8 replies to this topic

[jlkells]

Hey all, civil structural here. I hear lots of people bashing the LEED program so it makes me gunshy to take the test, but I see it as the next necessary step after the PE.

I am looking for some books that I will need for studies. I have nothing so far.

FYI I am looking to take the BD+C section of the test.

Please respond to this or PM me to let me know what you have and what it will cost.

[Sleepy]

I believe that you have to get the LEED Green Associate first before you can take the LEED AP.

[VTEnviro]

I think it's largely a joke, but it's a hot item right now and looks good on a resume.

I took the exam a few years ago when there was no heirarchy to it and you became a LEED AP after you passed that silly exam.

I don't know how the system is structured all that well at this point.

[Trev... P.E.]

I think it's largely a joke, but it's a hot item right now and looks good on a resume.

I took the exam a few years ago when there was no heirarchy to it and you became a LEED AP after you passed that silly exam.

I don't know how the system is structured all that well at this point.

You can either take the GA & AP exams in one 4 hour sitting, or take them separately. I'd recommend taking separately, that way you avoid the 4 hour sitting, and you hold the GA credential while working on the AP. This will cost $50 more, but if you're new to the LEED system, the GA exam is MUCH easier than the AP. That said, if you've worked a ton of LEED projects already then you might consider bashing both out at once.

Keep in mind the requirements to even sit the exam, the GA is simple, you just need to be involved in buildings, get a letter signed by your manager that meets the requirements of the candidate handbook... AP on the other hand, you need experience with a LEED project. Do you have this?

The other consideration is the CMP program. In earning the credential, you'll be signing up for 15 hours with the GA, or 30 hours with the AP, to be done every 2 years.

As for the value of the credential, I believe it looks good on a resume, that's about all I want from it. I'll be sitting the O+M AP exam in a week.

[Sleepy]

I am qualified to take the LEED Green Associate and I plan to take the exam in a month. Can you recommend good books/study materials for this exam?
I bought the two books from USGBC 1) LEED Green Associate Study Guide and 2) Green Building and LEED Core Concepts and just didn't feel confident with just these two. They seem to be somewhat identical and only touch the surface of the topics.
I am considering the package offered by greenexamprep (without the online 8hr course) on here http://www.greenexam...LVERLEEDGA.html
But I want to ask for your opinion on good and relevant study materials before I waste more money on this whole #@$#%$$#$ LEED thing!!!

I've already spent roughtly $200 for an educational class to get qualified for the exam, money for the GBCI to verify my qualification ($50 wtf?) and the two not so great books from the source...

...and yes, I feel like being on big time.

[Trev... P.E.]

I am qualified to take the LEED Green Associate and I plan to take the exam in a month. Can you recommend good books/study materials for this exam?
I bought the two books from USGBC 1) LEED Green Associate Study Guide and 2) Green Building and LEED Core Concepts and just didn't feel confident with just these two. They seem to be somewhat identical and only touch the surface of the topics.
I am considering the package offered by greenexamprep (without the online 8hr course) on here http://www.greenexam...LVERLEEDGA.html
But I want to ask for your opinion on good and relevant study materials before I waste more money on this whole #@$#%$$#$ LEED thing!!!

I've already spent roughtly $200 for an educational class to get qualified for the exam, money for the GBCI to verify my qualification and the two books from the source that don't seem to be very helpful...and yes, I feel like being on big time.

These exams can take your shirt if you're not careful.

Not to make you feel too bad, but people have been getting approval to take the GA using certificates generated by the free CMP web based courses offered at https://www.usgbc.or...;CMSPageID=2115 ..not sure if they would stand up to an audit, but there's plenty of word of mouth getting around that these are a-okay
Depending on your profession & school background, a signed letter from a boss or professor would also have done the trick....

I also bought the core concepts & study guide. waste of $$ big time

I would recommend the GBES GA package for $50 regardless of what other material you have purchased. This includes a study guide in pdf & MP3 format as well as 7 practice tests. EVERYONE who takes the test should get this IMO... But if you want free stuff, there is some available:

http://www.greenlearner.com/
http://studio4llc.co...tudy-materials/
http://www.green.ca....eedtraining.htm (careful as these were recorded prior to the massive changes in the appendices coming out)
http://www.buildingm...-practice-test/

Also make sure you are familiar with all the free OFFICIAL reference download documents here: http://www.gbci.org/...-associate.aspx ESPECIALLY the refrigerants.

Hope this helps.

[Sleepy]

I am qualified to take the LEED Green Associate and I plan to take the exam in a month. Can you recommend good books/study materials for this exam?
I bought the two books from USGBC 1) LEED Green Associate Study Guide and 2) Green Building and LEED Core Concepts and just didn't feel confident with just these two. They seem to be somewhat identical and only touch the surface of the topics.
I am considering the package offered by greenexamprep (without the online 8hr course) on here http://www.greenexam...LVERLEEDGA.html
But I want to ask for your opinion on good and relevant study materials before I waste more money on this whole #@$#%$$#$ LEED thing!!!

I've already spent roughtly $200 for an educational class to get qualified for the exam, money for the GBCI to verify my qualification and the two books from the source that don't seem to be very helpful...and yes, I feel like being on big time.

These exams can take your shirt if you're not careful.

Not to make you feel too bad, but people have been getting approval to take the GA using certificates generated by the free CMP web based courses offered at https://www.usgbc.or...;CMSPageID=2115 ..not sure if they would stand up to an audit, but there's plenty of word of mouth getting around that these are a-okay
Depending on your profession & school background, a signed letter from a boss or professor would also have done the trick....

I also bought the core concepts & study guide. waste of $$ big time

I would recommend the GBES GA package for $50 regardless of what other material you have purchased. This includes a study guide in pdf & MP3 format as well as 7 practice tests. EVERYONE who takes the test should get this IMO... But if you want free stuff, there is some available:

http://www.greenlearner.com/
http://studio4llc.co...tudy-materials/
http://www.green.ca....eedtraining.htm (careful as these were recorded prior to the massive changes in the appendices coming out)
http://www.buildingm...-practice-test/

Also make sure you are familiar with all the free OFFICIAL reference download documents here: http://www.gbci.org/...-associate.aspx ESPECIALLY the refrigerants.

Hope this helps.

thank you for the tips and the links.

It's ok. I "had" to attend the CALGreen seminar for other reasons anyway so it wasn't so much of a waste.
I have heard good things about the GBES package. I wish I asked for advices on EB before buying the books from GBCI...

Btw, how long did you study for these exams?

[VTEnviro]

I overstudied for it big time. Studied a couple hours every day for a month. Finished in an hour and 15 minutes and got a 192. Not exactly a tough exam.

[Trev... P.E.]

thank you for the tips and the links.

It's ok. I "had" to attend the CALGreen seminar for other reasons anyway so it wasn't so much of a waste.
I have heard good things about the GBES package. I wish I asked for advices on EB before buying the books from GBCI...

Btw, how long did you study for these exams?

I think I spent about a month like VTEnviro, but I spent maybe 5 hours a week in the first few weeks and only ramped it up for the last week or two. Not a hard test at all, just understand the concepts and use the GBES tests to show you what funny items need to be memorized such as standards, refrigerants, the types of facilities included in community connectivity, etc etc. You'll get the picture when you take some tests. FYI some questions from the Greenlearner tests go far beyond the scope of the GA by asking for specific points earned in BD+C etc.