Experience Requirement Loosened for LEED v4 AP Exam

The LEED AP exam itself will test project-ready proficiency—no demonstration of actual project experience will be required.

With LEED v4 having been released in November 2013, and the transition away from LEED 2009 underway, the U.S. Green Building Council has announced several key dates and requirements as it shifts LEED professional credentials to LEED v4.

Project experience will no longer be an eligibility requirement for those seeking LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) certification, according to the newly released LEED v4 candidate handbooks. That requirement, which since LEED 2009's introduction has sent aspiring LEED APs in search of friendly project teams to join, and "letters of attestation" from project administrators, has been changed to a "recommendation" in a move that is consistent with USGBC's general move to streamline LEED v4 documentation, a USGBC official told LEEDuser.

The wording of the BD+C candidate handbook states, "Prior LEED project experience is strongly recommended. Practitioner experience is critical to the LEED AP designation and, as such, project proficiency will be tested objectively within the LEED AP exam itself."

In other words, USGBC and GBCI will rely on the LEED AP exam itself to test project-ready proficiency. Unlike the LEED 2009 candidate handbook, the new handbook does not currenlty offer sample questions, but it does feature a list of "task domains" and "knowledge domains" that candidates will be tested on. Here is a short sampling:

  • Ensure production of documents necessary for LEED compliance (e.g., drawings, policies, specifications, contracts, protocols)
  • Coordinate and disseminate Addenda
  • Submit technical questions to USGBC
  • Maintain the LEED scorecard
  • Suggest and promote use of innovation credits

For more information, see:

Here are key dates:

  • The last day to take the credential exams with LEED v2009 content will be June 15, 2014.
  • The first day to take the exams with the new LEED v4 content will be June 30, 2014.
  • No tests will be administered in between these dates.

If you fail the LEED v2009 exam and do not schedule a retake before June 15, you will have to take the v4 exam. If you become a Green Associate through the LEED 2009 exam, you can take the v4 exam to become a LEED AP. There are a lot of translation options available for the exams.

There has been some misinformation around that the LEED AP Homes credential is going away, but USGBC has confirmed that this is not the case.

What questions or comments do you have about upcoming changes to the LEED AP exams? Please post them below.

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