By Steve Rizer
What is the main piece of advice that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has for someone pursuing accreditation through Version 4 of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED v4) rating system, credential exams which begin June 30? Here is how Cecilia Shutters, a spokesperson for the organization, answered this question during an interview with ConstructionPro Week: “Make sure you understand the new rating system, and also make sure you are comfortable with the Task Domains part of the test specs due to the project experience change. And remember, if you’re going for the LEED AP with specialty, you can always take the Green Associate test separately so you can space out your studying.”
And in what types of ways will the content of LEED v3 and LEED v4 exams differ?
“The content differs in that it is updated with v4 material and also that, in the case of the LEED AP specialty exams, project experience competency will be tested within the test rather than as a documented prerequisite,” Shutters said. “This means that there is an experiential knowledge element to the exam. You can find the test specs in the candidate handbooks under Task Domains.” She pointed out that the actual designation will not change, so if someone is a LEED Green Associate under LEED v3, he or she “is exactly the same” as a Green Associate who tests on LEED v4 content.
The last day to take the credential exams with LEED v2009 content is June 15. On May 13, WPL Publishing will begin offering a “LEED AP Building Design and Construction (BD+C) Exam Prep” webinar training course to assist professionals in their pursuit of accreditation before LEED v4 takes effect. To register, click here.
