Free LEED AP BD+C Practice Exam

LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. For professionals aiming to excel in this field, the LEED AP BD+C credential is the most prestigious. The LEED AP BD+C exam consists of 100 questions that candidates must complete in 2 hours. A well-structured study plan is essential to pass the exam on the first try. One of the critical steps for passing the exam on the first try is to take practice exams to get used to the exam scope and format, and test knowledge.

In this blog post, we have created a free LEED AP BD+C exam for you. The exam questions are prepared in the same scope and format of the actual LEED AP BD+C exam and the detailed answer explanations will enable you to learn more than just the correct answer.

If you would like to get full-length online LEED AP BD+C practice exams, click here to check out our practice exams that are designed to provide the candidate with a real exam simulation and will enable the test-taker to assess and reinforce knowledge while simultaneously identifying weak spots. 

Now let's go through our free LEED AP BD+C practice exam. You have two options to take the free practice exam. You can either go through the practice questions below or you can choose to take the free exam with our practice exam simulator. Click here to take the exam with the simulator.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #1

A project team decides to install a garden canopy covered by photovoltaic (PV) panels. Which of the following prerequisites/credits will this decision make a positive contribution to? (Choose three.)

a) Optimize Energy Performance credit

b) Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite

c) Heat Island Reduction credit

d) Renewable Energy Production credit

e) Demand Response credit

Correct Answer: A, C, and D.

Under the Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation part of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite, the percent improvement in the baseline building performance must be established without considering the on-site renewable energy sources (such as PV panels for this question). However, on-site renewable energy sources can be counted toward energy savings under the Optimize Energy Performance credit.

Installing a canopy covered by PV panels will also contribute to the Heat Island Reduction credit because providing shade with structures covered by energy generation systems (for example, solar thermal collectors, photovoltaics, wind turbines, etc.) is one of the “nonroof” strategies under that credit.

Since installing PV panels will result in producing on-site renewable energy, this will also contribute to the Renewable Energy Production credit.

However, installing PV panels will not contribute to the Demand Response credit.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #2

A project team pursuing the EQ credit Indoor Air Quality Assessment has completed the flush-out. However, per the owner’s request, the team has ordered some additional furnishings to be installed in one room after the flush-out. Which of the following actions should the project team take?

a) There is no need to take any action since the flush-out can occur before installing some furnishings.

b) The flush-out must be restarted from the beginning for that room.

c) The flush-out must be restarted from the beginning for the whole project.

d) The project team should write a credit interpretation ruling and ask for a clarification on this issue.

Correct Answer: B.

If any partial work occurs during the flush-out in any space (such as installing furnishings), the flush-out process must be restarted from the beginning for that space.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #3

A project team pursuing the EQ credit, Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies is discussing strategies for complying with the “interior cross-contamination” requirements in the printing rooms. Which of the following strategies is an “interior cross-contamination” strategy under the mentioned credit?

a) Installing permanent entryway systems at least 10 feet (3 meters) long in the primary direction of travel at the regularly used exterior entrances

b) Installing exhaust fans to spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals

c) Each ventilation system that supplies outdoor air to the occupied spaces should contain particle filters or air cleaning devices that have a MERV rating of 13 or higher, in accordance with ASHRAE 52.2-2007

d) Designing the building to minimize and control the entry of pollutants into the building

Correct Answer: B.

Under the Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies credit, for “interior cross-contamination,” projects should exhaust spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals (in accordance with the exhaust rates determined in the Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance prerequisite or a minimum of 0.5 cubic feet per minute per square foot of gross floor area), in order to create negative pressure with respect to the adjacent spaces when the doors to the room are closed. These types of spaces should also contain self-closing doors and a deck-to-deck partition or a hard-lid ceiling. Some examples of spaces that may contain hazardous materials or chemicals would be garages, laundry areas, or copying and printing rooms.

Installing permanent entryway systems at least 10 feet (3 meters) long in the primary direction of travel at the regularly used exterior entrances would be an “entryway systems” strategy.

Using particle filters or air cleaning devices that have a MERV rating of 13 or higher, in accordance with ASHRAE 52.2-2007, would be a “filtration” strategy.

Designing the building to minimize and control the entry of pollutants into the building would be an “exterior contamination prevention” strategy.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #4

A LEED AP is making calculations to confirm that the project is eligible to pursue the Path 3: Zero-Lot-Line Projects Only—85th Percentile part of the SS credit Rainwater Management. If the total square feet of the whole lot of the building is 10,000 square feet, at a minimum, how much should the total square feet of the building be in order to be eligible for this path?

a) 10,000 square feet

b) 15,000 square feet

c) 20,000 square feet

d) 30,000 square feet

Correct Answer: B.

