In order to take the LEED Green Associate exam, you will have to meet an eligibility requirement.
You have to fulfill at least one of the following:
- You must have previous experience supporting a LEED-registered project
- You must have experience working in a sustainable field of work
- You must have attended an education program that addresses green building principles.
Your experience must be documented in the form of a letter from a supervisor, client, project manager, or teacher, and describe your involvement. A completion certification from an educational program, or an official transcript will suffice. This information is uploaded during your application process for the exam.
Let’s go through each of these eligibility requirements one-by-one:
You must have previous experience supporting a LEED-registered project
This is self-explanatory. If you’ve worked on a LEED registered project in any way, shape or form – then you qualify for the LEED Green Associate exam. Again, you’ll need documentation (as described above) to prove this.
You must have experience working in a sustainable field of work
I believe all they are looking for is for you to explain how you and your company or profession has anything to do with sustainability, environmentalism, or the green building industry. Of course, if you’re an architect or engineer, then you should be able to meet this requirement very easily. If you work for a product manufacturer (i.e. a carpet manufacturer), then you’ll have a little bit of explaining to do as to how you and your company relate to the green building industry.
You must have attended an education program that addresses green building principles
The GBCI has yet to be absolutely clear about what exactly qualifies as an acceptable education program for the LEED Green Associate exam. I will be asking for clarification from the GBCI very soon, and I’ll update you as soon as I find out.
This is what I’ll be asking:
- Is there a list of acceptable education programs to choose from?
- Can certain college courses count?
- Can these programs be taken online, or only live?
- What about continued education programs at work?
- If you have more questions, please comment below and I’ll ask!
For more information about eligibility requirements, please take a look at the Green Associate exam candidate handbook, which can be found on the GBCI website.
FAQs about your LEED credential:
- What EXACTLY is the Credential Maintenance Program for LEED?
- Should I take the LEED Green Associate exam, or a LEED AP specialty exam?
Green Associate Exam
- What is the LEED Green Associate exam about?
- What are the eligibility requirements to take the LEED Green Associate exam?
- How do I prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam?
- Can I take the Green Associate exam now, and take a specialty exam later?
LEED AP Specialty Exam
- What are the LEED AP specialty exams all about?
- What are the eligibility requirements to take a LEED AP specialty exams?
- What can I do if I’m not eligible to take a LEED specialty exam?
- How do I prepare for a LEED AP specialty exam?
- If I pass one exam track, can I work on projects being certified under a different rating system?
One Comment On This Post
If the GBCI conducts seminars in the various societies of engineers located worldwide it would not only make people aware about the importance of ‘going green’ but would also benefit the people interested in acquiring the various LEED credentials
Mr. Pat deserves a PAT for his worthwhile efforts. Thank you.