LEED Certification Basics

Certification is provided by a third party vendor called the Green Building Certification Institute. Via the leadership and standards provided by the US Green Building Council.

1) LEED AP specialties may be obtained in the areas below, after passing the generalized LEED Green Associate exam and achieving the designation.
- LEED AP Operations & Maintenance (LEED AP O+M)
- LEED AP Homes
- LEED AP Interior Design & Construction (LEED AP ID+C)
- LEED AP Building Design & Construction (LEED AP BD+C)
In addition, a 'Neighborhood Development' specialty is slated for offering in 2010.

2) Individuals must now prove eligibility to take any of the certification exams by providing documented related sustainability experience (See Eligibility Requirements within the Candidate Handbook).

I am researching this requirement. How does one re-educate themself in a field in which they have no experience. Kind of a chicken and the egg issue. Can't get the education without the experience, can't get the experience without the education. Ideas??

3) Exams are vary in length from 200-400 questions, and in allotted time, 2 hours- 4 hours.

4) Fees vary, from $200 for the Green Associate exam, to $450 for an AP specialty exam. Members of the US Green Building Council receive a discount. There is also a $50 application fee for each certification. Student pricing is available for the LEED Green Associate exam.

5) There are restrictions as to time in which the exam must be passed, and how many attempts may be made to pass the exam within the application period.