Path 3 of the Rainwater Management credit is only for zero-lot-line projects in urban areas with a minimum density of a 1.5 floor-to-area ratio. (Zero-lot-line projects are types of projects in which the buildings are built on the entire lot.)

The floor-to-area ratio is also a very important term for the exam, and it is calculated by dividing the total square feet of a building by the total square feet of the lot of the building. For example, 10,000 square feet of land that has a FAR of 2 would allow the construction of a 20,000-square-foot building. If the building had two stories, each story could contain 10,000 square feet of space. In this case, the building would cover the whole lot since the lot also measures 10,000 square feet.

For this question, since the project should have a minimum density of a 1.5 floor-to-area ratio, the total square feet of the building should be 15,000 square feet at a minimum.

1.5 FAR = 15,000 square feet / 10,000 square feet

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #5

Which of the following projects cannot pursue the Option 2: Prescriptive Compliance: ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide part of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite?

a) 80,000-square-foot office project

b) 90,000-square-foot retail project

c) 110,000-square-foot office project

d) 120,000-square-foot school project

Correct Answer: C.

All project teams can pursue the Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation part of the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite. However, to pursue option 2 and option 3, projects should meet those options’ eligibility requirements.

Option 2: Prescriptive Compliance: ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guide is for projects that basically do not contain unique designs and systems beyond simple improvements to the MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems. Office buildings of less than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters), retail buildings between 20,000 and 100,000 square feet (1,860–9,290 square meters), school buildings of any size, and hospitals larger than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) are eligible to pursue this option.

In order to pursue the Option 3: Prescriptive Compliance—Advanced Buildings Core Performance Guide part of this prerequisite, projects should be less than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters), and the project should not be a school, healthcare facility, warehouse, or laboratory.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #6

Which of the following project types are required to consider the “perimeter floor area” instead of the “regularly occupied floor area” under the Daylight credit calculations?

a) Retail

b) Core and shell

c) Healthcare

d) Major renovation

Correct Answer: C.

For all the options under the Daylight credit, all LEED BD+C projects except healthcare should consider the regularly occupied floor area while the LEED BD+C: Healthcare projects should consider the perimeter area.

Perimeter floor area is the floor area within 15 feet (4.5 meters) of the perimeter. And it is important to note that this value is also necessary under the Quality Views credit calculations for the LEED BD+C: Healthcare projects.

To illustrate the “perimeter floor area”, let’s think about two design alternatives in which the first one is a square floor plan and the second one is a narrow-rectangle floor plan.

The square building will contain a big core area that will not be exposed to any views or daylight, and only the spaces at the perimeter will have access to outside views and daylight.

In the narrow-rectangle building, if the corridor is placed in the middle of the floor plan, all the rooms can have access to quality views or daylight. This is the reason that the floor area and the floor layout are the top priorities to consider when designing for daylight and quality views.

However, it is also important to note that the initial cost of the narrow-rectangle building will be higher than the square building. Since the narrow-rectangle building has more perimeter length, the building will contain more exterior elements.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #7

Under the Option 2: Lighting Quality part of the Interior Lighting credit, projects should choose four of the eight strategies defined under the credit. Which of the following is not one of them?

a) Using light sources with a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 or higher for the entire project

b) Using lighting fixtures with a luminance of less than 2,500 cd/m2 between 45 and 90 degrees from nadir in the regularly occupied spaces

c) Providing individual lighting controls that enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their preferences

d) Using direct-only overhead lighting for 25% or less of the total connected lighting load for all regularly occupied spaces

Correct Answer: C.

Providing individual lighting controls that enable occupants to adjust the lighting to suit their preferences is addressed under the Option 1: Lighting Control part of the Interior Lighting credit. As the name implies, Option 2: Lighting Quality deals with the lighting quality rather than the lighting controls.

Under option 2, project teams should choose four of the following eight strategies.

