Every LEED Certification/Accreditation Fee In One Place

I had a few requests today at work for clarifications on LEED fees, presumably because they're a little hard to find or that they require 3-4 clicks to get to from the main website and my coworkers are lazy (just kidding... please don't fire me!)

Perhaps an unfair picture for this post, but then again...

As a result, I thought all you LEED power users might appreciate a post that will link directly to fees for every rating system. In each case, fees all versions of the rating system are indicated:

• LEED New Construction
• LEED for Schools
• LEED for Core and Shell (includes fees for LEED-CS Precertification)
• LEED for Commercial Interiors
• LEED for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance (includes fees for recertification)
• LEED for Neighborhood Development (includes fees for all review stages)
• LEED for Homes (does not include fees for LEED Provider or Green Rater)
• LEED Green Associate Exam (includes Credentialing Maintenance costs)
• LEED Accredited Professional Exam (includes all specialties and Credentialing Maintenance costs)
• LEED for Homes Green Rater Exam

So that's that, and I hope it makes you're life slightly easier... If any of these links break please let me know by leaving a comment!

A Can't Miss LEED GA Exam Prep Webinar with LEEDuser

UPDATE: 05.23.10- For those that missed it the first time around, this webinar is now available for free online at the LEEDuser website... Check it out!

So the fine folks over at LEEDuser* somehow convinced me to turn my post on LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) exam advice into a FREE, full-blown webinar on the same subject next Tuesday, April 27th at 3:00pm EST. I've been working on the slides yesterday and this morning and instead of going into what I'll be talking about (hint: it's about how to prepare for the LEED GA exam!) I thought you might be more intrigued by some of the images I'm considering including:

Clearly you have to find out how in the hell all these pictures relate to the exam (hint: some don't!), so sign up today! Believe it or not I've also included some very helpful information and advice and shoved it in between all the cheesy jokes and LOLcat references.

*LEEDuser is a sponsor of RealLifeLEED.

LEED ND Launches April 29th + First LEED AP ND Specializations Earned

After a refreshing weekend in the desert of California (ok... technically I was on a giant polo field), I came back to find a few important announcements about the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system, namely that there are now LEED AP ND specialists out there and that the system is going to be launched on April 29th!

Did I mention that I'm digging the LEED-ND logo?

LEED-ND To Be Launched On Thursday, April 29

According to a press release forwarded by the USGBC Wednesday morning, there are going to be a set of meetings in Chicago and Washington, DC where R. Fed and company will "launch the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system" and it will be available online for registration at that time.*

First Batch of LEED AP ND Specialties Awarded

I found out about this through a less official but no less accurate source, as a friend of mine let me know that he just received a letter from the GBCI indicating that he had passed the beta test for the LEED AP ND specialty. The 'normal' test won't be live until June 11, 2010 (see the candidate handbook for eligibility and logistical details), but it appears as though you can apply to take the test right now. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Nathan Schutte, the first LEED AP ND worldwide (as far as I know**), on the links lamenting the lack of development density while enjoying the access to green space:

Leading us straight to sixth place...

Nathan had already passed the LEED-NC v2 AP exam, but was interested in learning about the system oriented more towards planning than building design. Since the beta test was free he decided it couldn't hurt to try. He said of the experience: "This test was the biggest kick in the teeth I've experienced." In other words it was hard, which is not terribly surprising but helpful to know anyway. He had worked on LEED-NC projects before, one of which happened to fall within a LEED-ND pilot project, and my understanding is that he used the LEED Reference Guide for Green Neighborhood Development as his study tool.

Were you in the group that took the LEED ND beta test? Let us know about your experience by sharing a comment!

*This section was edited on 04.22.10 after the USGBC Communications Department confirmed that registrations will be live on 04.29.10.

**Meaning this could easily be incorrect, but presumably all beta testers were notified at roughly the same time.

Residental LEED Projects Already Surpass Commercial Projects in Total Certifications

I noticed a while back from the USGBC updates that residential certifications were quickly catching up to their commercial counterparts. A USGBC Update from 03.11.10 there are now 5,000 'residential' certifications and 4,890 commercial projects in existence, though there are still slightly more commercial registered projects... amazing growth considering the first LEED-NC system was released over ten years ago while LEED-Homes was only launched in April of 2009...

USGBC Update from 03.11.10

I think this is great news... at this point everyone in the industry knows about LEED, so the only growth in awareness is going to have to come from the general public. As LEED Homes grows in popularity it only stands to reason that the other systems will gain wider recognition and demand as well. Wider demand means better benefits for certification (in higher lease rates and such), which will then spur increased demand for certification, which means more awareness still, and the glorious feedback loop continues on and on...

