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ARE Forum > General Topics > ENTER LEED Topics > How to go about starting to study



How to go about starting to study
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Espresso
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 Posted: Fri Mar 24th, 2006 03:05 pm

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Hello,

I've recently finished up with the ARE exams, and thought I'd look into taking the LEED exam.  Anyone have some suggestions on how to get started.

Thanks,
Espresso

Aglaia
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 Posted: Sat Mar 25th, 2006 12:50 am

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I actually havethe same question. Just finished ARE's and borrowed a friend's LEED Reference Guide. I'm really struggling with what areas to really focus on, i.e., does one need to memorize which sources (i.e. ASHRAE, etc.) could apply to which credit? Memorize the credit numbers? Or know what's contained in the credits?

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 Posted: Sat Mar 25th, 2006 02:10 pm

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Yo Aglaia, nice to see you around again.  I looked on the LEED site and that seems to be a good start:

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=69&

Last edited on Sat Mar 25th, 2006 02:11 pm by Espresso

lashilli
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 Posted: Sat Mar 25th, 2006 03:16 pm

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Yes, know all three of these things. Know how the credits are used.
Given a scenario, be able to pick from a list which 3 credits apply to this scenario. Know the difference between 4.1, 4.2.4.3 etc.

Look over more than just the ASHRAE reference items. For example what regulatory agencies are related to wetlands. Definately know the energy modeling methods and how they relate to each other (important to know the difference between the ECB, design model and the LEED EMP.)

Know the Stormwater management section well. While there were no formulas on the exam, you should review how things are calculated. For example, how do you calculate the appropriate number of bicycles and required showers?

Good Luck.

mohull
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Mana: 
 Posted: Tue May 2nd, 2006 09:48 pm

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Espresso -

The link seems to broken - do you mind posting again, or suggesting terms to search for?  Took the workshop, and have those books, just frustrating right now reading about 2.2, even though it may be helfpul later, and being tested on 2.1... thanks for your help!

Rancho Cucamonga LEED AP
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 Posted: Wed May 3rd, 2006 07:48 am

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Go to the FTP site and check out the resources on there.

Also there is an online power point seminar free.  I'll see if I can find the link to post here.

L-AP
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 Posted: Sat May 6th, 2006 06:58 pm

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Check this thread for up to date study materials. ;)

http://www.areforum.org/forums/forum12/8445.html

awu72
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 Posted: Thu Jun 15th, 2006 05:43 pm

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here's a suggested study methodology which i used for v2.1

first some prereqs:
  • get the reference guide
  • get a copy of a suitable mock exam w/answers (i used the *** v2.1 mock exam w/answers )
  • get access to the USGBC website
  • schedule the exam. it doesn't cost anything to move it, if you do it more than 2 business days before your exam. (check that) scheduling the exam forces you to move on studying. also, prometric didn't charge me until after i took the exam, so there doesn't seem to be any "upfront" cost to doing this.
now, on how to study:
  1. download the LEED-NC checklist-v2.1.xls from USGBC (excel format). you use this as a basis to make your own study/cheat sheet.
  2. in excel add, 3 more columns with the headings
    • Requirements
    • Submittals
    • References
  3. start filling these out. the act of looking them up and filling them out kinda forces you to go through the reference book step-by-step. filling out your cheat sheet also gives you a "goal" and sense of accomplishment. if you just try to read the book alone, it get's pretty dry and seems a bit overwhelming. (BONUS: when you're done with your sheet, it also gives you a quick reference to some of the major contents of the exam.)
  4. review definitions at the end of the Reference guide. if you did step 3, you'll probably know most of them now.
  5. go to USGBC website and review the following:
    • process to certify a building including steps to take, generally how fees are calced, review periods, and under what LEED? NC, CI, etc.
    • CIR process, how to do it...
Test yourself:
  • do the mock exam and check your answers.
  • review weak areas.
  • move the exam date if you're freaking out...
Take the exam. Good luck.

