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Below you will nd the answers to each question followed by a brief explanation. All of our sample questions were carefully written to accurately reect the types of questions you will encounter on the LEED exam. As with the real exam, if there appear to be more than one correct answer, its important to eliminate false answers while selecting the best answer among the remaining possible choices. 1. c, d Lights create heat. Therefore, reducing lighting power reduces the heat generated from those lights which then reduces the cooling load required to cool the building. Reducing lights does not reduce the heating requirements of the building nor does it necessarily provide for more control. Occasionally, projects that lower the lighting power density, must actually increase heating loads and sacrice lighting controllability in return. 2. c HFCs are better than HCFCs, which are better than CFCs which are the worst. 3. b, e Per the LEED Reference Manuals and the GreenStep Study Guide, the Indoor Water Efficiency calculations are based on the number of people in the building, not the number of xtures. It makes sense if you think about it: A building with 100 toilets and only 2 people, would only use as much water as is required for 2 people, not for 100 toilets. The ve xture types that are included as part of this calculation are: water closets (toilets), urinals, lavatory sinks, showers and kitchen faucets. While projects may potentially earn points for efficient dishwashers, it would not be under the Indoor Water Use Reduction credit. 4. b, c GBCI will not officially accept or approve Design Phase credits until the design strategies have been implemented and construction is completed. In the meantime, the design review response issued for an allowable approach would be Anticipated. This information comes from the Introduction section of the LEED Reference Manuals as well as GreenSteps Study Guide. 5. c The standard for carpets is the Green Label Plus Program, not to be confused with the standard for carpet cushions which is the Green Label Program. This information comes from the IEQ credit that addresses Low Emitting Materials Carpet & Flooring Systems and is also covered in GreenSteps Study Guide. 6. b, d

Answer a is the requirement for a different credit, Recycled Content, and is therefore incorrect. Answers c and e are incorrect because the LEED Reference Manuals & the GreenStep Study Guide clearly state that for the removal of soil and/ or hazardous waste should not count towards Construction Waste Diversion since those materials should not be sent to the landll in the rst place. Answers b and d are both acceptable strategies for achieving this credit. 7. b, d, e There is no mention of FSC certied wood in the question, therefore we cannot assume that answer a is relevant. Answer c is incorrect because projects can only achieve Building Reuse for an existing building that remains intact. Particleboard made from recycled wood chips might affect both Low Emitting Composite Wood (b) and Recycled Content (d). Replacing bamboo cabinets would likely negatively affect Rapidly Renewable Materials (e). These are the correct answers. 8. a, b, d While low emitting insulation does exist in industry, it is not addressed by any of the Low Emitting Materials credits within LEED: therefore answer c is incorrect. Answer e, roong adhesive, is incorrect because it is applied on the outside of the building; the Indoor Environmental Quality section within LEED only addresses the building interior as the name implies. 9. d Answer d comes from the denitions provided in the LEED Reference Manual & the GreenStep Study Guide. The other answers may sound legitimate, but they are not the denition of xeriscaping. 10.b CFCs must be phased out prior to project completion. An exception is made if projects can demonstrate that phasing out CFC refrigerants is not economically feasible, in which case the project must phase out CFCs within 5 years. Since within 5 years is not one of the choices, b is the only correct answer. 11.c Tertiary treatment is a term that closely relates to the credit Innovative Wastewater Technologies. 12.b Eutrophication is a denition covered in the GreenStep Study Guide and a seldom used word that LEED Green Associate Candidates should know. 13.a, d While the largest energy users in buildings may vary signicantly in different climate zones, the two largest energy users as listed in the USGBC Reference Guides are Space Heating and Lighting, therefore these are considered to be the correct answers. 14.d

Answers b and c would be examples of Post Consumer recycled content since they were at one point purchased by a consumer. (See denition of Post Consumer recycled content). Answer a is incorrect because any material that was reused within the same process that created it is considered to be an example of manufacturing efficiency, not recycling according to the LEED Reference Guide. Broken tile used to make new tile is simply an example of manufacturing efficiency within the same process. Curtain scraps recycled after the manufacturing process to make something other than curtains (in this case carpet) represents an example of Pre Consumer recycled content. 15.b, c, d The credit that addresses FSC wood is based on the cost of new wood, not volume of wood; therefore, answer a is incorrect. Answer e might apply to Low Emitting Materials Credit that addresses paints & coatings, but it does relate to FSC Certied Wood. The correct answers, b, c & d are reected in LEED Reference Manual and GreenSteps Study Guide. the the not the

16.a, b Per the LEED Reference Manual and GreenSteps Study Guide, GreenSeal Standard 11 and the SCAQMD Rule 1113 both relate to paints & coatings. 17.c HCFCs typically have a lower Global Warming Potential than HFCs. Note: HFCs are still less harmful than HCFCs because HFCs have a lower Ozone Depletion Potential which is essential more important than the Global Warming Potential. This information is straight from GBCI reference material and also found in GreenSteps Study Guide. 18.a, d, e Larger U values and higher Solar Heat Gain Coefficients are LESS energy efficient. In order minimize cooling loads and maximize energy efficiency, projects should look for lower U values and lower Solar Heat Gain Coefficients. For this reason, answers b and c are incorrect. 19.c Per the LEED Reference Manual and GreenSteps Study Guide, process loads include, but are not limited to: office equipment, computers, elevators, escalators, kitchen cooking & refrigeration, laundry washing & drying and certain lighting (plug in lamps, etc). Cooling towers are considered regulated or non-process energy. 20.b, c Per USGBC Reference Materials and the GreenStep Study Guide, Credit Interpretation Requests may typically only reference 1 credit (answer b) and may NOT include plans, drawings or any other uploads (answer c). They must be no more than 600 words and 4,000 characters (not 400 words and 6,000 characters) and they do not need to be submitted by the project owner. 21.a, c

