Free LEED Green Associate Practice Exam

In this blog post, we have created a free LEED Green Associate exam for you. If you would like to get full-length online LEED Green Associate 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. 

If you'd like to take the practice exam, without the exam simulator, here are the free practice questions.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #1

Which of the following is an intentional reduction in the electricity usage in response to a curtailment event or changes in the price of electricity?

a) Retrocommissioning

b) Demand response

c) Green pricing

d) Load shifting

Correct Answer: B. Demand response.

Think about a power plant that serves the whole city and imagine that the weather gets extremely hot beyond the normal average temperature. As a consequence, everyone simultaneously turns on his or her air conditioner, creating a sudden increase in electricity demand. If the power plant’s energy is not enough to handle that peak demand, then the utility company would think about constructing an additional plant, or it would need to find additional generation sources, including nonrenewable energy sources.

Demand response is a technology that aims to overcome these types of conflicts by reducing energy demand, especially during peak times. The utility company sends an alert, which is called a DR event or a curtailment event, to commercial customers who agree to change their usage patterns at peak demands. In turn, the commercial consumers reduce their demand with the alert. Consumers are rewarded for their participation in the demand response, and the construction of additional power plants is avoided. In some cities, utility companies may charge extra during peak times in order to reduce energy demand.

Retrocommissioning is a systematic process for analyzing and optimizing building system performance. Retrocommissioning is basically the same process of commissioning applied to existing buildings. The aim of retrocommissioning is to keep a building on track for meeting or exceeding the original operational goals.

Green pricing is an extra fee for purchasing green power. For example, if the local utility provider sells green power, the project team can directly purchase and use green power. However, if the local utility company does not sell green power, then the project team can pay an extra fee—called green pricing—to the local utility company to buy a set quantity of green power instead of buying electricity produced by nonrenewable energy sources.

Load shifting is storing the energy generated during off-peak hours to use it during peak-demand hours. Usually, battery systems are used to store the energy during load shifting. 

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #2

Energy consumed during the employee commuting and business travel can be classified as:

a) Scope 1 energy

b) Scope 2 energy

c) Scope 3 energy

d) None of the above

Correct Answer: C. Scope 3 energy.

A scope 1 energy relates to the direct energy from the owned or controlled sources, while a scope 2 energy relates to the purchased energy, and scope 3 energy relates to energy sources that are not owned or directly controlled.

To illustrate, the energy generated on-site through burning of fossil fuels will fall under scope 1 energy, and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions will be classified as a scope 1 emission. The electricity bought from a utility company will be classified as a scope 2 energy, and the resulting greenhouse gas emission will be a scope 2 emission. The energy consumed during the employee commuting and business travel will be classified as a scope 3 energy.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #3

A contractor sends mixed waste to a facility that uses it as alternative daily cover at a landfill. Under LEED's waste diversion calculations, how is this material treated?

a) As diverted waste

b) As recycled material

c) As composted material

d) As waste

Correct Answer: D. As waste.

Under LEED, materials sent for alternative daily cover (ADC) at landfills or for incineration/energy recovery are treated as waste — not as diverted material. Even though ADC has a functional use, the material still ends up at the landfill and does not support LEED's goals of keeping materials in productive use. 

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #4

A building has an SRI value of 82 on its roof and an albedo of 0.35 on its parking surfaces. Which statement BEST describes the relationship between these two measurements?

a) SRI and albedo measure the same property — the higher the value, the more heat is reflected

b) Albedo measures only solar reflectance, while SRI combines both solar reflectance and thermal emissivity to indicate a surface's ability to stay cool

c) SRI applies only to roofing materials, while albedo applies only to non-roofing materials

d) A high SRI value always corresponds to a high albedo value

Correct Answer: B. Albedo measures only solar reflectance, while SRI combines both solar reflectance and thermal emissivity to indicate a surface's ability to stay cool.

