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LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:17 am
by corbismyhomeboy
Sorry if I'm not posting this in the right place, but short of Archinect and that surly bunch, I'm not sure where else to ask.

Those of you who have taken LEED BD+C, what was your experience like? How long did you spend studying for the GA exam and then the actual BD+C exam? I've seen some study plans put out by LEED that only required 2 weeks of study for the GA and 4 weeks for BD+C with the material you can buy from them. Is this realistic? I'm not even sure what study materials to buy - everyone in my office got their LEED testing done when it was just one test to become LEED AP so there aren't really any resources available in my office. Are the questions and wording as convoluted as the ARE or much more straightforward? I've looked at all of the info on the LEED website, but I find it very confusing! To be honest, the whole thing just feels like they're trying to sell me stuff. (I know they are!)

Any help is appreciated!

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:31 am
by buckie06
I'm curious as well. I've been thinking about taking the LEED or WELL exam

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:26 pm
by tatamin
My experience: I took and passed them on the first try

-LEED GA in 2012 - took a one-day seminar, studied Gang Chen's GA Book, took GBES Mock Exam
-LEED BD+C in 2013 - bought USGBC LEED BD+C Reference Guide Book (read it 3 times), studied Gang Chen's BD+C Book, took GBES Mock Exam
-LEED ID+C in 2014 - bought USGBC LEED ID+C Reference Guide Book (read it 3 times), studied Gang Chen's ID+C Book, took GBES Mock Exam

I have a small kid & a slow learner and took 2-3 months for each. Like Gang Chen said in his book, 2-3 months will be max for the study time.

GA was SUPER easy. BD+C was easy. ID+C was easier than BD+C. Then I took my first ARE exam 2 months after I passed ID+C and I got Level 3 for the sustainability and environmental section of CDS and failed. They had a different version when I took them - now LEED V.4(?) Believe me. If you can pass the ARE exams you can pass them easily.

I have NO LEED project experience. I took them just my resume looks good. I don't really worry about it. I worry more about the ARE. Those are SUPER harder!

-tatamin

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 2:17 pm
by tatamin
Add one more. At that time, the GBC required a candidate to have a LEED project experience to take LEED AP exams. So I paid $500 (or so) for the Green Step's online training course for a month (?) just to be eligible to take the exam.

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:16 pm
by nickedemus
tatamin wrote:Add one more. At that time, the GBC required a candidate to have a LEED project experience to take LEED AP exams. So I paid $500 (or so) for the Green Step's online training course for a month (?) just to be eligible to take the exam.


Do they no longer have that requirement? That makes me happy.

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 4:55 pm
by tatamin
nickedemus wrote:
tatamin wrote:Add one more. At that time, the GBC required a candidate to have a LEED project experience to take LEED AP exams. So I paid $500 (or so) for the Green Step's online training course for a month (?) just to be eligible to take the exam.


Do they no longer have that requirement? That makes me happy.


Sorry, I don't know. Like the ARE, they change the testing requirements, contents, etc. once in a while... Now I'm just reporting my CE hours to keep it every 2 years. More info check out their web:
https://www.usgbc.org/

-tatamin

Re: LEED Testing Experiences?

PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 4:48 pm
by buckie06
So you thought the LEED was easier than the ARE exams?

that's good to know!