7/1/09 Update: The LEED AP exam has significantly changed, and the following information has not been updated to reflect this. And by the way, if you are looking to learn about the LEED 2009 rating systems, there's no better tool out there than our own LEEDuser.com. The LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) exam consists of 80 questions, and is scored on a scale of 125 to 200, with a score of 170 being good enough to pass. I thought that writing for Environmental Building News and earning a master's certificate in sustainable design online through the Boston Architectural College, I was in good shape for taking the LEED-AP test and joining the ranks, so I scheduled my accreditation exam for later this winter. I remember the drill from taking the SATs in high school -- practicing actual questions is the best way to study. So I started looking for sample tests and other test prep junk, which led me to the popular ARE Forum, where I got my first reality check. Here's what some people said about the test: "I took the LEED NC 2.2 test on Friday and scored a 168 out of 170. I plan on taking it again this week. Kills me as I was so close. The test was pretty fair but hard. There about 5 questions that I believe were unfair." -ReddFL "The report said I failed bad in the credit intent and understanding which confuses me as I know the requirements like the back of my hand....well for most of them." -Hobstar "I just got back from failing the exam... 163. I'll be retesting next Thursday. The proctor told me that if I had gotten one more question right, I probably would have passed. IF. I now despise that word... IF. " - it aint ez bein green I'd heard that the test had gotten harder since the early days, but comments like these really underlined that. So I've dug in, taken (and failed) a practice test, and made up flashcards to learn just what are SMACNA, IPMVP, BMP, and good ol' EPA, and in what credits they are relevant (the University of Florida also has free online flashcards). One way of looking at LEED is as a standardized test for buildings, an approach that has pluses (it's democratic and transparent, or at least tries to be) and minuses (it encourages building by checklist, much like American schools "teach for the test"). The LEED-AP exam, then, is a standardized test to qualify to proctor a standardized test. That about sums up how much it has to do with actually building a green building. In the plus column, now I've finally learned what is SCAQMD. (I had been picturing a bureaucracy of squid doctors, when in fact it's the South Coast Air Quality Management District, it regulates stationary sources of air pollution in Orange County, CA, and its standards are referenced in EQ Credits 4.1 and 4.2, Low-Emitting Materials). What are your LEED-AP exam experiences? For those who have earned them, how do you feel about having those letters after your name?