Albedo measures how much solar energy a surface reflects on a scale of 0 to 1. SRI goes further by combining both solar reflectance and thermal emissivity to provide a more comprehensive measure of a material's ability to reject solar heat and stay cool. A material can have moderate reflectance but high emissivity, resulting in a high SRI. The two metrics are related but not interchangeable, and neither is restricted to specific surface types.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #5

A project site receives a Walk Score of 28. What does this indicate about the location?

a) Almost all daily errands can be accomplished on foot

b) The location is very walkable with most services nearby

c) The location has excellent public transit access

d) The location is car-dependent with few amenities within walking distance

Correct Answer: D. The location is car-dependent with few amenities within walking distance.

Walk Score measures walkability on a scale of 0 to 100 based on walking routes to nearby amenities. A score of 28 falls in the car-dependent range (0–49), indicating that few daily services are accessible on foot. Scores of 70–89 indicate very walkable locations, and 90–100 is a walker's paradise. Walk Score does not directly measure transit access — it measures proximity to walkable amenities.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #6

Which of the following are the phases of the split review option for the LEED BD+C and LEED ID+C project certification?

a) Preliminary design and construction

b) Anticipated and awarded

c) Design and construction

d) Preliminary review and final review

Correct Answer: C. Design and construction.

There are two types of review options for LEED BD+C and LEED ID+C projects. The first review option is the combined review, in which documentation for all the design and construction prerequisites/credits are submitted for review at the end of the construction phase. At the end of combined review, GBCI will mark the submitted prerequisites/credits as awarded or denied (this phase is called the preliminary review phase). If there is more information needed by GBCI about a prerequisite/credit, GBCI will mark it as clarify, and the project teams will submit the requested clarification (this phase is called the final review phase). It is a little riskier compared to the second review option, which is the split review. If some of the expected credits are not awarded, there will not be a make-up, since the project is already completed and no change in design or construction can be made. If a prerequisite is not awarded, then the project will not be able to receive a LEED certification at all.

The second option is the split review option, in which the design prerequisites/credits are submitted for review during the design phase, and both the additional design prerequisites/credits (if any) and all the construction prerequisites/credits are submitted at the end of the construction phase. The split review option has two phases, which are design and construction. When the design review is complete, GBCI will either mark the design prerequisites/credits either as anticipated or denied. No prerequisite/credit will be awarded during the design phase, since the design will also need to be implemented on-site during the construction phase. If a design prerequisite/credit is marked as anticipated, it means that the project will earn it at the end of construction phase once that design is implemented on-site. If it’s marked as denied, the project teams will need to come up with a design alternative rather than proceeding with that design in order to earn the prerequisite/credit. And at the end of construction review, GBCI will this time mark the submitted prerequisites/credits as awarded or denied. If there is more information needed by GBCI about a prerequisite/credit, GBCI will mark it as clarify, and the project teams will submit the requested clarification.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #7

When choosing environmentally friendly products, a project team should look for: (Choose 3)

a) Health Product Declarations (HPD)

b) Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

c) Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR)

d) Custodial effectiveness assessments

e) Greenwashing

Correct Answer: A,B, and C.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) evaluates the entire life-cycle of a product and assess the cost of the product on the environment. Products that contain an EPD will give information about a product’s impact on global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution, greenhouse gas emission, human toxicity, and more.

Furthermore, a product with a Health Product Declaration (HPD) will provide disclosure about its material ingredients, list of potential chemicals, related concerns, and additional health information. For manufacturers or raw-material suppliers, Corporate Sustainability Reports (CSR) will provide information about the manufacturer or raw-material supplier of a product that has been verified to employ sustainable principles during the creation of their products. By considering products with transparent information and declarations, project teams can make better decisions.

Custodial effectiveness assessments is about cleanliness of a building, which should also be conducted to obtain the occupants’ opinions of the green cleaning program during the building operation phase, to see if they are ever exposed to contaminants. For this question, it does not relate to choosing environmentally friendly products.

Project teams should be careful about greenwashing when selecting products. Greenwashing refers to the presentation of a product or a material as being more environmentally friendly than it actually is.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #8

Which of the following should the project team consider first when deciding to use graywater as an alternative to potable water in irrigation?


a) LEED requirements

b) Local code requirements

c) WaterSense requirements

d) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Correct Answer: B. Local code requirements.

