LEED AP BD+C: Building Design and Construction Exam Practice Test
Build your confidence for LEED AP BD+C: Building Design and Construction Exam. Practice the concepts, understand the answers, and strengthen your knowledge one question at a time.
Try a sample questionExam overview and details
The LEED AP Building Design + Construction (BD+C) credential is a globally recognized professional certification that validates advanced knowledge in green building principles and sustainable design strategies specifically for new construction and major renovation projects. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this credential signifies expertise in the LEED rating system for core and shell development, schools, retail, hospitality, data centers, warehouses, and distribution centers. Achieving this certification demonstrates a professional's ability to guide project teams through the complex LEED certification process, optimize building performance, and implement strategies across key areas such as integrative process, location and transportation, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. It is the premier credential for architects, engineers, contractors, developers, and consultants focused on high-performance, sustainable building design and construction, enhancing both project outcomes and professional credibility.
Sample Questions
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A LEED v4 BD+C project for a data center administration building with high plug loads and a small visitor education space is during construction submittal review. The civil engineer reports that the project has one utility water meter and several high-use subsystems, including irrigation and process equipment. The schedule is tight, the owner wants to protect the certification target, and one consultant argues for the lowest-documentation path. How should the team resolve the issue for LEED v4 BD+C purposes?
A LEED v4 BD+C project for a downtown core-and-shell office tower with three unknown future tenants and a district energy connection is during predesign in 2025. The facility manager reports that the owner compares a greenfield with cheaper land to an infill site in a priority redevelopment area. The schedule is tight, the owner wants to protect the certification target, and one consultant argues for the lowest-documentation path. What should the LEED AP recommend next?
A LEED v4 BD+C project for a hospital outpatient pavilion with imaging suites, exam rooms, and strict infection-control requirements is while preparing split-review documentation. The commissioning authority reports that the team finds a conflict between a credit form instruction and a posted addendum two weeks before final review. The schedule is tight, the owner wants to protect the certification target, and one consultant argues for the lowest-documentation path. Which action best protects both LEED compliance and the owner's stated goal?
A LEED v4 BD+C project for a historic warehouse conversion with retained masonry, new glazing, and tenant fit-out after certification is after schematic design but before design review. The civil engineer reports that the city offers shared parking for evening events, but the owner plans to build a separate surface lot anyway. The schedule is tight, the owner wants to protect the certification target, and one consultant argues for the lowest-documentation path. Which response should the project team choose before documenting the credit?
A LEED v4 BD+C project for a mixed-use retail and office project beside a bus rapid transit stop and a protected bike lane is during construction submittal review. The civil engineer reports that the owner wants to earn a Regional Priority point by creating a custom local resilience strategy. The schedule is tight, the owner wants to protect the certification target, and one consultant argues for the lowest-documentation path. How should the team resolve the issue for LEED v4 BD+C purposes?
Exam insights and study advice
Earning the LEED AP BD+C credential is a definitive career differentiator in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. It signals to employers, clients, and peers a verified, expert-level commitment to sustainability and technical proficiency in green building. This certification directly correlates with career advancement, often leading to roles with greater responsibility, leadership on high-profile sustainable projects, and increased earning potential. It provides industry-wide recognition as a subject matter expert, opening doors to specialized consulting roles, project management positions on LEED-certified projects, and a competitive edge in a market increasingly driven by environmental performance, regulatory requirements, and corporate sustainability goals.