1. Use lighting fixtures with a luminance of less than 2,500 cd/m² between 45 and 90 degrees from nadir in the regularly occupied spaces. (Wallwash fixtures properly aimed at walls, indirect uplighting fixtures, and any other specific applications such as adjustable fixtures are excluded).
2. Use light sources with a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 or higher for the entire project. (Lamps or fixtures specifically designed to use color lighting for effect, site lighting, and any other special-use lighting are exempt.)
3. For at least 75% of the total connected lighting load, use light sources that have a rated life (or L70 for LED sources) of at least 24,000 hours (at 3 hours per start, if applicable).
4. Use direct-only overhead lighting for 25% or less of the total connected lighting load for all regularly occupied spaces.
5. For at least 90% of the regularly occupied floor area, projects should meet or exceed the following thresholds for area-weighted average surface reflectance: 85% for ceilings, 60% for walls, and 25% for floors.
6. Select furniture (if included in the scope of work) should meet the following thresholds for area-weighted average surface reflectance: 45% for work surfaces and 50% for movable partitions.
7. For at least 75% of the regularly occupied floor area, the ratio of average wall surface illuminance (excluding fenestration) to average work surface illuminance should not exceed 1:10. Projects must also meet strategy 5, strategy 6, or demonstrate an area-weighted surface reflectance of at least 60% for walls.
8. For at least 75% of the regularly occupied floor area, the ratio of average ceiling illuminance (excluding fenestration) to work surface illuminance should not exceed 1:10. Projects must also meet strategy 5, strategy 6, or demonstrate an area-weighted surface reflectance of at least 85% for ceilings.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #8

A LEED AP of an office-building project, working on the Access to Quality Transit credit, creates a table to evaluate the number of trips for different transit types. The project contains a bus station, a ferry terminal, and a light rail station within a half-mile (800-meter) walking distance of a building's functional entry. Which of the following statements would be true if none of the eligible transit types is providing weekend trips?

a) The project cannot earn the credit.

b) The project can earn points if the total number of bus, ferry, and light rail trips exceed the threshold set forth in the credit.

c) The project can earn points if the total number of ferry and light rail trips exceed the threshold set forth in the credit.

d) The project can earn points only if the number of ferry trips exceed the threshold set forth in the credit.

Correct Answer: A.

Under the Access to Quality Transit credit, the qualifying transits should both meet the required total number of trips for both weekdays and weekends.

Only school projects can neglect weekend trips if the students do not commute to school on weekends. However, for this question, the project is an office-building.

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #9

A project owner decides to install a permanent steel structure to carry the national flag next to the building’s main entrance. The project team is in pursuit of the SS credit Light Pollution Reduction, and the owner wants the national flag to be illuminated at night. If the project is located inside an MLO3 zone, what should the LEED AP suggest about the national flag lighting?

a) Suggest nothing, as national flag lighting will already be exempt from the credit requirements

b) Suggest including this lighting under the uplight calculations to confirm its compliance

c) Suggest turning this lighting off from midnight to six in the morning for credit compliance

d) Suggest choosing a luminaire with a low backlight rating

Correct Answer: A.

Under the Light Pollution Reduction credit, the following types of lighting are exempt from the credit requirements if they are controlled separately from the nonexempt lighting:

• Specialized signal, directional, and marker lighting for transportation
• Lighting solely used for facade and landscape lighting in MLO lighting zones 3 and 4 and that is automatically turned off from midnight to six in the morning
• Government-mandated roadway lighting
• Lighting for theatrical purposes, stages, and video performances
• Hospital emergency department and helipad lighting
• National flag lighting in MLO lighting zones 2, 3, or 4

LEED AP BD+C Questions and Answers #10

LEED refers to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under which of the following prerequisites/credits? (Choose three.)

a) Sensitive Land Protection credit

b) Environmental Site Assessment prerequisite

c) Site Assessment credit

d) Integrative Process credit

e) Site Development—Protect or Restore Habitat credit

Correct Answer: A, C, and E.

Under the Sensitive Land Protection credit, the development footprint or a portion of it should not be located on prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of statewide or local importance, which is defined by the US Department of Agriculture, US Code of Federal Regulations Title 7, Volume 6, Parts 400 to 699, Section 657.5 and identified in a state Natural Resources Conservation Service soil survey.

Under the Site Assessment credit, project teams should determine the soil classification with Natural Resources Conservation Service soils delineation (which is a soil survey showing all the different types of soils), determine the US Department of Agriculture prime farmland status, healthy soils, disturbed soils, and previous development on-site.

And remember that under the Site Development—Protect or Restore Habitat credit, imported topsoils, or soil blends designed to serve as topsoil, cannot include either of the following:

• Soils defined regionally by the Natural Resources Conservation Service web soil survey (or equivalent for projects outside the United States) as prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of statewide or local importance.
• Soils from other greenfield sites unless they are a byproduct of a construction process.

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We hope you've found our practice questions helpful. If your are looking for full-length practice exams that are prepared in the same scope and format of the actual LEED AP BD+C exam, don't forget to take a look at our best-selling LEED AP BD+C practice exams.