED Rating System.

The second part, the LEED AP Tier II specialty exam, will be focused on the specialty area of the track you choose (i.e. LEED ID+C, LEED BD+C, LEED for Homes, etc.)

LEED professional exams are computer-based, multiple-choice examinations. In both the Tier I (LEED Green Associate) and Tier II (LEED AP+) exams, candidates are given two (2) hours to take and complete the exam.

Individuals may choose to take both the Tier I and Tier II exams in one sitting if they wish, in which case they will have 4 hours to complete both parts of the exam, or they may take them sequentially, or choose to take only the Tier I, LEED Green Associate exam.

LEED professional credential exams are administered by Prometric, which is a nationwide professional testing center with locations throughout the United States. The exams are computer based and administered on location at Prometric testing centers.

Individuals taking the LEED exams at Prometric testing centers must bring several forms of ID confirming their identity and are not allowed to bring any personal belongings into the exam area. Lockers are provided for personal belongings.

LEED Green Associate (aka LEED GA) candidates are required by the GBCI to do the following:

1. Agree to the disciplinary policy and Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) as outlined at www.gbci.org.

2. EITHER document involvement in support of a LEED certification project OR be employed in a sustainable field of work OR engaged in an education program in green building principles and LEED.

3. Submit to an application audit. Five to seven percent of all applications will be audited; you will be notified immediately if you are chosen for an audit and will be notified of your eligibility within 14 days.

Individuals interested in the LEED Green Associate credential must go to the Green Building Certification Institute website at http://www.GBCI.org and follow the instructions for LEED Professional Credentials.

Candidates must create an account with the GBCI and then choose which credential they are pursuing, in this case, LEED Green Associate.

LEED Green Associate is the Tier I LEED Credential and earning the credential is required before becoming a LEED AP.

Individuals in becoming a LEED AP must go to the Green Building Certification Institute website at http://www.GBCI.org and follow the instructions for LEED Professional Credentials.

It is important to note that all candidates seeking to become LEED Accredited Professionals ("LEED APs") must first take and pass the Tier I exam for LEED Green Associate before taking the LEED AP exam. Once an individual has passed the LEED Green Associate exam, he or she has earned that credential. Individuals may then decide to proceed with taking the Tier II, LEED AP exam. Exams may be taken on separate dates or consecutively in one exam session.

Individuals must go to the Green Building Certification Institute website at http://www.GBCI.org and follow the instructions for LEED Professional Credentials. If you are not currently a LEED Green Associate or LEED AP, you must start with the LEED Green Associate credential before progressing to LEED AP.