Details and More Details

When I first noticed this I shot off a quick email to the USGBC communications department to get some clarity on the distinction between 'residential' and 'commercial' projects. (Before you ask... I got a very timely reply... the fault for the delay in the post is all mine!) Residential projects are comprised of residential units, not necessarily project certifications (e.g. a multifamily building with 8 units earning a single LEED Homes rating counts not once but eight times) certified under traditional LEED for Homes or the LEED for Homes Mid-Rise Pilot systems. Commercial buildings are presumably everything else...

The next question I asked was whether the growth LEED Homes speciality accreditations were outpacing the other systems, but the response from the USGBC was that this is not the case yet...

Only 1.6% of Legacy LEED AP's Have Opted Into New Credentialling Program

So I was browsing through the GBCI's LEED AP directory the other day and noticed how few LEED AP's had a specialty listed next to their status. It's been exactly 7 weeks and one day since 'legacy' LEED AP's were able to upgrade to the new credentialing maintenance program (see my questions and concerns about the benefits of such a move here), and I thought it would be interesting to figure out how many have made the plunge into the new credentialing system. After running some numbers I've estimated that less than 1.6% of legacy LEED APs have moved into the new program.

Maytag Man Considering Whether Clients Will Notice LEED-AP Appliance Operations + Maintenance Specialty

If we keep up at this rate (roughly .8%/month), less than 20% will have opted in by the start of the next credentialing cycle two years from the start of the program. I suspect that many of you, like myself, are simply holding out to get a better feel for the new program as the USGBC/GBCI figures it out themselves. The alternatives are that (a) many people have no intention of switching over or (b) that people just haven't been paying attention. I don't really have any frame of reference for all this, but it seems like a slow uptake to me.

The Numbers Behind the Number

This is an incredibly boring explanation of the numbers, and I would suggest not reading them for that reason. At the same time, I get very frustrated when people make claims and show no data to back it up. As of 6:00 pm EST, 09.22.09, the GBCI directory listed the following:

• Everyone (GA, AP, and AP w/ Specialties) - 122,527
  • Note that placement on this list is voluntary, and I've seen total AP's listed at 131,655 in a 09.09.09 email from the USGBC. My numbers just use GBCI published AP's, which should be a reasonable proxy for AP's at large.
• LEED APs without specialty - 121,271
  • This number seems to include all previous LEED APs and those who have upgraded to the new system (i.e. those that now have a specialty as well). When you upgrade, the directory appears to list both your 'conventional' LEED AP designation as well as the specialty separately. I did not see anyone on this list with a LEED GA certification (implying they took the tests instead of just opting in). In other words, if we take this number and subtract only those with a specialty, we should get LEED APs who haven't upgraded, but I haven't found a sure way to separate this out.
• LEED APs with specialty + LEED Green Associates - 3,156
• LEED APs with specialty 'only' - 2,018
  • Presumably this would include both people who have taken the new tests and those that opted in. The figure for converts I've chosen simply takes this number and divides it by the the 122,527 'everyone' number above (1.64% conversion).
• LEED Green Associates - 1,163
  • This should only be possible from taking the exam itself, but I've seen a few names that also listed the regular "LEED AP" designation as well, which is strange in that there doesn't seem to be any reason to take the GA test if you could just opt into the higher specialty??? Interestingly, 1163 + 2018 = 3181. Since a search looking for people with either designation yields 3156 hits, it suggests that there is only an overlap of 25 people (3181-3156=25), suggesting only 25 have so far passed both the LEED GA and a LEED specialty exam.

  You probably noticed all the assumptions above, and the directory left me with more than a little confusion since I couldn't separate out certain classes entirely. I put in an email to the USGBC for an official number, though I did so with hardly any advance notice. If I receive official numbers I'll be sure to post them, but it's clear that it's highly unlikely that more than 1.6% of legacy LEED AP's have opted into the new system.

Do Legacy LEED APs Really Benefit By Upgrading to the 2009 System?