Air Quality Testing (answer b) occurs towards the end of the project and answers d and e are simply made up. Answers a and c are the only correct choices. 22.e Phenol formaldehyde, mechanical equipment and ozone depletion potential do not relate the Recycled Content credit so answers a, b and c are incorrect. Recycled Content is a construction phase credit, which makes d incorrect as well. Answer e is the best choice. 23.a, e The intent of this credit is to use efficient landscaping & irrigation where landscaping exists. LEED does not award points for simply reducing the area of landscaping, therefore answer c is incorrect. Answer b is obviously erroneous and answer d is incorrect because microclimate factor is a constant value based on location. It does not change from the baseline calculation to the design calculation and so does not contribute to a reduction in water usage. 24.a The Community Connectivity credit requires that the project be located in an area with at least 10 basic services within mile. While answer a may be vague, it is the best answer since it alludes to a dense urban environment and the only one that works. Answer b is incorrect because points for public transportation are awarded under a different credit, not Community Connectivity. Answer c is incorrect because no points are given for being close to a freeway. D is incorrect - being at the center of a large farm away, hence away from basic services. e is incorrect because the USGBC Resources and GreenStep Study Material mention that Greeneld sites (raw, virgin land) do not apply to the Community Connectivity credit. In other words, projects that develop on untouched, virgin land located in an urban center will not be awarded points for site selection. 25.b The Credit Interpretation Requests (CIRs) may be used to conrm whether certain strategies may warrant an Innovation in Design (ID) credit, yet projects may still earn ID points for strategies that have not been established via a CIR. Therefore, Some ID credit strategies have been established via the CIR process (answer b) is the correct answer. Answer c is incorrect because the CIR process does not guarantee that a credit will be awarded and the rest of the false answers are erroneous. 26.d Renewable Energy Certicates do not decrease energy or water usage in the building, they essentially offset a certain amount of CO2 emissions by helping fund renewable energy technology. Most utilities do not sell or offer incentives for Renewable Energy Certicates since they may be purchased from other jurisdictions or across state & national boundaries. Answer d is the best choice. 27.a In order for materials to contribute toward Regional Materials they must be manufactured locally. LEED denes locally as within 500 miles of the project site.

There is not a restriction on how far they may travel (answer b) and while some regional materials are assembled on-site, this is not a requirement (answer e). Answer a is quite vague, but it is the only answer that is not false and therefore the best choice here. 28.b, d Answer a is acceptable for irrigating landscaping since it consists of approved greywater from allowable greywater xtures (sinks & showers) where non-toxic soap is used. Rainwater is of course acceptable for irrigation as well (answer c). Non-potable water supplied by a public agency is typically supplied for the purpose of landscape irrigation and therefore does not need to be contained and treated either. Cooling tower water (answer d) may contain chemicals while urinals (answer b) contain unsanitary bacteria that may be harmful; therefore, both of these sources should be treated rst in the unlikely event that projects desire to use them for landscape irrigation. 29.b All exemplary performance points are counted under the ID section, but not all ID credits are achieved via exemplary performance. Some ID credits are achieved by using alternative strategies. 30.a, c Recertication fees are less than initial certication fees so answer b is false. Certication fees are based on two things: USGBC membership and project size, not location (answer d) or certication level (answer e) with the exception being that the certication fees are eventually reimbursed if and when projects achieve Platinum (answer a). Also, certication fees changed in 2002, 2005 and most recently in 2010. This information can be found in various USGBC resources and the GreenStep Study Guide. 31.b, e False answer d often throws people off, but heat island is due to heat radiated from dark surfaces (answer e) , not reective surfaces (answer d). Highly reective materials can actually help to cool the building and can count toward earning points for the Heat Island Reduction credit. 32.c Its important to understand the difference between the On-site Renewable Energy credit and the Green Power credit in order to answer this question correctly. Answer c is the only answer that specically relates to Green Power. More detailed information can be found in various GBCI resources and/or the GreenStep Study Guide. 33.b, d, e Building Reuse (answer a) would not apply since that credit relates to buildings that are left intact, not demolished. Answer c Construction Indoor Air Quality Management relates to following the SMACNA guidelines and does also not apply here.

34.a, d To answer this question correctly it is helpful to have a clear understanding of the denition of greywater as given in various GBCI resources and the GreenStep Study Guide. Answers b and c are incorrect because they do not relate to greywater reuse. Answer e is incorrect because the water is being reused for landscaping, not to ush toilets or urinals. 35.b, d As mentioned in various GBCI resources and the GreenStep Study Guide, automobiles are a large contributor to air pollution larger than CFC refrigerants (a). Answers b and d contribute to a reduction in single occupancy automobiles and therefore would reduce outdoor air pollution the most. We hope youve found our free sample exam to be a useful learning tool. Please follow the links below to purchase GreenSteps industry leading full-length LEED Practice Exam and LEED Green Associate Study Guide. For more information on how to gain LEED project experience to satisfy the LEED AP exam eligibility requirements through our unique program click here.