LEED v5 AP BD+C Exam: What Changed & Key Dates [2026]
A. Togay Koralturk
Last updated on July 16, 2026
6 min read
If you searched for LEED AP BD+C prep advice this week, most of what you found describes an exam that no longer exists. The exam quietly crossed its biggest threshold in years on June 30, 2026, when testing moved to the v5 rating system, and nearly every guide, forum thread, and study tip published before that date now describes the wrong version of the exam. The good news for candidates is that the transition comes with an unusual opening: a beta window with a discount attached. This guide covers exactly what changed, every date that matters, how the beta exam works, what the v5 exam tests differently, and who needs to act versus who can ignore the whole thing.
What changed with the LEED AP BD+C exam?
As of June 30, 2026, the LEED AP BD+C exam is based on the LEED v5 rating system, per USGBC's exam-transition schedule. The exam's format is unchanged (100 questions, 2 hours, 170 to pass), but its content now tests the v5 prerequisites and credits, and it launched through a beta testing window (all dates below).
What changed is the body of knowledge behind the questions: v5 launched for the commercial rating systems in April 2025, and the exam has now caught up with it. The last day to test on the previous exam version was June 28, 2026, so every AP BD+C candidate from this point forward is a v5 candidate, whether their study materials know it or not. The same transition applies to the O+M and ID+C specialty exams, which moved on the same date.
The key dates
The AP with specialty v5 beta window runs June 30 through August 31, 2026, with registration open through August 26, 2026, and beta scores released in December. All dates are per USGBC's LEED v5 exam information.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| June 28, 2026 | Last day of testing on the previous exam version |
| June 30, 2026 | v5 beta testing window opens (BD+C, O+M, ID+C) |
| August 26, 2026 | Last day to register for a beta exam |
| August 31, 2026 | Beta testing window closes |
| December 2026 | Beta exam scores released |
The date most worth circling is August 26: registration closes before testing does, so a candidate who decides in late August has missed the window. After the beta phase, the exam simply continues as the standard v5 exam at the regular fee.
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What the beta exam means for you
Testing during the beta window earns a 30% discount on the exam registration fee and continuing education hours upon passing; the trade-off is patience, because beta scores are not delivered on-screen and arrive in December 2026.
The December score release is the real cost: a candidate testing in July waits roughly five months to learn the result, which stalls anyone whose next step (a resume line, a project role, a promotion case) depends on confirmation.
What does the v5 exam test differently?
The v5 exam tests the v5 rating system, and the system moved: every project now opens with three required assessments (climate resilience, human impact, and carbon), decarbonization frames the Energy and Atmosphere category, embodied carbon is mandatory, and a new Project Priorities category replaces the old innovation and regional structure.
For candidates who studied older materials, the deltas cluster in five places. First, the Integrative Process, Planning and Assessments category now opens the scorecard with its three required assessments before any point is earned. Second, carbon leads: Energy and Atmosphere is framed around operational carbon, with new credits for electrification, peak thermal load reduction, and grid-interactive buildings. Third, embodied carbon is unavoidable, appearing as both a Materials and Resources prerequisite and a credit. Fourth, equity and resilience entered the rating system as first-class content, from equitable development to resilient spaces. Fifth, certification math changed: Platinum now requires specific decarbonization credits as gates on top of 80 points, so "how does a project reach Platinum" has a genuinely new answer. Our LEED v5 overview walks the full rating-system picture behind these exam changes.
Do current LEED APs need to retest?
No. Per USGBC, current credential holders in good standing do not need to retest when the exam version changes; the credential continues through normal maintenance, meaning 30 continuing education hours per two-year cycle for a LEED AP.
The transition draws a clean line between two groups. Credential holders keep working, keep logging maintenance hours, and inherit no new exam obligation. Candidates, on the other hand, are fully in the v5 world now.
What about the ND and Homes exams?
The LEED AP ND and LEED AP Homes exams did not transition on June 30, 2026: per USGBC, both continue on the rating-system version they currently use, so candidates for those two specialties keep studying their existing exam content.
The reason is structural rather than neglect: v5 launched for the commercial rating systems (Building Design and Construction, Interior Design and Construction, and Operations and Maintenance), and the exam transition tracks the rating systems. Neighborhood Development and Homes follow their own rating-system timelines, so their exams stay put for now.
How to prepare for the v5 exam
Prepare with v5 materials exclusively: learn the current rating system as one connected system, and confirm readiness with practice exams built for the v5 exam before booking a test date, beta or otherwise.
Our LEED AP BD+C Complete Exam Prep Pack is built for the current exam: the course and study guide teach the v5 rating system as one system, and the practice exams are deliberately calibrated a little harder than the real thing, so consistently clearing 80% on them means you are ready. Candidates still working toward the Green Associate prerequisite can prepare for both credentials with our combined prep pack (the prep can be combined; the exams cannot). For the full difficulty picture, see our honest difficulty guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did the LEED AP BD+C exam change to v5?
June 30, 2026, per USGBC's exam-transition schedule. The last day of testing on the previous exam version was June 28, 2026, and the v5 exam opened with a beta testing window running through August 31, 2026.
What is the LEED v5 beta exam window?
The AP with specialty beta window runs June 30 to August 31, 2026, with registration open through August 26, 2026. It applies to the BD+C, O+M, and ID+C specialty exams, which all moved to v5 on the same date.
Is there a discount for the beta exam?
Yes. Per USGBC, beta candidates receive a 30% discount on the exam registration fee plus continuing education hours upon passing.
When do beta exam scores come out?
December 2026 for the AP with specialty beta exams. Beta candidates do not receive on-screen results at the test center, which is the main trade-off against the discount.
Do current LEED APs need to retake the exam for v5?
No. Current credential holders in good standing do not retest; they simply continue normal credential maintenance, which is 30 continuing education hours per two-year cycle for a LEED AP.
Is there a combined Green Associate and AP exam under v5?
No. USGBC states that combined exams are not available during the v5 beta phase, so the Green Associate exam always comes first as its own exam, followed by the AP specialty exam.
Are the LEED AP ND and Homes exams changing too?
No. Per USGBC, the ND and Homes exams continue on the rating-system version they currently use, because v5 launched for the commercial rating systems, and those two specialties follow their own timelines.
Did the LEED AP BD+C exam format change?
No. The exam remains 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours with a scaled score of 170 required to pass, per the candidate handbook. The change is in the content, which now tests the v5 rating system.
LEED AP Candidate Handbook: Rules & Policies [2026]
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