I'm assuming most of you received the email announcement on Tuesday from the GBCI announcing that the new credentialling maintenance program that everyone is so excited about is launching next Monday, August 3rd. Basically this means that v3 LEED APs (and Green Associates) are on the clock for their 30 (or 15) hours of continuing education starting then. For LEED APs accredited under the v2 systems, you have three options:

• "Become a LEED AP with specialty by passing one of the new specialty examinations; only the specialty part of the exam will be required if testing during your enrollment window. When applying for the exam you will need to sign the disciplinary policy and agree to Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP). Once you have passed the exam, you mayl use one of the new specialty designations (O&M, BD&C, ID&C) after your name.
• Become a LEED AP with specialty by enrolling in the new tiered system—i.e. agreeing to the CMP and signing the disciplinary policy—and completing prescriptive CMP for the initial 2-year reporting period. Once you have enrolled, you will use one of the new specialty designations (O&M, BD&C, ID&C) after your name. Enrollment must occur before during your enrollment window.
• Do nothing; you will be designated a LEED AP without specialty in the LEED Professional Directory."

For the 115,000 or so (haven't seen official reports on final v2 accreditation numbers yet... but I saw this number in a recent article) of you accredited under the v2 sessions I ask the following: Do you really need to go through the trouble of upgrading?

Previous descriptions of what would happen to 'legacy LEED APs' not enrolling in the new system stated that they would be listed under some sort of 'inactive' status, though that doesn't really seem to be the case anymore. From what I can tell, the only consequence from not switching to the new system is that you won't be able to list a "specialty" after the LEED AP on your business card.

Nothing I've read in that original email or the GBCI site indicates that anything else changes - you'll still be listed on the directory and presumably will still be able to claim the IDc2 point for being a LEED AP. I haven't been able to confirm that last point about the IDc2 point, but I've seen nothing stating it's not true either.

By holding onto your non-specialized v2 LEED AP status I see the following benefits:

• You don't have to pay the GBCI $50 every two years.
• You don't have to deal with 30 hours of continuing education every two years.
• You can tell clients you're accreditation is old school, and all these noob suckas ain't got no game no how. Yet you can still claim that you passed an exam in the associated NC, CS, or EB anyway, but can't put it on your card as a 'specialty'.

Kickin' it Old School

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not going to rush into switching into the new system any time soon. You've got two years to decide anyway, so it seems prudent to see how these things are going to shake out over the next few months before taking on anything more than you have to.

The above is all essentially based on the email I mentioned and FAQ for "LEED APs Without Specialty and Enrollment". It's entirely possible that I may be incorrect about the repercussions of staying a LEED AP under the old system, but I promise to update this post if I find anything to be incorrect. I've seen somewhat conflicting information (see chart) related to costs to remain a Legacy LEED AP out of Building Green, but that's a few months old... Reading this enrollment guide from the GBCI leads me to believe you must pay for enrollment in the maintenance program, not necessarily to keep your existing title.

What do you think about this? Also, any clarification would be appreciated... Please let us know by leaving a comment!

Schinnerer: LEED AP = Higher Standard of Care

A colleague just forwarded me the Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc.'s Guidelines for Improving Practice. This insurance company frequently provides educational services for its clients and others, and the "LEED Accredited Professional Program Changes Risk Profiles" article on page four made the following statement in no uncertain terms:

"Members of the upgraded LEED AP+ program now will face a higher standard of care for their services."

This is the first instance where I've seen the higher standard of care argument placed with no qualifiers such as 'maybe' or 'will soon face', which is particularly troubling considering it's coming from a company who could potential profit from such a statement being true. I'm not a lawyer, but I always understood that standard of care was determined by industry norms and generally worked out in court, not by declaration.

Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money

It seems like by publishing such material, Schinnerer is providing evidence in a future case that a lawyer could point to, reinforcing their own statement and need for the insurance. Oh no... I just realized by the act of writing this blog post I may be feeding the vicious cycle. Please forgive me future APs in lawsuits!

Much less troubling and more useful is the article on page five that features sample contract language for "When Owner Wants the Design to Meet Specific Sustainability Criteria" that essentially says "Hey Mr. Owner, I'm going to design you a kick ass building, but it may require me to need to use new materials that may not have a long track record. We'll let you know about that if it happens, but if you run into trouble down the road it ain't our fault."

The second contract issue it helps you resolve is "When Owner Wants Third-Party Certification of Sustainability". That goes something like "Hey Mr. Owner, I hear you want LEED, but I'm not the only one involved in making that happen. We'll take care of it as we can, but you can't sue me for not getting that platinum plaque you asked for unless it's my fault alone."

I'd recommend checking reading these articles on your own, and would appreciate some comments about all this from you lawyerly types (Chris? Stephen? Others?).

Obama Passes LEED AP Exam!

