Free LEED AP BD+C v4 Exam Sample Questions
Test yourself with 10 free LEED v4 BD+C sample questions from Alex Spilger of GreenStep Education to gain insight into what you may see on the actual LEED v4 BD+C exam.
So you’ve passed the LEED Green Associate exam (if not, we can help)... And now you want to further distinguish yourself among the sea of roughly 200,000 LEED professionals.
Good news! Passing the LEED AP BD+C specialty exam is a great way to do that.
There is a full range of LEED AP specialty exams to choose from:
- LEED AP Building Design + Construction (BD+C)
- LEED AP Operations + Maintenance (LEED AP O+M)
- LEED AP Interior Design + Construction (LEED AP ID+C)
- LEED AP Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND)
- LEED AP Homes
However, the LEED AP Building Design + Construction (BD+C) is by far the most popular. This specialty credential is specifically targeted to building professionals who focus on the design and construction phases of new green building projects, or major retrofits.
What Should I Know About the Exam?
The LEED v4 exams differ from LEED 2009 (v3) in three ways:
1) The exam contains more detail, such as emphasis on areas like Life Cycle Analysis and Environmental Product Declarations. This translates to one thing: more study time.
2) You are no longer required to have LEED project experience prior to taking the exam, which means more aspiring green building professionals are turning to LEED to get ahead. That said, USGBC is making an effort to gauge project experience from within the exam itself.
3) There are more complex calculation questions that have been added to the exam, meaning calculating things like Floor Area Ratios, Solar Reflectance Indices and carbon offsets should be expected.
The Magic of Thinking GreenStep
While the LEED BD+C Reference Guide is where the exam questions come from, studying from an 800+ page book won't guarantee a passing grade...
Far from it. Actually using the Reference Guide as your primary study tool may be a mistake.
So what should you really be studying?
Alex Spilger, founder of GreenStep, has taken the LEED exam 22 times, more than any other human.
Actually Alex has dedicated much of his professional career to educating others on how best to study for the LEED exam. Along the way he's worked with top companies from all over the world to help them implement comprehensive sustainability plans.
(Check out this amazing video Alex did to pitch GoPro!)
This guy is legit... And GreenStep LEED preparation materials provide you with targeted information so that you don’t waste time studying things you don’t need to know.
Additionally, GreenStep covers the many topics related to project experience that you will be tested on during the exam. While there are many LEED study guides available for purchase, and some even for free, Alex has amassed a much greater level of expertise than his competitors, leaving them in the dust in terms of strategy for passing the exam.
The greatest thing you can do for yourself to pass this exam is to study the right material. However the manner in which you do so will also affect your success. Here are a few additional tips to follow when preparing for the exam:
Establish a regular study schedule to maximize memorization: It’s better to study intensively over a shorter period. Alex recommends 10-12 hours per week for 3-4 weeks using the GreenStep workbooks.
Flash cards can be a great memorization aid, as writing things down helps solidify information. But be sure to review the flash cards after creating them!
Take practice exams, and take them twice. Reviewing your mistakes thoroughly will help you understand what you did wrong, and how you can avoid it on the real exam.
When taking the exam, don’t waste too much time finding the perfect answer. If you’re unsure, look for the best answer. And be sure to answer all questions, since there is no penalty for wrong answers.
If you are interested in studying using GreenStep, consider the LEED v4 Super Study Pack, which includes the GreenStep Study Guide, Exam Simulators and Project Experience, the latter of which is assessed from within the new LEED AP v4 exams. GreenStep practice tests provide feedback, detailed explanations and insight into why an answer is correct or incorrect.
Below are 10 free practice questions from Poplar Education for the LEED v4 BD+C exam.
1. Option 2 of the LEED for Schools credit entitled, ‘Joint Use of Facilities’ requires that you provide at least this number of dedicated-use spaces, such as Health Clinics or Libraries, in the building:
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
2. Which is most affected by the LEED Site Boundary? (Choose 2)
A) Location of bike racks and showers
B) Exterior light pollution
C) Size of underground parking garage
D) Determining where site disturbance must stop
3. Which of the following is NOT considered an acceptable strategy to reduce glare control?
A) Choose one
B) Exterior Light Shelves
C) Interior Light Shelves
D) Raising the window height above 7’6”
E) Interior blinds
4. Which of the following will help allow you to reduce the size of the cooling system required? (Choose 3)
A) Larger R Values
B) Larger U Values
C) Higher Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
D) Lower Lighting Power Density
E) Energy Recovery Systems on equipment
5. Which is true regarding FAR?
A) FAR cannot be zero
B) FAR cannot be greater than 1
C) FAR cannot be greater than 100
D) Higher FARs are preferred by LEED
6. Which of the following represents the relationship between a Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment?
A) A Phase I assessment addresses pesticides, solvents and mold while a Phase II assessment addresses petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and asbestos.
B) A Phase I assessment includes the actual testing of physical samples while a Phase II assessment analyzes those samples in detail.
C) A Phase I assessment is a report that identifies environmental contamination while a Phase II assessment is an investigation that collects samples of soil to analyze for various contaminants.
D) A Phase I assessment takes place during construction, while a Phase II assessment takes place at or just before occupancy.
7. A project is developing tenant design and construction guidelines as part of its LEED Certification efforts. Which LEED Rating System is it likely pursuing?
A) Commercial Interiors
B) Tenant Interiors
C) Schools
D) New Construction
E) Core and Shell
8. Which of the following best represents xeriscaping?
A) Planting trees that can provide food for the building occupants such as apple or orange trees
B) A type of advanced drip irrigation system that responds to water demand by sensing soil moisture content
C) A landscape design that directs the flow of rainwater on-site to the area that requires the most irrigation
D) A landscape design that requires little or no irrigation or maintenance
9. Exemplary performance may be achieved for Green Power at the following threshold:
A) 50%
B) 70%
C) 75%
D) 90%
E) Exemplary Performance is not available for the Green Power and Carbon Offset credit
10. Electricity meters installed for Advanced Energy Metering must record which of the following?
A) Consumption Only
B) Demand only
C) Consumption and Demand
D) Neither consumption nor demand
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For more LEED AP exam advice, check out Alex's popular LEED AP exam tips here
LEED AP v4 Exam Preparation with Project Experience
Let Alex Spilger help you pass the LEED AP exam. Alex, founder of GreenStep, has taken the LEED exams more than any other person on Earth and worked on over 100 diverse LEED projects.
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