Guide to the LEED Green Associate Exam 1st Edition

NOTE: The Leed Green Associate program has released (June 1, 2014) an updated version (V4) of this accreditation. This book was prepared based on the last program version (V3) and does not include the updated information. I passed the exam today (June 12, 2014) on the version 3 material but that version 3 test will no longer be given after June 15th, 2014. I am not sure how much information has changed in V4 as compared to V3, but it is the first rewrite since 2009 so it might be significant.Having said that, this book was exactly what I needed. It was easy to read and relatively comprehensive in its coverage. I read it carefully and made my own flash cards (about 150 of them) as well as used the flash cards that come with the book. In addition, I reviewed the two sample exams in the LEED GA Mock Exams by Gang Chen. I reviewed both my set and the book's set of flash cards twice and reviewed the two mock exams twice. The real exam was easier than the mock exams but I am glad the mock exams were hard because it made me study more thoroughly.My total study time for this test was 50 hours spread over the five days preceeding the exam. BTW, I recommend for you to focus your study for this exam in the week or two before it since so much of it is memorizing. You will forget too much if you spread it out over several weeks or months. I took 3 days off work plus the weekend and did all my studying in those 5 days and took the exam on the 6th day.When the updated version of this book is released, I would definitely buy one if you want to prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam.

This book was good for the general knowledge needed to pass the exam. I read this book from front to back, took notes, and used the notecards included. I liked how each chapter had little quizzes too. They helped to determine what I was picking up on and what I had to read/study more of.I also bought LEED GA Mock Exams to test my knowledge, and then LEED Visual GA to review everything the day before & morning of the exam. I studied for about 4-5 weeks total.I did not purchase any of the USGBC materials, so it is possible to pass without their Study Guide or Core Concepts. However, I do recommend using the free materials on USGBC's & GBCI's website (such as looking over the rating systems, etc.)and the links that are provided in the Candidate Manual. This test was not easy but you can pass the first time!I hope this helps! Good luck studying.

I wish Amazon had a 10 star rating system, as I would give this book a 7/10, instead of 3/5. That being said, I got this book based on the reviews written here on Amazon.com, and I'm disappointed to say that the book did not quite meet my expectations. But first the good points about the book. The layout, design, and format are all excellent. The book is inviting to pick up and look through. There are many pictures and side notes, and each page has plenty of white space so the book doesn't look overcrowded with information. The flash cards at the end are a nice extra too. The book also has some useful appendices with information about the LEED rating systems.Now for the not so good. As one of the main reviews said, this book is great for cramming, but not for comprehension. Many times while reading the book, I found myself wanting more explanation on topics, as I just didn't feel like I understood some points. It treats some topics superficially and sometimes there is just a brief side note on things. I like to really understand what I'm reading and learning about, and not just memorize it, so that was a constant frustration for me. But some topics are dealt with throughly enough that I felt like I really understood it. I'd say about half were this way. I also noticed many times that a practice question would ask something that was not covered at all in the text, or not covered in enough depth to be able to answer the question. That was another frustration, to have a question on something, and be searching through the book for the answer, but not finding anything on it. Overall, I think this book needs to be revised to a 2nd edition, and maybe (hopefully) that is set to happen as it was only published in 2010.

I used this book to study for the Leed GA exam. This guide and a flash card application on my phone were enough for me to pass the exam on the first try. This guide covers much of what is on the exam. However, there were not enough practice questions (mostly why I got the phone application). Overall still a great book.Pros- Easy to read, with clear sections and tips.- Well organized.Cons- Example questions are at the end of each chapter with the answers at the end of the book. Buying the kindle version, it was difficult to flip back and fourth to check the answers.

information is old and sometimes even wrong

I purchased this book based on reviews from Amazon and other online LEED discussion groups. I just took the LEED Green Associate exam today and passed with a 192 out of 200 (170 is passing). I found this book was more comprehensive then the LEED reference guides from the U.S. Green Building Council. It comes with flash cards in the back which you can cut out. The text has regular quiz sections that were useful.Pros:- Fairly comprehensive summary of what you will need to know for the exam- Organized logicallyCons:- If you just study this you'll be at serious risk of failing. There are many other resources on the USGBC website that you will need to be familiar with. It represents maybe 25% of the material that you will need to read. Most of the others are available online for free.- The flashcards were helpful but very basic- I had a handful of topics on the test that never showed up in this or any of the other references I read- The quizzes are good but it lacks a comprehensive practice test. To get this you will have to find a free online site or do what I did and pay the $49 for access to an online database of practice tests. Frankly this book gave me the foundation but I would have been right on the cusp of failing without the practice tests.