NOTE - 04.06.09 - While most could figure it out on April 1st, April Fool's jokes aren't on everyone's minds a few days later, and Google has a long memory. For that reason I'd like to confirm that the following is a joke (as if I do real reporting here anyway), propagated and distributed by sarcastic chaps such as myself and those credited below. A happy April to you all!

Via 4specs discussion boards and LiveOaks.

"The White House announced today that President Obama passed the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED NC v2.2 accreditation examination, and is now a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the President got his AP because he strongly believes that green building and the LEED system are critical to stimulating a green economic recovery, reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil, and mobilizing the international community to meet the challenge of global climate change.

"Becoming a LEED AP is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life" said President Obama. "I decided that now was the time to get my AP, especially in light of the upcoming changes to USGBC's credentialing system... Green building is right for our economy, right for our health care system, and right for our future. LEED points the way towards the development of truly regenerative and sustainable communities, and now that I have my AP, I'm confident that I'm prepared for the job of rebuilding our country", the President added. "I learned all about LEED from my daughters Sasha and Malia, who attend the Sidwell School, the first LEED Platinum certified school. Malia persuaded me to become a LEED AP; she even registered me for the exam herself."

Please don't sue me Shepherd!

USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi congratulated the President on this outstanding achievement. "It's impressive that President Obama found the time to study for and pass the exam while evaluating and making tough policy decisions about the nation's financial and automobile industry crises, the situation in Afghanistan, and preparing for his trip to the G20 summit", said Mr. Fedrizzi. "Many others study for months, and have difficulty passing the first time. USGBC is proud to count Mr. Obama as the first President of any country as a LEED AP", added Mr. Fedrizzi."

I wish I could take credit for this scoop, but all of that goes to Mr. Steven Bruneel, AIA, CSI-CDT, LEED-AP! Thanks to Chris as well for the head's up!

LEED 2009 (and AP Exam) Update Presentation

This has been covered before in a few posts (see LEED 2009 tag), but last week I boiled all of what I know about upcoming changes, new credentialing requirements, and important implementation dates into a short presentation that some of you may find handy.

...I also now have an excuse to post this picture on the blog...

I promise this makes sense in the presentation

Please let me know if you have any problems downloading. I'm cheap, so I'm using a free hosting service, but if people can't get the file easily or quickly I may spring for some sweet, sweet bandwidth.

Current LEED AP Exam Deadline Announced: June 30th

NOTE: This entry was edited on March 5th, 2009 to reflect an official announcement from the GBCI. The original version of the post cited a USGBC source and did not link to the press release.

The Green Buildings Certification Institute (GBCI) has just issued a press release confirming that the last day to TAKE the current set of LEED AP exams is June 30th, 2009. It is very important to note that the last day to REGISTER for these exams is March 31st, a date that is fast approaching.

Also important to note is that if you schedule to take the test after the March 31st registration deadline, there will be NO opportunity to retest as the registration date has passed. If you're scared about failing and want the opportunity to retake the current exam, it's vital you schedule your exam date before the end of March.

Need help studying? I've offered a few thoughts on practicing for the exam in this post. Official details about the process for registering and signing up for the exam can be found on the Green Buildings Certification Institute (GBCI) website.

Major Changes to LEED AP Accreditation - A One Page Primer

Immediately following the "LEED 2009: Lift Off" presentation was one from the Green Buildings Certification Institute (GBCI) titled: "GBCI: Accreditation, Certification, and More." If the previous presentation was big on fluff and light on details, this one had me scrambling to keep up at my keyboard!  Luckily, they posted a page that is uncommonly clear in listing dates for changes to occur!

Beth Holst, the Vice President Credentialing at GBCI, succinctly laid out the broad strokes of a completely revised, three-tiered accreditation system that I think is an enormously good idea! Before she started she did mention that 'legacy' LEED APs don't need to worry... "nothing is going to change for you." This is sort of a lie, but we'll get back to that later.