What this exam covers
01Energy and Atmosphere
Topics
- Energy performance and efficiency (e.g., referenced standards, building performance factors, prescriptive, performance [energy modeling])
- Electrification (e.g., limit on-site combustion, electrification readiness)
- Reduction of peak thermal loads (e.g., ventilation, thermal bridging, infiltration)
- Renewable energy supply (e.g., on-site and off-site renewable energy; renewable energy readiness, photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, low-impact hydroelectricity, Energy Attribute Certificates [EACs], equity project)
- Refrigerants (e.g., use of refrigerants on site, methods and approaches, Global Warming Potential [GWP] benchmarks, installation, leakage amounts)
- Commissioning (e.g., commissioning authority [CxA], owner’s project requirements [OPR], basis of design [BOD], monitoring-based commissioning, envelope commissioning, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing [MEP] systems, building enclosures, monitoring based commission [MBCx], training of staff, opera
- Advanced energy metering (e.g., energy use measurement, building automation controls, benchmarking)
- Emergency and future proofing (e.g., energy storage, renewable energy readiness, power resiliency [critical loads])
- Grid interactive (e.g., grid efficiency and reliability, demand response programs, load shifting)
Learning objectives
- Energy performance and efficiency (e.g., referenced standards, building performance factors, prescriptive, performance [energy modeling])
- Electrification (e.g., limit on-site combustion, electrification readiness)
- Reduction of peak thermal loads (e.g., ventilation, thermal bridging, infiltration)
- Renewable energy supply (e.g., on-site and off-site renewable energy; renewable energy readiness, photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, low-impact hydroelectricity, Energy Attribute Certificates [EACs], equity project)
- Refrigerants (e.g., use of refrigerants on site, methods and approaches, Global Warming Potential [GWP] benchmarks, installation, leakage amounts)
- Commissioning (e.g., commissioning authority [CxA], owner’s project requirements [OPR], basis of design [BOD], monitoring-based commissioning, envelope commissioning, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing [MEP] systems, building enclosures, monitoring based commission [MBCx], training of staff, opera
- Advanced energy metering (e.g., energy use measurement, building automation controls, benchmarking)
- Emergency and future proofing (e.g., energy storage, renewable energy readiness, power resiliency [critical loads])
- Grid interactive (e.g., grid efficiency and reliability, demand response programs, load shifting)
02Indoor Environmental Quality
Topics
- Thermal environment (e.g., over-cooling, heating, thermal safety, cooling solutions and fans, thermal comfort control)
- Sound environment (e.g., exterior and interior noise, background noise, reverberation, noise exposure, acoustical comfort, acoustical privacy, soundscape, quiet zones, sensory zones)
- Lighting environment (e.g., color rendering, surface reflectance, types of fixtures, luminance, Unified Glare Rating [UGR], lighting controls, daylight [building massing and orientation, glare, human health impacts, illuminance, surface reflectance, spatial Daylight Autonomy [sDA], Annual Sunlight E
- Biophilic environment (e.g., connection to outdoor environment; direct line of sight to outdoors, repeated and sustained engagement with nature, quality views)
- Accessibility and inclusion (e.g., accessibility codes, strategies for safety and aging, social health, wayfinding, neurodiversity, adaptable environment [choice and flexibility])
- Construction management (e.g., no smoking, extreme heat protection, HVAC protection, source control, pathway interruption, housekeeping, scheduling, construction indoor air quality)
- Ventilation levels (e.g., natural vs. mechanical, outdoor air, regional climate conditions, local air quality, ventilation design, performance-based indoor air quality procedure [IAQP])
- Management of and improvements to indoor air quality (e.g., filtration, air cleaning, air testing, ongoing monitoring)
- Exposure to emissions (e.g., prohibit smoking, prohibit vehicle idling)
- Management modes for risk events (e.g., infection risk management mode, wildfire, power outages)
- Resilient planning and design (e.g., thermal safety, extreme heat and cold, operable windows)
Learning objectives
- Thermal environment (e.g., over-cooling, heating, thermal safety, cooling solutions and fans, thermal comfort control)