The definition of graywater can vary by project location. Some local codes prohibit using graywater for toilet flushing. Therefore, project teams should first consult local code requirements before deciding to use graywater. Local codes take precedence over LEED requirements.

WaterSense requirements and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are not relevant to graywater use.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #9

After volunteer committees develop proposed changes to LEED, what is the correct sequence of approvals before the changes are published?

a) USGBC membership votes first, then the Board of Directors reviews, then the LSC approves

b) The LSC and Board of Directors review and affirm, then the consensus committee votes, then USGBC membership ratifies

c) GBCI reviews and approves independently without committee involvement

d) The consensus committee publishes changes directly without further review

Correct Answer: B. The LSC and Board of Directors review and affirm, then the consensus committee votes, then USGBC membership ratifies.

LEED improvements are developed by volunteer committees in conjunction with USGBC staff. The proposals are then reviewed and affirmed by the LEED Steering Committee and the USGBC Board of Directors before going to a vote by the relevant consensus committee and ratification by USGBC's membership. This multi-step process ensures transparency, technical rigor, and broad stakeholder support. GBCI administers certification, not rating system development. No single body can publish changes unilaterally.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #10

Which of the following LEED certification fees will vary according to the project size?

a) Registration fee

b) Review (certification) fee

c) Expedited review fee

d) Credit interpretation ruling fee

Correct Answer: B. Review (certification) fee.

Review (certification) fees varies according to the gross floor area of the project and membership status; it is not a flat fee like the registration fee

Expedited review is also available for an extra flat fee. The fees are flat fees for both USGBC members and nonmembers and will reduce the review duration from 20–25 days down to 10–12 days.

A Credit interpretation ruling (CIR) has a fixed cost for both USGBC members and nonmembers. One Credit interpretation ruling (CIR) can be sent to clarify a single question, and project teams can submit an unlimited number of CIRs.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #11

In order to be eligible for a LEED ID+C rating system certification, a project should contain a minimum of:

a) 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area

b) 500 square feet (44 square meters) of gross floor area

c) 1,000 square feet (88 square meters) of gross floor area

d) 2,000 square feet (176 square meters) gross floor area

Correct answer: A. 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area.

All LEED projects must meet the following size requirements according to their rating system:

• LEED BD+C and LEED O+M rating systems: The project must include a minimum of 1,000 square feet (93 square meters) of gross floor area.
• LEED ID+C rating systems: The project must include a minimum of 250 square feet (22 square meters) of gross floor area.
• LEED for Neighborhood Development rating systems: The project should contain at least two habitable buildings and be no larger than 1,500 acres.
• LEED for Homes: The project must be defined as a “dwelling unit” by all applicable codes. A dwelling unit should include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation. The LEED for Homes rating system additionally refers to the LEED for Homes Scope and Eligibility Guidelines as well for extra requirements.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #12

Which of the following programs does not evaluate materials’ ingredients?

a) GreenScreen

b) Cradle-to-Cradle Certification

c) Green-e

d) REACH Optimization

Correct answer: C. Green-e.

Green-e is the leading certification program for green power generation in the United States and does not evaluates materials’ ingredients.

GreenScreen is a method used to identify chemicals of high concern and also to identify safer alternatives. GreenScreen is developed by Clean Production Action, a nonprofit organization.

Cradle-to-Cradle Certification assesses the ingredients of a product for environmental and human health hazards and awards a Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level Cradle-to-Cradle Certification to the products with preferable life-cycle impacts.

The acronym in REACH Optimization stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. It is the outgrowth of European Union legislation that requires all chemicals sold to be evaluated based on their hazard profiles. In LEED, only projects outside the United States can use REACH Optimization as an alternative compliance path (ACP).

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #13

__________ is a stormwater control feature which uses a combination of engineered basin, soils and vegetation.

a) Bioswale

b) Dry pond

c) Rainwater harvesting

d) Albedo

Correct answer: A. Bioswale.

Bioswales are a stormwater-control features that uses a combination of engineered basin, soils, and vegetation.