Tiered Credentialing

Instead of a one size fits all approach for each exam track, there is now going to be a flexible hierarchy of LEED accreditation that makes a whole lot of sense. A frequent complaint of the AP system is that it requires people to learn a lot of details that don't necessarily apply to they're everyday job. While it may be important for an architect to have detailed knowledge of every credit in the system, a contractor shouldn't be forced to memorize information about referenced standards for energy modeling or calculations for water efficiency. As a result, there is now a three tiered system:

Tier One - Green Associate

Many CEOs, marketing representatives, students, and other non-technical professionals are going to love this. The "LEED Green Associate" credential will test you only on the broad strokes of LEED... How does the LEED process work? Who needs to be involved at each stage? How do I know which rating system to use? Etc... This credential applies to all LEED systems. Once you earn this level of accreditation you can move on to the next stage:

Tier Two - LEED Accredited Professional

What was previously the only LEED AP designation is now the second tier. The basic idea is that this is where you would earn a specialized accreditation for each system. As Holst put it, "Homes are different... Neighborhood Development is really, really different", and there will be different tests for each rating system:

• Buildings Design and Construction (LEED-NC)
• Commercial Interiors Design and Construction (LEED-CI)
• Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB)
• Homes (a new LEED-Homes track)
• Neighborhood Design (a new LEED-ND track)

Omitted in the presentation but listed on the website is a requirement that to become a LEED AP you must now also have some form of "professional experience on at least one LEED project." This will frustrate some people for sure, but I feel it's a good step forward.

Tier Three - LEED-AP Fellow

"We're going to take our time with this through the year." This was about the only information provided about the highest credential of Fellow. Holst was very clear that they want to take their time to develop an appropriately rigorous standard for fellowship, and that was about all we heard about this.

Code of Ethics

From a brief description, there is going to be a LEED AP Code of Ethics that all current AND future LEED APs will have to abide by. Most interesting about this announcement was that Holst hinted at some sort of peer enforcement system. Apparently there will be some avenue for people to tattle on their peers who aren't promoting sustainable design as they should. In the past the USGBC has essentially steered clear of policing its ranks, so it will be interesting to see how this develops in practice.

What You Really Want to Know - Timing of Exam Updates

Aside from the times listed below, I have it on good (but not rock solid) authority that the last day to register for the current LEED-NCv2.2 and LEED-CIv2.0 exams is going to be March 31st, with GBCI to cutoff administering exams sometime around June. This should give you plenty of time to study, take, and pass the current exams should you so choose, but you don't have much time to wait!

Straight from the GBCI Website

Credentialing Maintenance

"What do legacy LEED APs have to do? Nothing..." was what Holst said, but this ain't exactly true. With the new exams will come a new credentialing maintenance program. That's right, it's just another word for continuing education requirements... BLEH! Details are a little fuzzy, but the program works in two year blocks that will be consistent with the two year LEED revision cycle.

What you'll need to do every two years:

• Tier 1 Green Associate - 15 hours/two years - 3 LEED specific hours required
• Tier 2 LEED AP - 30 hours - 6 LEED specific

In addition to the fact that you have to do the continuing ed, you must also now pay a bi-annual maintenance fee of $50. Current LEED AP's will get the first FREE for first 2 years but will have to pay thereafter.

There's more to this than listed here, but I just wanted to hit on the high notes. Visit the GBCI page about the new system for more details. What do you think about the changes? Please let us know by leaving a comment.

FREE LEED-AP Exams!

I sometimes help out with LEED AP study classes, and lately I've been fielding a lot of questions about when the current LEED exam will end. (ANSWER - I'm not sure, but my guess from the LEED-EB process is that it will be at least a few months after LEED 2009 is implemented before they update the test tracks. I'd say but cannot guarantee that you'd probably still be able to take the current NC and CI exams at least through the first quarter of 2009.) While searching for an answer, I happened to notice a small paragraph mentioning a call for beta testers of the new LEED-EB Operations and Maintenance test:

If you register for an exam, but do not schedule an appointment, or if you cancel your scheduled exam appointment, you will have the option to participate in the Beta testing of the new EBOM exam for free. Beta testing will occur in November, 2008. Although specific details will follow, please know now that if you participate in the Beta testing event, it will take several months to receive your pass or fail notification. If you are interested in this option, please contact GBCI at volunteer@gbci.org.

As far as I can tell this is still open, and of course you're currently limited to LEED-EB, but with LEED 2009 on the horizon I think it's reasonable to assume a similar testing track will be available as the LEED-NC and LEED-CI exams get reworked.

Waiting a few months for your results could be tough but is likely worth a $300-$400 savings for many people. Worst case scenario you take the test later at regular cost. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more info on this subject and will be sure to post about any updates... If you see something I missed please let everyone know by leaving a comment!

Obligatory LEED Exam Advice

EDIT 03/30/2010 - I've finally gotten around to providing exam advice, study guide reviews, and a set of FREE study materials for the updated LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) exam here... At this point, the info below is so dated that it doesn't really apply!

