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July 15, 2020 19 min read
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
A project owner decides not to provide any parking space in the project. The LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) tells the owner that the project will earn the Reduced Parking Footprint credit, but will miss another credit with this decision. Which of the following credits will be missed?
a) Heat Island Reduction credit
b) Green Vehicles credit
c) Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses credit
d) Access to Quality Transit credit
Correct answer: B.
If there isn’t any parking area assigned to the project, the project will be awarded the Reduced Parking Footprint credit; however, such a situation would not merit the award of the Green Vehicles credit as there is no way to fulfill the credit’s requirements without assigning any parking area to the project.
A LEED AP for a school project suggests that the school authorities develop and implement a plan ensuring that every bus serving the school meets the emission standards under the Green Vehicles credit. If the school authorities accept this suggestion, within how many years should the plan achieve this goal?
a) Three years from the building certificate of occupancy
b) Five years from the building certificate of occupancy
c) Seven years from the building certificate of occupancy
d) Ten years from the building certificate of occupancy
Correct answer: C.
Option 2: The Green Buses and School-Owned Vehicles requirement of the Green Vehicles credit mandates that school projects develop and implement a plan to ensure that every bus serving the school meets the required emission standards within seven years of the building certificate of occupancy.
Which of the following statements is false regarding the Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit?
a) In Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings, salvaged materials off-site that will be installed in the building cannot be included in the credit calculations
b) In Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, project teams can use salvaged materials off-site and count them as “surface areas reused” in the credit calculations
c) In Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings and in Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, window assemblies and any hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project should be excluded from the calculations
d) In Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, if there is any deterioration or damage, up to 25% of the building surface area may be excluded from credit calculation
Correct answer: D.
Since Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings (not option 3) is for abandoned or blighted buildings, the option allows project teams to demolish any damaged or deteriorated parts of the building, up to 25% of the building’s surface area, and exclude them from the credit calculations. However, that is not the case for Option 3: Building and Material Reuse. In option 3, project teams can only exclude the removed hazardous materials from the credit calculations. And the calculations should include any removed surface area (if nonhazardous), even if it was removed because of damage or deterioration.
In option 2, salvaged materials off-site that will be installed in the building cannot be included in the credit calculations, though that option is more about keeping and reusing the existing building materials as much as possible. However, in option 3, project teams can use salvaged materials off-site and count them as “surface areas reused” in the credit calculations.
It is also important to note that in both option 2 and 3, window assemblies and any hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project should be excluded from the calculations.
Which of the following is not a source of biofuel according to LEED requirements?
a) Untreated wood waste
b) Landfill gas
c) Hide products
d) Agricultural crops or waste
Correct answer: C.
Biofuels are fuels produced from organic material. Biofuel includes untreated wood waste, landfill gas, agricultural crops or waste, animal waste, and other types of organic waste. Plants and animals can be an example of biobased materials, however, hide products, such as leather and other animal skin material are excluded in LEED calculations.
An owner of a 120,000 square feet office building project tells the LEED AP to avoid creating an energy model for the project under the EA prerequisite, Minimum Energy Performance. What should do LEED AP suggest?
a) Suggest creating the energy model as it is the only way to achieve a LEED certification for such a project
b) Suggest pursuing Option 2: Prescriptive Compliance – 50% ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide, and avoid creating the energy model
c) Suggest pursuing Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation without creating an energy model
d) Suggest pursuing Option 3: Prescriptive Compliance: Advanced Buildings Core Performance Guide
Correct answer: A.
A 120,000 square feet office project can only pursue Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation. And since we are talking about a prerequisite, creating the energy model is the project’s only choice, in order to achieve a LEED certification.
In order to choose which option to pursue under the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite, the project must comply with the project size and type requirements of the selected option.
All project teams can pursue option 1 of this prerequisite, as long as they create an energy model and comply with the prerequisite’s requirements. However, to pursue option 2 and option 3, projects should meet their eligibility requirements.
Option 2 is for projects that basically do not contain unique designs and systems beyond simple improvements to the MEP systems. Office buildings 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 other words, the 120,000‐square‐foot project mentioned in the question cannot pursue Option 2.
In order to pursue option 3 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. Again, the 120,000‐square‐foot project mentioned in the question will not be able to pursue this option.
Pursuing which of the following prerequisites/credits may require conducting an environmental site assessment (ESA)? (Choose 2)
a) Environmental Site Assessment prerequisite
b) High-Priority Site credit
c) Open Space credit
d) Integrative Process credit
Correct answers: A and B.