- Sound environment (e.g., exterior and interior noise, background noise, reverberation, noise exposure, acoustical comfort, acoustical privacy, soundscape, quiet zones, sensory zones)
- Lighting environment (e.g., color rendering, surface reflectance, types of fixtures, luminance, Unified Glare Rating [UGR], lighting controls, daylight [building massing and orientation, glare, human health impacts, illuminance, surface reflectance, spatial Daylight Autonomy [sDA], Annual Sunlight E
- Biophilic environment (e.g., connection to outdoor environment; direct line of sight to outdoors, repeated and sustained engagement with nature, quality views)
- Accessibility and inclusion (e.g., accessibility codes, strategies for safety and aging, social health, wayfinding, neurodiversity, adaptable environment [choice and flexibility])
- Construction management (e.g., no smoking, extreme heat protection, HVAC protection, source control, pathway interruption, housekeeping, scheduling, construction indoor air quality)
- Ventilation levels (e.g., natural vs. mechanical, outdoor air, regional climate conditions, local air quality, ventilation design, performance-based indoor air quality procedure [IAQP])
- Management of and improvements to indoor air quality (e.g., filtration, air cleaning, air testing, ongoing monitoring)
- Exposure to emissions (e.g., prohibit smoking, prohibit vehicle idling)
- Management modes for risk events (e.g., infection risk management mode, wildfire, power outages)
- Resilient planning and design (e.g., thermal safety, extreme heat and cold, operable windows)
03Integrative Process Planning and Assessments
Topics
- Integrative Design Process (e.g. timing, engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, assessment-based understanding, design charrette, discovery, LEED goal setting)
- Core and Shell, as applicable (e.g., tenant guidelines, green leases credits)
- Climate resilience (e.g., site-specific natural hazards)
- Human use, health impact and social context (e.g., cultural awareness, historic or heritage awareness, community engagement)
- Carbon assessment (e.g., operational, embodied, transportation, refrigerants, product selection, long-term direct and indirect carbon emissions)
Learning objectives
- Integrative Design Process (e.g. timing, engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, assessment-based understanding, design charrette, discovery, LEED goal setting)
- Core and Shell, as applicable (e.g., tenant guidelines, green leases credits)
- Climate resilience (e.g., site-specific natural hazards)
- Human use, health impact and social context (e.g., cultural awareness, historic or heritage awareness, community engagement)
- Carbon assessment (e.g., operational, embodied, transportation, refrigerants, product selection, long-term direct and indirect carbon emissions)
04LEED Process
Topics
- Minimum Program Requirements for LEED certification and requirements for Platinum
- Different avenues to achieve LEED goals (e.g., developing credit interpretation rulings/requests, project priorities, LEED equivalencies)
- LEED system synergies and tradeoffs (e.g., between rating systems, between credits, between strategies)
- Project boundary, LEED boundary, and property boundary
- Evolutionary characteristics of LEED (e.g., addenda, continuous improvement, development cycles of the rating systems)
- Selection of rating systems (e.g., LEED 40/60 rule)
- LEED occupancy (e.g., FTE, transients, visitors, residents)
Learning objectives
- Minimum Program Requirements for LEED certification and requirements for Platinum
- Different avenues to achieve LEED goals (e.g., developing credit interpretation rulings/requests, project priorities, LEED equivalencies)
- LEED system synergies and tradeoffs (e.g., between rating systems, between credits, between strategies)
- Project boundary, LEED boundary, and property boundary
- Evolutionary characteristics of LEED (e.g., addenda, continuous improvement, development cycles of the rating systems)
- Selection of rating systems (e.g., LEED 40/60 rule)
- LEED occupancy (e.g., FTE, transients, visitors, residents)
05Location and Transportation
Topics
- Development constraints and opportunities (e.g., prime farmland, floodplains, species and habitat, water bodies, wetlands, historic districts, priority designations, brownfields, steep slopes)
- Community connectivity terms and definitions (e.g., walkability, street design, surrounding density, diverse uses)
- Access to quality transit, concepts/calculations (e.g., accessibility to multimodal transportation choices)
- Transportation demand management (e.g., parking capacity and management, bicycle storage and shower facilities)