EDIT 12/01/2008 - See this page for information about upcoming changes to the accreditation process and a time line for when it will happen.

Real Life LEED is all about the practicing professional, but I can't help but notice how many of you reach the site via "LEED exam" searches and send me emails asking advice. All you future AP's listen up cause I'm only going to say this once! The rest of you die hard current AP's can stop reading and get yourself a beer...

The Basics

The test is a multiple choice test graded on an incredibly vague rating scale split into four parts. It is administered now by the Green Buildings Certification Institute, and any official information about changes can be found there. There are three exam tracks available that are aligned with their respective rating systems: LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC), LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI), and LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). Once you pass though, there is no meaningful distinction among the exam tracks. In other words, someone who passes the EB exam will still qualify to earn the bonus ID point on a LEED-NC project.

I know someone's already emailed you this, but it's funny anyway

Unless you're a facilities manager whose job is optimizing existing facilities, take the LEED-NC exam. LEED-NC is sort of like the motherland of all other systems, which are in one form or another just derivatives of the NC program. LEED-EB, LEED for Homes, and LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) are all fairly distinct from NC, but of the three there is only an exam track for LEED-EB. EB is currently nowhere near as prevalent as the other systems, so unless all you do is operate and manage facilities (renovations are still likely part of the NC program), you might as well take NC. The LEED for Commercial Interiors track is kind of a joke in my opinion. The credits are pretty much the same and even interior designers and architects are likely to be working on NC projects as much as CI projects.

Scheduling

Everything you need to know about how to sign-up for the exam can be found in the Candidate Handbook, so I'm not going to waste my time explaining costs and numbers to call. Just understand that you can take the test whenever you want. I normally recommend giving yourself two months to study, and to go ahead and reserve your spot at the testing center before you start studying. Knowing that you could just blow three or four hundred dollars by failing a test you've already signed up for was a pretty good motivator for me. You're going to need to dedicate at least five hours a week to studying, preferably with a good cram session the day before the test. Simply signing up for one of the workshops (see below) and expecting to pass after one day is not a good strategy.

What You Need To Know

The short answer is a whole lot. You need to know the reference guide of your exam track backwards and forwards. Really knowing and understanding the credits is by far the large majority of the test. There are four sections to the test, and a solid knowledge of the individual credits will more or less get you through three of them. The "Implement LEED Process" section is a bastard of a category that can be difficult to find answers to. I took the Essentials of LEED Professional Accreditation online course and found it did a good job of helping provide "official" responses to those types of questions. Spend some time studying when you should register the project with LEED-Online, what system applies to various project types, and all about CIR's and other such goodies.

Studying the Reference Guide

You may notice the reference guide is a few hundred pages long. Luckily there is a fair amount of fluff you can more or less skip. Don't waste time reading the "Resources" section, and I don't feel you need to go through all the "Definitions". The most import things to know are the intent, requirements, referenced standards (yes you do need to know the difference between ASHRAE 90.1 and ASRAE 55), calculations, and submittal documentation required. You only need to know as much about the referenced standards as is provided by the reference guide, so don't worry about studying the intricate details of SCAQMD Rule 1168, but do know that it applies to sealants and adhesives for EQc4.1. Don't forget to learn the exemplary performance thresholds either.

Quality FREE Resources

There are a number of free resources out there, but understand at some point you need to get a copy of the reference guide, which may be difficult to find for free unless you work in an office with copies lying around. That said, there are a number of sites I recommend visiting:

• IntheLEED.com - This was a blog by a guy named Pat who decided to just blog about his experience studying for the exam. The result is a site chock full of tips, tricks, cheat sheets, etc. that is all available free of charge. I would say this should be your first stop, and if you have any questions email him and not me...
• AREforum.org - This site is setup to be a forum for people studying for the architectural registration exam, but they have a section devoted to LEED that is well trafficked. If you're searching for a used reference guide or get stuck trying to find an answer to a practice question this is the place to go. You'll even see my humble mug answering questions when I can... I also recommend taking a look at all the "brain dumps" you'll see from people who just passed or failed the test (about a 50/50 split)...
• Building Green Suite Practice Exam - I really like BGS, as can be evidenced by this post. They have written a free practice exam (see comments on the linked page for a few bugs), which I always recommend people taking before they take the real test. The level of detail necessary to pass can be an eye opener for many.

Good luck to all of you, and when you start your first project be sure to come back here and get ready for some real learning! Disagree with my advice? Tell me where I'm wrong by leaving a comment.