Dry ponds (detention ponds) hold the excess rainwater for some time, thereby allowing the rainwater to slowly seep into the ground without contamination. Dry ponds are excavated areas that detain and slow down stormwater but are dry at other times.

Rainwater harvesting is an aspect of rainwater management, which collects and filters the rainwater to be re-used as an alternative to potable water.

Albedo is a type of reflectivity measurement from “0” to “1”, which “0” represents black surfaces that absorb all the solar radiation, while “1” represents white surfaces that reflects all the solar radiation.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #14

Changing (increasing or decreasing) the roof area of a building cannot aid in:

a) Reducing the heat island effect

b) Increasing rainwater harvesting opportunities

c) Installing photovoltaic panels

d) Complying with the BUG rating method

Correct answer: D. Complying with the BUG rating method.

Changing (increasing or decreasing) the roof area of a building is unrelated to the BUG rating method. The BUG rating method is a luminaire classification system that categorizes luminaires based on backlight, uplight, and glare. Decreasing the roof area while increasing landscaping can reduce the heat island effect. Increasing the roof area can aid rainwater harvesting because a larger roof captures more rainwater. Additionally, increasing the roof area can facilitate the installation of more photovoltaic panels.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #15

A LEED project team registered their project in June 2026. In April 2026, USGBC published a LEED interpretation that changes how a prerequisite the team is pursuing should be documented. The team was unaware of this interpretation and has been following the original reference guide approach. What is the team's obligation?

a) The team has no obligation because they were unaware of the interpretation at the time of registration

b) The team should follow the reference guide because it was published before the interpretation

c) The team must comply with the interpretation because it was published before their project registration date

d) The team should request a waiver from GBCI since they were already following the reference guide

Correct answer: C. The team must comply with the interpretation because it was published before their project registration date.

Projects are required to adhere to all LEED interpretations published before their registration date, regardless of whether the team was aware of them at the time. Since this interpretation was published in April 2026 and the project registered in June 2026, the interpretation applies to the project and compliance is mandatory.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #16

Infill sites are sites that __________ of their site area were either previously developed or were already being used for other purposes in the urban areas.

a) At least 50%

b) At least 75%

c) At least 90%

d) 100%

Correct answer: B. At least 75%.

Infill sites are sites that at least 75% of their site area were either previously developed or were already being used for other purposes in the urban areas.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #17

A project team is designing a new office building and wants to make the single decision that will have the greatest impact on energy demand. Which decision should they prioritize?

a) Building orientation

b) Selection of HVAC equipment

c) Choice of landscaping plants Climate

d) Envelope design

Correct answer: A. Building orientation.

Building orientation has the biggest effect on energy demand. Orienting the building to maximize beneficial solar exposure increases daylighting and supports passive solar heating, reducing lighting and heating energy needs. 

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #18

LEED requires project teams to prohibit smoking outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least __________ from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows.

a) 12 feet (3.75 meters)

b) 25 feet (7.5 meters)

c) 50 feet (15 meters)

d) 100 feet (30 meters)

Correct answer: B. 25 feet (7.5 meters).

LEED requires project teams to prohibit smoking inside the building and also prohibit smoking outside the building except in designated smoking areas located at least 25 feet (7.5 meters) from all entries, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows. In addition, project teams should prohibit smoking outside the property line in spaces that are used for business purposes.

For schools, LEED restricts smoking on the entire site without any exceptions.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #19

A building team purchases 500 renewable energy certificates (RECs). How much renewable electricity generation does this represent?

a) 50 MWh

b) 500 MWh

c) 5,000 MWh

d) 50,000 MWh

Correct answer: B. 500 MWh.

A single renewable energy certificate (REC) represents the environmental and non-power attributes associated with one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity generation delivered to the grid. Purchasing 500 RECs represents claiming the environmental benefits of 500 MWh of renewable generation.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #20

Which of the following is a radioactive gas that is naturally found on the soils, rocks and water bodies, and is harmful to human health?

a) Ammonia

b) Propane

c) Halon 

d) Radon

Correct answer: D. Radon.

Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally found on the soils, rocks and water bodies, which is harmful to human health.