- Electric vehicles (e.g., regionalization of energy sources for electric power generation, EV parking, EV supply equipment specifications)
- Economic and social vitality of a community (e.g., equitable construction, supporting a local economy, affordable housing)
Learning objectives
- Development constraints and opportunities (e.g., prime farmland, floodplains, species and habitat, water bodies, wetlands, historic districts, priority designations, brownfields, steep slopes)
- Community connectivity terms and definitions (e.g., walkability, street design, surrounding density, diverse uses)
- Access to quality transit, concepts/calculations (e.g., accessibility to multimodal transportation choices)
- Transportation demand management (e.g., parking capacity and management, bicycle storage and shower facilities)
- Electric vehicles (e.g., regionalization of energy sources for electric power generation, EV parking, EV supply equipment specifications)
- Economic and social vitality of a community (e.g., equitable construction, supporting a local economy, affordable housing)
06Materials and Resources
Topics
- Whole-building life-cycle assessment (e.g., life-cycle stages, modules, standards and building scope; high-impact materials; project structure enclosure and hardscape materials; quantify global warming potential [GWP] impacts)
- Procurement of low-embodied carbon materials (e.g., environmental product declaration [EPD], embodied carbon conservation measures, multi-attribute products, buy-clean program [locally made, low-carbon materials, social responsibility in the supply chain, raw material source and extraction practices
- Carbon emissions from construction activities (e.g., track fuel and utility usage, reduce transportation emissions)
- Building and material reuse (e.g., partial- and whole-building, enclosure materials [skin, framing], permanently installed interior elements [walls, doors, floor coverings, ceiling systems], incorporating reuse from off-site)
- Material stewardship (e.g., where materials came from, end of life of materials, how to recover value, durability, extended producer responsibility [EPR], recycled content)
- Low-emitting materials selection (e.g., product categories [paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, flooring, ceiling, walls, insulation, composite wood, furniture])
- Human and ecological health impacts (e.g., evaluation criteria, material ingredient reporting and optimization, volatile organic compound [VOC] emissions and content, toxicity, evaluating environmental claims)
- Construction and demolition waste management (e.g., waste reduction, waste diversion goals, recycle and/or salvage nonhazardous construction and demolition materials, waste management plan, source separation of materials)
- Operations and ongoing waste management (e.g., waste reduction, storage and collection of recyclable materials [mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals], safe storage areas for batteries and mercury-containing lamps, organic waste composting)
Learning objectives
- Whole-building life-cycle assessment (e.g., life-cycle stages, modules, standards and building scope; high-impact materials; project structure enclosure and hardscape materials; quantify global warming potential [GWP] impacts)
- Procurement of low-embodied carbon materials (e.g., environmental product declaration [EPD], embodied carbon conservation measures, multi-attribute products, buy-clean program [locally made, low-carbon materials, social responsibility in the supply chain, raw material source and extraction practices
- Carbon emissions from construction activities (e.g., track fuel and utility usage, reduce transportation emissions)
- Building and material reuse (e.g., partial- and whole-building, enclosure materials [skin, framing], permanently installed interior elements [walls, doors, floor coverings, ceiling systems], incorporating reuse from off-site)
- Material stewardship (e.g., where materials came from, end of life of materials, how to recover value, durability, extended producer responsibility [EPR], recycled content)
- Low-emitting materials selection (e.g., product categories [paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, flooring, ceiling, walls, insulation, composite wood, furniture])
- Human and ecological health impacts (e.g., evaluation criteria, material ingredient reporting and optimization, volatile organic compound [VOC] emissions and content, toxicity, evaluating environmental claims)
- Construction and demolition waste management (e.g., waste reduction, waste diversion goals, recycle and/or salvage nonhazardous construction and demolition materials, waste management plan, source separation of materials)
