This is part of a series of articles on the experience of giving the LEED AP BD+C examination. Our first article looked at why the LEED AP BD+C exam could prove difficult to crack. The following 2 weeks elaborated on 11 Essential ‘Need -to-Knows’ before LEED AP BD+C Prep (Part 1, Part 2). Last week we started with LEED AP BD+C: Resources and Materials (Free). This week we delve into a list of available online Paid Resources and Materials that you could refer to if needed.
Like we mentioned in earlier posts – If you have prior experience with LEED projects (or some sort of Sustainability background), then things become relatively easier. If not, then you might feel the need to use a guided study course. Today’s article addresses this scenario.
Note: We have tested and used some of following resources and can tell you what we found useful. There are others that we feel could be good based on the credibility of the source (these have not been tried by us, so the decision to use them would lie with you). Our aim is to create an exhaustive list of materials, so that the Menu is in front of you to make your decision (our articles are not endorsing any online courses/ question banks. However, we would like to give due credit to pages that our team found useful while attempting the exam. Ultimately, it is totally up to your choice and discretion whether to subscribe to them). We have mentioned Sources Reviews, Prices (any offers), Subscription time, Important Links and Material Inclusions. All prices are rounded off to the nearest 5 or 10.
Since this list is quite long, we are breaking it into 3 parts.
- Study Resources
- Practice Questions
- GBES
- GreenCE
- Green Building Academy
- GBRI
- Everblue
- Poplar and Green Step
- LEED Project Experience
- GBES
- GBRI
- Direct Classes/ In-Person Training
- GBRI
- Everblue
1) Study Resources
(a) Green Building Academy
Source Review | Tested | Proved great for LEED Green Associate, Reasonable Price, Accessible and helpful staff
(i) $75 | LEED v4 AP BD+C Made Easy | 6 months subscription (3 months initial subscription, can be renewed for another 3 months at no cost)
Inclusions | Detailed videos chapter-wise (including explanations for calculations), downloadable PDFs, Questions, Forum
We bought and tested this online course for the LEED Green Associate exam. [At the time (in 2016), this was the cheapest complete course we found in the market at $55. The resource provided informative videos and downloadable PDFs along with timed exams and explanations. Their forums were also very useful, where you could read questions and answers by other candidates or post your own doubts.]
Our experience led us to subscribe to it for the LEED AP BD+C stage. This version of the examination is more technical than LEED Green Associate since it involves calculations. For $75, Green Academy provides very detailed videos for each chapter which also explain how to solve problems.
(b) GBES
Source Review | USGBC Education Partner, Tested their Question Bank – Good quality experience
(i) $35 | LEED AP BD+C Study Sheets
Inclusions | 12 Study Sheets (PDF format, can be printed)
(ii) $35 | LEED AP BD+C Flashcards | No Expiration Date
Inclusions | 200 flashcards (Can be printed 6 to a sheet or studied online)
(iii) $60 | LEED AP BD+C Study Guide
Inclusions | 200+ page Study Guide (including key terms, case studies, sample questions)
(iv) $100 | LEED AP BD+C Silver Pack | 120-day access
Inclusions | Exam Simulator with 500 practice questions, 200 flashcards
(v) $230 | LEED AP BD+C Platinum Pack | 120 day access
Inclusions | Exam Simulator with 500 practice questions, 200 flashcards, Study Guide, 11 On-Demand Webinars, 12 Study Sheets
Offers | 25% Off Everything for Labor Day Weekend, Student and Faculty Discounts
(c) GreenCE
Source Review | Tested Continuing Education videos (good quality Content and Experience) , LEED Green Associate Course available for Free here (Chapter-wise videos and 3 practice exams could be viewed to gauge for quality)
(i) $230 | Green Building and the LEED AP BD+C Exam
Inclusions | Study Guide, 90+ LEED practice questions, Study Sheets, Certificate of Completion for 8 AIA HSW Hours, Tips, Study Methods, Hands-on exercises, Slideshow format with Audio
(d) USGBC
(i) $100 | Web-based Reference Guide (all rating systems) | 1-year Access
Inclusions | Fully interactive Web-based Reference Guide, 50 Multimedia Modules, Tutorials and Case Studies
(ii) $200 | Education@USGBC | 1-year Access
Inclusions | Access to all listed study materials and Continuing Education Resources (400+ courses including Web-based Reference Guide)
(iii) $220 (e-document PDF), $250 (Hard copy) | LEED Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction
Inclusions | 90-day Access to full suite of Web-based guide content (50 multimedia modules, interactive videos, tutorials, case studies, presentations and documents) with purchase of a hard copy or e-copy of the LEED v4 Reference Guide
Offers | Member Price for Hard copy of Reference Guide is $200
(e) GBRI
Source Review | USGBC Education Partner (List of other Education Partners)
(i) $250 | All-Inclusive LEED v4 BD+C Exam Preparation
Inclusions | 500+ Practice test questions, 2 simulated Mock exams, On-Demand classroom sessions, Study Guides, Flashcards, Memory Charts
Offers | Free LEED Green Associate Package, Money Back Guarantee with some conditions
(f) Everblue
Source Review | USGBC Education Partner
(i) $200 | LEED AP BD+C v4 Exam Prep (On-demand)
Inclusions | 3 Study Sections and 2 Practice Exams (100 questions each), 8.5 AIA LU/HSWs
(ii) $500 | LEED Accredited Professional Building Design + Construction – Start NOW! Online | Access to course materials for 6 months
Inclusions | Self-guided content, on demand access to 8-hour course presentation, access to instructors for follow-up questions, 300+ practice questions, LEED Credit Reference Sheets
(g) American Technical Publishers
Source Review | USGBC Education Partner
(i) $105 | LEED AP® BD+C Exam Preparation Guide ATPWebBook™ | Access for 5 years (needs Internet, not downloadable)
Inclusions | 450-page Study Guide (concise text and detailed, full-color illustrations and photos), 170+ Checkpoint Questions for continual assessment, Knowledge Retention and Calculation exercises, 100-Question Practice Exam, Illustrated Glossary, Key Terms list, Factoids, Appendix
(ii) $320 | Study Bundle: LEED BD+C Study Guide and BD+C Reference Guide (V4)
Inclusions | Hard copy: LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction + 450-page Study Guide(concise text and detailed, full-color illustrations and photos), 170+ Checkpoint Questions for continual assessment, Knowledge Retention and Calculation exercises, 100-Question Practice Exam, Appendix | Online Learner Resources (ATPeResources.com): Quick Quizzes, Illustrated Glossary, Flashcards, Media library with 6 videos and animations
Offers | School Price for 5 or more ATPWebBooks, Member Price for Study Bundle $270
That’s all for today! Since this list of Resources and Materials is quite long, we have broken it into 3 parts. The next part will cover sources for Practice Questions.
Hope this was helpful. If you have suggestions for other topics or questions related to this content, kindly let us know in the comments.
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Thank you for reading!
The Architecture Gazette 