Ammonia and propane are natural refrigerants, while halons are chemicals used in fire suppression systems that cause ozone depletion.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #21

Which of the following products does not contain postconsumer recycled content?

a) Recyclable printer papers sent to the recycling facility after being used

b) Used aluminum cans

c) Used newspapers

d) Sawdust generated during the manufacturing of a wood product that is recycled to be used inside a medium density fiberboard (MDF) board

Correct answer: D. Sawdust generated during the manufacturing of a wood product that is recycled to be used inside a medium density fiberboard (MDF) board.

Postconsumer recycled content is the recycled content of a used material. For example, a recyclable printer paper can be send to recycling after being used and can become a part of a new printer paper. Other types of materials with postconsumer recycled content can be aluminum cans, water bottles, most of the glass, wood and steel products, newspapers and more.

Preconsumer recycled content is the content of a material that is recycled before being used by a consumer. An example of this could be sawdust generated during the manufacturing of a wood product. The by-product (sawdust) is then recycled, in order to be used inside an MDF board (medium-density fiberboard). Thus, the sawdust was never consumed by anyone, and it was directly recycled into a totally different product. Other types of materials with preconsumer recycled content can be wood chips, tree bark, magazine overruns, and a number of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #22

Which of the following is an example of particulate matter (PM)?

a) Carbon dioxide and methane gases

b) Tiny solid particles and liquid droplets that can carry heavy metals, mold spores, and combustion by-products

c) Water vapor from HVAC humidification systems

d) Radon gas seeping from soil beneath the building

Correct answer: B. Tiny solid particles and liquid droplets that can carry heavy metals, mold spores, and combustion by-products.

Particulate matter is a mix of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets floating in the air. Most PM requires a microscope to detect, and it can carry contaminants such as heavy metals, mold spores, dust mites, combustion by-products, pest droppings, and chemicals from pesticides, cleaning products, or building materials. Carbon dioxide and methane are gases, not particulates. Water vapor is water in gaseous form. Radon is a radioactive gas.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #23

Implementing which of the following strategies is not mandatory for all LEED BD+C projects?

a) Creating an erosion and sedimentation control (ESC) plan that follows the erosion and sedimentation requirements of the U.S. EPA 2022 Construction General Permit (CGP)

b) Reducing the project’s landscape water consumption by at least 30% from the calculated baseline for the site’s peak watering month

c) Reducing indoor water usage by 30% through the use of more efficient fixtures and fittings

d) Providing dedicated areas that are accessible to waste haulers and building occupants for the collection and storage of recyclable materials for the entire building

Correct answer: C. Reducing indoor water usage by 30% through the use of more efficient fixtures and fittings.

All LEED BD+C projects are required to reduce their indoor water usage by 20% (not 30%) using more efficient fixtures and fittings.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #24

Which of the following statements is false about a building product with a health product declaration (HPD)?

a) Project teams can see the list of potential chemicals inside the product

b) Project teams can see the material ingredients of the product

c) Project teams can see the health information and related concerns of the product

d) Project teams can see the recyclable materials inside the product

Correct answer: D. Project teams can see the recyclable materials inside the product.

A health product declaration (HPD) is a disclosure that provides a product’s material ingredients, a list of potential chemicals, related concerns, and additional health information. It does not list the recyclable materials inside the product.

LEED Green Associate Questions and Answers #25

An older building has never been commissioned and shows signs of underperforming HVAC systems. What process should the facility manager initiate to systematically investigate and optimize performance?

a) Fundamental commissioning

b) Retrocommissioning

c) Enhanced commissioning

d) Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx)

Correct answer: B. Retrocommissioning.

Retrocommissioning is a systematic process for analyzing and optimizing building system performance in existing buildings that have never been commissioned or need performance improvements. It involves a commissioning provider who tests systems and documents measures needed to improve performance.

For more practice questions, check out our best-selling practice exams:

LEED Green Associate Exam Practice Tests

• 6 full-length online practice exams (600 questions).
• Prepared in the same scope and format of the actual LEED Green Associate v5 exam.
• Provides detailed feedback and answer explanations.
• Mobile and tablet friendly.

View Product →