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?
11 Comments 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.
Great site! I have been asking questions on how to get started.
Another question I have is regarding this statement on the USGBC website (located here: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2011 ):
“Determine if you meet eligibility requirements. The LEED Green Associate eligibility requirement can be satisfied by taking one of USGBC’s LEED workshops or online courses.”
Do you have to take a USGBC course/workshop to be eligible for the Green Associate exam? I haven’t found a clear answer yet to the specifics on this requirement and any help would be great
A couple other questions that come to mind:
As far as the education route to eligibility, I am wondering specifically whether they will accept on-line CEUs from the RonBlank and AECDaily websites.
Also, does a current or former employer have to be a member of the USGBC to be able to send a legitimate letter supporting an application to take the exam?
Thanks so much for putting so much energy into helping us muddle through this process!
At what point do you find out whether your application to take the exam has been accepted – before or after you pay the application fee?
Thanks again.
I am currently working for a general contracting and project management firm as a project estimator. I would like to pursue LEED certification so that I may be a LEED representative for our company on future LEED projects.
Our company as a construction project management firm has a great deal of experience with LEED projects and protocols, but I personally have not been involved in such projects up to this point. I have also not attended an educational program.
I am wondering if I meet the elgibility requirements based on the above?
Pat,
I’m not an Engineer or Architect but I am a Lic. Land Surveyor. I’m considering returning to school for Architecture. Would I need to be employed by an Architect before applying for this exam.
Hi Ron – you don’t need to be an architect in order to take the exam. I believe your background will qualify you for the Green Associate exam portion of the test. In order to take the second part, the LEED AP portion, you would have to have experience working on a LEED registered project – but even then you don’t have to be an architect.
For more information about the Green Associate Exam, please see the FAQ section, or check out the guides available to you here:
http://www.greenexamacademy.com/green-associate-exam-walkthrough/
I am a Diploma holder in mechanical engineer. I am having an experiance of 7 years in the field of HVAC & R projects.
shall I be eligible to appear for a leed Certification exam?
how can green architecture help africa
how can green architecture help africa
what are my benefits architecturally if i participate in the exams since i am a yonug gratuate in architecture
I am a licensed Architect. I have experience of working on one LEED registered project last year. I can get a letter testifying to that from my (now previous) employer. Could someone give me an idea of the content of the letter.
Much appreciated,
Kal Noman