Last edited on Tue Aug 1st, 2006 05:13 pm by awu72

lark
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 Posted: Fri Jun 16th, 2006 03:38 pm

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awu72 thank you for laying out this methodology of studying for this exam what a great idea.  I actually think I will tackle this next week - going away for the weekend:D

awu72
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 Posted: Thu Jul 20th, 2006 05:25 am

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FYI, some people have asked why I referenced the *** Mock Exam v2.1  in my previous post.

I felt that exam most closely approximated what the real exam is like in terms of the types of questions they'll ask. If anything, I'd guess that the CO Mock Exam is slightly harder than the real one. So if you are comfortable and prepared for that, you should be fine with the exam.

-a

P.S. Our LEED expert at work feels that a couple of the answers on that exam weren't exactly right, but that shouldn't slow anyone down.


P.P.S. Please also note that what I posted previously is only a suggested study regiment. One doesn't necessarily need the *** Study guide and mock exam to pass. Many people have done well without it or used a different mock exam.

DISCLOSURE: I am not affiliated with the entities that publish or profit from the *** LEED study guide.

Last edited on Tue Aug 1st, 2006 05:16 pm by awu72

DVH1
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 Posted: Wed Jul 26th, 2006 08:37 pm

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AWU72
Could you email me a copy of the *** v2.1 mock exam w/answers.
I could not find it.
thanks
DVH
my email DH001(AT)yahoo.com

awu72
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 Posted: Thu Jul 27th, 2006 02:50 am

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DVH1 wrote: Could you email me a copy of the *** v2.1 mock exam w/answers.
I could not find it.
thanks

DVH,

The exam study guide and mock exam are available at http://www.usgbc.org/Chapters/***/leed.asp

I happened to borrow my copy from my firm's library.

Good luck.

DVH1
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 Posted: Thu Jul 27th, 2006 03:55 pm

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thank you AWU72

abbyo
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 Posted: Tue Aug 22nd, 2006 09:52 pm

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The LEED exam is not as daunting as it may seem at first. I passed on my first try, as did my husband. We studied together and I found it really helpful to have someone to bounce confusing concepts off of. I also found that relating the credits to projects I am currently working on helped me to store the information.

-the reference guide/ USGBC website are invaluable resources.
-also this forum had some excellent pointers and review questions.
-don't worry if you feel like you are failing the exam as you are taking it. . .the questions seem very confusing but if you have read everything, you should be fine.

michelle
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 Posted: Fri Sep 8th, 2006 06:12 pm

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A new LEED AP practice test just came out and my firm ordered a bunch and we've gotten postive responses about it.


here is a link to the practice test if you want to purchase it from the publisher.

http://ppi2pass.com/ppi/PPIShop_ct_LEED

Last edited on Fri Oct 6th, 2006 09:05 am by michelle

d3i
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 Posted: Sat Sep 9th, 2006 12:48 am

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Michelle,

I would be interested in taking one of those over from you. Please contact me at derekventer(AT)hotmail.com

Kind regards, d3i

amystraz
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 Posted: Thu Sep 21st, 2006 12:51 am

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So I took the exam for the first time a few hours ago and didn't pass.  I ended up with a score of 33.  For studying I read the ~75 page reference guide, did mock exams, looked over and skimmed the online files of the full version of the reference guide, and read some notes and miscellaneous study guides I have from coworkers.  My exam did have quite a bit of questions about CIRs. 

What did me in was the question format.  For most of the quesitons they give you 6 choices and you have to pick 3 of them (in some cases 4).  It's all or nothing, so if you get 2 of the 3 correct, the answer is still wrong; no partial credit is given.  At the end of the exam there is a short survey and when you end the survey your results pop up on the screen immediately.  When I went to leave I was given a printout with the 4 categories listed and how many questions I got right in each category.  The only problem is that knowing my luck, I probably ended up with picking 2 of the 3 correct answers for each question.

Oh well.  There went $250 down the drain.  Now to study even more and try again...