Under the Environmental Site Assessment prerequisite, project teams should conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, according to the ASTM E1527-05 standard, or a local equivalent, and they should determine if any environmental contamination exists on-site. And under Option 3: Brownfield Remediation of the High-Priority Site credit project teams need to conduct a Phase I or Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (or a local equivalent for projects outside the United States) or consult a biologist or environmental scientist.
Open Space and Integrative Process credits do not require conducting an environmental site assessment.
Under Option 1: Material Ingredient Reporting of the Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Material Ingredients credit, projects should demonstrate the chemical inventory of the product to at least:
a) %0.01 of its ingredients
b) %0.1 of its ingredients
c) %10 of its ingredients
d) 15% of its ingredients
Correct answer: B.
Under Option 1: Material Ingredient Reporting of the Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Material Ingredients credit, project teams should use at least 20 different permanently installed building products from at least five different manufacturers that use the required programs to demonstrate the chemical inventory of the product to at least 0.1% (1,000 parts per million) of its ingredients.
Which of the following statements is false regarding the Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit?
a) In Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings, salvaged materials off-site that will be installed in the building cannot be included in the credit calculations.
b) In Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, project teams can use salvaged materials off-site and count them as “surface areas reused” in the credit calculations.
c) In Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings and in Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, window assemblies and any hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project should be excluded from the calculations.
d) In Option 3: Building and Material Reuse, if there is any deterioration or damage, up to 25% of the building surface area may be excluded from credit calculations.
Correct answer: D.
Since Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Buildings (not option 3) is for abandoned or blighted buildings, the option allows project teams to demolish any damaged or deteriorated parts of the building, up to 25% of the building’s surface area, and exclude them from the credit calculations. However, that is not the case for Option 3: Building and Material Reuse. In option 3, project teams can only exclude the removed hazardous materials from the credit calculations. And the calculations should include any removed surface area (if nonhazardous), even if it was removed because of damage or deterioration.
In option 2, salvaged materials off-site that will be installed in the building cannot be included in the credit calculations though that option is more about keeping and reusing the existing building materials as much as possible. However, in option 3, project teams can use salvaged materials off-site and count them as “surface areas reused” in the credit calculations.
It is also important to note that in both option 2 and option 3, window assemblies and any hazardous materials that are remediated as a part of the project should be excluded from the calculations.
A project designer is planning to remove some trees from the site in order to allow for a hardscape area. A LEED AP tells the designer that removing the trees may result in the denial of the SS credit Sensitive Land Protection. Removing which of the following trees would not result in denial of that credit?
a) All the trees whose diameters are more than 6 inches (150 millimeters) at breast height
b) Trees that are under 40% condition rating
c) All the dead trees
d) Trees with 80% condition rating
Correct answer: B.
Under the Sensitive Land Protection credit, trees that meet any of the following ratings can be removed:
The tree conditions mentioned above must be assessed by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and ISA measures should be used (or a local equivalent for projects outside the United States).
A project team pursuing the Option 1: Historic Building Reuse part of the MR credit Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction maintains the existing building structure and envelope. However, they removed all the hazardous interior nonstructural elements. The removed portion of the hazardous materials account for 50% of all the interior, nonstructural elements. Which of the following statements best describes the situation, assuming that the building still keeps the “historic” designation?
a) Because the “historic” designation is not revoked, the project will earn the credit under option 1.
b) The project cannot qualify to pursue option 1.
c) The building cannot qualify to pursue option 1. However, it can pursue Option 3: Building and Material Reuse.
d) The building cannot qualify to pursue option 1. However, it can pursue Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Building.
Correct answer: A.
Under the Option 1: Historic Building Reuse part of the Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit, project teams should maintain the existing building structure, envelope, and interior nonstructural elements of the historic building or the contributing building inside a historic district. Project teams should not demolish any part of the historic building or the contributing building in a historic district unless it has structural problems or contains hazardous materials.
One thing to note under this option is that this option does not have any threshold for compliance. In other words, the credit does not define any area of the building to be reused or altered. It only requires that the “historic” designation status of the building be still valid after the construction in accordance with the appropriate standards from agencies. Regarding this question, since the building retains its “historic” designation, the project team can earn the credit under Option 1. If the building’s “historic” status was revoked after the historic review, this option could no longer be pursued. (In that case, project teams would be able to pursue Option 3—Building and Material Reuse if they meet its requirements.)
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.
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