- Operations and ongoing waste management (e.g., waste reduction, storage and collection of recyclable materials [mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals], safe storage areas for batteries and mercury-containing lamps, organic waste composting)
07Sustainable Sites
Topics
- Site assessment (e.g., special-status vegetation, healthy habitat and invasive species to be identified)
- Construction activity pollution prevention (e.g., erosion and sedimentation control plan, airborne dust)
- Habitat conservation and restoration (e.g., site restoration or preservation, habitat restoration, habitat conservation, native or adaptive vegetation, disturbed or compacted soils, bird-friendly glass)
- Exterior lighting (e.g., lighting trespass and uplight, preservation of night sky, nocturnal animals and migrating birds)
- Heat island reduction (e.g., heat island effect, vegetated roofs, solar reflectance, roof and non-roof strategies, tree equity, parking undercover)
- Rainwater management (e.g., historical rainfall conditions, natural hydrology, runoff management, low impact development, rainwater harvesting and reuse, implications for zero lot line projects)
- Extreme climate change events (e.g., droughts, extreme heat, flooding, hail, hurricanes, sea level rise, tsunamis, wildfire, winter storms)
- Accessible quality open space (e.g., barrier-free and physically accessible, social equity element in community outdoor space, amount of space and quality of services, vegetated outdoor space, biophilia)
Learning objectives
- Site assessment (e.g., special-status vegetation, healthy habitat and invasive species to be identified)
- Construction activity pollution prevention (e.g., erosion and sedimentation control plan, airborne dust)
- Habitat conservation and restoration (e.g., site restoration or preservation, habitat restoration, habitat conservation, native or adaptive vegetation, disturbed or compacted soils, bird-friendly glass)
- Exterior lighting (e.g., lighting trespass and uplight, preservation of night sky, nocturnal animals and migrating birds)
- Heat island reduction (e.g., heat island effect, vegetated roofs, solar reflectance, roof and non-roof strategies, tree equity, parking undercover)
- Rainwater management (e.g., historical rainfall conditions, natural hydrology, runoff management, low impact development, rainwater harvesting and reuse, implications for zero lot line projects)
- Extreme climate change events (e.g., droughts, extreme heat, flooding, hail, hurricanes, sea level rise, tsunamis, wildfire, winter storms)
- Accessible quality open space (e.g., barrier-free and physically accessible, social equity element in community outdoor space, amount of space and quality of services, vegetated outdoor space, biophilia)
08Water Efficiency
Topics
- Irrigation demand (e.g., landscape water requirement, irrigation system efficiency, native and adaptive species, conceptual understanding of irrigation calculations)
- Fixture and fittings (e.g., prescriptive versus performance path, water use reduction through fixtures such as toilets, urinals, showerheads, faucets [kitchen and lavatory], conceptual understanding of calculations)
- Appliance and process water (e.g., equipment types [cooling towers and washing machines], commercial kitchen equipment)
- Types and quality of water (e.g., potable, nonpotable, alternative water sources)
- Water reuse (e.g., water reclamation, alternative water sources)
- Holistic approach to building water use (e.g., whole project water use)
- Water use measurement (e.g., water meters, submeters, types of water sources to measure, data management and analysis)
- Leak detection (e.g., leak detection sensors)
Learning objectives
- Irrigation demand (e.g., landscape water requirement, irrigation system efficiency, native and adaptive species, conceptual understanding of irrigation calculations)
- Fixture and fittings (e.g., prescriptive versus performance path, water use reduction through fixtures such as toilets, urinals, showerheads, faucets [kitchen and lavatory], conceptual understanding of calculations)
- Appliance and process water (e.g., equipment types [cooling towers and washing machines], commercial kitchen equipment)
- Types and quality of water (e.g., potable, nonpotable, alternative water sources)
- Water reuse (e.g., water reclamation, alternative water sources)
- Holistic approach to building water use (e.g., whole project water use)
- Water use measurement (e.g., water meters, submeters, types of water sources to measure, data management and analysis)
- Leak detection (e.g., leak detection sensors)