Last edited on Thu Sep 21st, 2006 12:53 am by amystraz

Patricia0407
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 Posted: Fri Oct 6th, 2006 04:05 am

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Hi,

I tried to link to retrieve the mock exam for the LEED exam, but it is not online anymore...Please could you email me the mock exam with answers...my email is pattym04(AT)yahoo.com

I will do the exam in three weeks...I am really lost...I don't have so much background on this topics...but I need to try it!

 

Thanks!

 

Patricia

missutopia
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 Posted: Sun Oct 8th, 2006 07:30 pm

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Last edited on Sun Oct 22nd, 2006 02:28 am by missutopia

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 Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 11:10 pm

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Help me with where to locate mock exam, your study suggestion are very good thanks

roysatter
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 Posted: Wed Oct 11th, 2006 09:24 pm

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AWU 72

I live here in Atlanta also and so I'm picking on you, besides you have passed on good info to others, I clicked on mock test and it won't let me on?? Maybe I'm using this site incorrectly, I've sent out 2-3 requests and haven't heard back from anyone?

My e-mail is roysatter(AT)aol.com

Looking for anything that can help me study/learn for 3time taking LEED 2.1

Thanks

Roy

missutopia
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 Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 12:36 am

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Last edited on Sun Oct 22nd, 2006 02:29 am by missutopia

missutopia
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 Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 12:38 am

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Last edited on Sun Oct 22nd, 2006 02:28 am by missutopia

awu72
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 Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 05:37 pm

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The particular mock exam I referenced was stripped by AREForum.

I suspect it had something to do with a million posts that started something like this:

"Help! I NEED a copy of the [intentionally left blank] Mock Exam."

In a way, I agree with the moderators on this one. My initial post was an outline on how one can study. It wasn't an endorsement of any particular exam resource.

The good news is that there are several guides and resources available and should be obtained legally.

michelle
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 Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 08:02 pm

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I completely agree. It is about time these forums and the members start to support the legal avenues of acquiring LEED AP Exam study guides and practice tests. These resources are widely available.

Last edited on Thu Oct 12th, 2006 08:03 pm by michelle

tmoore
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 Posted: Sat Oct 21st, 2006 05:46 am

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The USGBC CO Chapter LEED Study Guide and full-length Practice Exam covering LEED-NC 2.1 is available for purchase from them (legally, that is) at:

http://chapters.usgbc.org/***/leed.html

According to this page of their site, you can order by credit card and will receive a PDF by email as soon as payment is confirmed, although this looks like it is only the case this month, as they seem to be getting a rush of orders with the current exam about to be replaced.

The full length practice exam that is included is based on LEED-NC v2.1 content and closely resembles the current official exam. Other study tools are also included, such as definitions of acronyms, a table that lists key terminology and referenced standards pertaining to each LEED credit, etc.

As far as I know, the CO Chapter also has plans to launch a new version at Greenbuild in November, which will include a practice exam based on LEED-NC v2.2, and quiz questions for the LEED-CI and LEED-EB. 

Though I am not sure why, this forum seems to automatically replace "CO" (whenever it is actually spelled out) with three asterisks wherever it is mentioned, as though the name of that particular U.S. State is somehow forbidden. So, if you want the link to work, try replacing the three asterisks with the name of the state, but spelled out rather than the two-letter abbreviation.

Last edited on Sat Oct 21st, 2006 06:29 am by tmoore

d3i
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 Posted: Sat Oct 21st, 2006 08:28 am

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Dear Mr. tmoore,

Regarding your email; " If you're receiving this email, you have asked others to send you links to or copies of LEED practice exam or study guide via the ARE Forum site, and in your case the exact nature of what you were asking for was either unclear or questionable. If what you were looking for was the actual link to the USGBC *** Chapter site where their Study Guide can be purchased, then the link (which appears to be butchered in most posts on the ARE Forum site) is: http://chapters.usgbc.org/***/leed.html  If you were looking for some of the other "mock" exams that are in fact freely distributed by their authors, I wish you the best of luck. Among them, I know that Harvey Bryan, for example, is currently on Sabbatical at Lawrence Berkeley lab, so that may be why folks have not heard back from him. If you were hoping to acquire copyrighted material for free, then you may want to reconsider. You email addresses are being collected and there may be future observation of your postings on the ARE Forum. Note that the USGBC *** Chapter web site clearly states that they will pursue those who engage in illegal distribution of their products. They are trying to do something to HELP you. You might consider actually giving something in return. In any case, best of luck with the LEED exam if you not already taken it. If you have passed already, congratulations!"

I bought an extra 'copy' from Michelle that is both legal and clearly not 'unclear or questionable'. Just because the word 'copy' is used does not mean it is an 'illegal copy'. If an email address is not intended for you, don't use it, it is annoying and the ARE have moderators that will intervene as and if necessary. If they wanted you to do it, you would have been called a moderator.

Last edited on Sat Oct 21st, 2006 08:30 am by d3i

tmoore
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 Posted: Sat Oct 21st, 2006 09:32 am

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d3i,

I hope you will accept my apology. It sounds like you have no reason for concern and I'm sorry if you found my email offensive.  I attempted within that email to leave open the possibility that you did in fact do the right thing and meant well, and that there would be no reason for concern in that case. Clearly I could have done better to include an upfront apology in case I was contacting you when you truly meant well, and to suggest that you ignore the rest if that was the case. 

Unfortunately, there are many others that have posted requests for material on this very forum for which the same does not appear to be true. And, also unfortunately, the moderators of the ARE Forum are spread very thinly and thus don't catch some of the inappropriate activity for which some members use the site. The challenge is that those people requesting emails of copyrighted material on this site do so using intentionally ambiguous language.

By coincidence, the wording that you chose, saying "I would be interested in taking one of those over from you" in your posting to Michelle was somewhat unclear. That simply means is was not clear, but does not imply that you did anything inappropriate. Looking back, I can see that the context created by her posting above does add a degree of clarity to yours.

I must admit that I may have been a bit taken aback by the outright (clear) requests for copyrighted material within this forum, in part because I started my day by learning about a documented plagiarism and distribution of one of these very practice exams.

Again, my apologies for contacting you without really enough to go by.   Also, I sent the email directly to you to let you decide whether the "shoe fits" and if so how, and not to accuse you or make it a big deal in front of everyone else. This is again why I indicated that, while it may have been "unclear" (this is not a negative word), what you were doing may have been entirely appropriate, in which case I was wishing you well. (For those reading this, note that in the email in question, which d3i has included a copy of, the original text had paragraph spaces that separated the different "possibilities" and related comments from each other, rather than being all run together).  

I care about people getting the help they need---both legally and affordably. I teach LEED Workshops professionally, have hosted study groups and official USGBC LEED Workshops, and in a few other capacities have helped many people here in California, in ***, and elsewhere across the U.S. with preparing for the LEED AP exam. I also personally know the authors of each of the various practice exams discussed within this forum, and care about their material being used as intended.

Again, my sincere apologies and best wishes. tm


 

larry2563
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 Posted: Sat Oct 21st, 2006 05:48 pm

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Last edited on Sat Oct 21st, 2006 06:18 pm by larry2563

missutopia
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 Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 11:38 pm

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ATTENTION ALL: usgbc's best kept secret! I recently passed the LEED exam, HOWEVER, my co-worker just purchased the CO Study Guide and there was an important reference that they specified....and it's FREE for download! http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/freshstart/articles/ptipub.htm

While I read the v2.1 Reference Guide and knew it very well, I would say only 25-30 questions were answerable due to the LEED guide and the usgbc website (processes, CIR, etc.) The rest of the questions were relatively unrelated to the Reference Guide, BUT after skimming the above mentioned reference (292 pages), I believe the rest of the questions on my exam could have been answered with a lot more ease and confidence had I read that too. It's well written with lots of definitions which we've been searching for.

Good luck to all!


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 Posted: Sun Nov 19th, 2006 01:02 am