Sample Questions and Table of Contents, etc. for "LEED O&M Mock Exam"

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter One: LEED O&M Mock Exam Part I: Questions, Answers, and Explanations

I. Important Note: Read this before you work on LEED O&M Mock Exam
II. LEED O&M Mock Exam Part I
III. Answers and Explanations for the LEED O&M Mock Exam Part I

Chapter Two: LEED O&M Mock Exam Part II: Questions, Answers, and Explanations

I. LEED O&M Mock Exam Part II
II. Answers and Explanations for the LEED O&M Mock Exam Part II
III. How was the LEED O&M Mock Exam created?
IV. Latest trend for LEED Exams
V. Where can I find the latest official sample questions for the LEED O&M Exam?
VI. LEED O&M Exam registration

Chapter Three: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Other Useful Resources

1. I found the reference guide way too tedious. Can I read only your books and just refer to the USGBC reference guide (if one is available for the exam I am taking) when needed?
2. Is one week really enough time for me to prepare for the exam while I am working?
3. Would you say that if I buy books from your LEED Exam Guide series, I could pass the exam without any other study materials? The books sold on the USGBC Web site cost hundreds of dollars, so I would be quite happy if I could buy your books and only use them.
4. I am preparing for the LEED exam. Do I need to read the 2-inch thick reference guide?
5. For LEED v3.0, will the total number of points be more than 110 if a project receives all of the standard and extra credits?
6. For the exam, do I need to know the project phase in which a specific prerequisite/credit takes place? That is, pre-design, schematic design, etc.
7. Are you writing any other books for the new LEED exams? If so, what are they?
8. Important documents that you need to download for free, become familiar with, and memorize
9. Important documents that you need to download for free, and become familiar with
10. Do I need to take many practice questions to prepare for a LEED exam?

Appendixes
1. Default occupancy factors
2. Important resources and further study materials you can download for free
3. Annotated bibliography
4. Valuable Web sites and links

Back Page Promotion
1. Architectural Practice Simplified
2. Planting Design Illustrated
3. LEED Exam Guide series

Index

Sample questions:

101.A project team needs to submit a minimum of ( ) of water for WEc1: Water Performance Measurement.
a. 60%
b. 70%
c. 80%
d. 90%

102. For a multitenant building, a project team needs to involve a minimum of ( ) of the total gross floor space.
a. 60%
b. 70%
c. 80%
d. 90%

103. For an office building seeking LEED O&M certification, a project team needs to address all of the following for SSc2, Building Exterior and Hardscape Management Plan except:
a. building exterior cleaning.
b. painting used on the building exterior for a detached parking garage.
c. snow and ice removal.
d. hardscape cleaning.

You can find 200 mock exam questions, answers, and explanations in LEED O&M Mock Exam.

Do I need to do many practice questions to prepare for a LEED exam?

There is NO absolutely correct answer to your question. People learn in many different ways. Personally I am NOT crazy about doing a lot of practice questions: think about it, if you do 700 practice questions, you'll have to read 700 questions, and each question has at least 4 choices. That is at least 2,800 choices and it means a lot of words for you to read. I have seen some third party materials that have 1,200 practice questions. That will cost you even MORE time to go over the materials.

I prefer to spend most of my time to read, digest and really understand the fundamental materials, and MEMORIZE them naturally by reading the materials multiple times. This is because the fundamental materials for ANY exam will NOT change, and the scope of the exam will NOT change for the same main version of the test (until the exam moves to the next advanced version), but there are thousands of ways to ask you questions.

If you have a limited amount of time and effort like most people, it is more efficient for you to focus on the fundamental materials and actually master the knowledge that GBCI wants you to learn. If you can do that, then no matter how GBCI changes the exam format or how GBCI asks you the questions, you will do fine in the exam.

"Strategy 101 for the LEED Green Associate Exam is that you must recognize that you have only a limited amount of time to prepare for the exam. So, you must concentrate your time and effort on the most important content of the LEED Green Associate Exam...

The key to passing the LEED Green Associate Exam, or any other exam, is to know the scope of the exam, and not to read too many books. Select one or two really good books and focus on them. Actually understand the content and memorize it. For your convenience, I have underlined the fundamental information that I think is very important. You definitely need to memorize all the information that I have underlined. You should try to understand the content first, and then memorize the content of the book by reading it multiple times. This is a much better way than "mechanical" memory without understanding. ..

Most people fail the exam NOT because they cannot answer the few "advanced" questions on the exam, but because they have read the information but canNOT recall it on the day of the exam. They spend too much time preparing for the exam, drag the preparation process on too long, seek too much information, go to too many websites, do too many practice questions and too many mock exams (one or two sets of mock exams can be good for you), and spread themselves too thin. They end up missing out on the most important information of the LEED exam, and they will fail."

---Quoted from pages XIX, XXI and 6 of "LEED GA Exam Guide"

To me, Memorization and Understanding helps each other. Understanding always comes first. If you really understand something, then Memorization is really easy.

For example, I'll read a book's first chapter very slowly but make sure I REALLY understand everything in it. I'll take whatever it takes for me to REALLY understand the materials, I do NOT care others are much faster than me in reading it. Then, I'd re-read the first chapter again. This time, the reading is so much easier, and I can read it much faster, and then I'll try to re-tell the content in my own language: I re-tell the substance, not the formats or particular order of things. This is a very good way for me to understand and digest the materials, and ABSORB and TAKE the content with me.

I'll repeat the same procedure for each chapter, and then keeping re-read the book until I take the exam. This achieves two purposes:

1. I keep reinforcing the important materials that I already have memorized, and fight against human brain's natural tendency to forget things.

2. I also understand the content of the book much better by reading it multiple times.

If you asked me to memorize something without understanding it first, it'll be very hard for me to memorize it; Even if I memorize it, it'll be very easy for me to forget it.

I always find doing too many practice questions takes too much time and is not efficient. Doing 2 or 3 sets of practice questions can be helpful, NOT 7 sets or 12 sets.

This is my suggestion, and it may help you.

Copyright 2010 Gang Chen, Author, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

USGBC and GBCI seem to enjoy confusing LEED exam takers and making their lives miserable

One thing that I notice is that USGBC and GBCI tend to spread their information everywhere, but not in one place. They seem to enjoy confusing LEED exam takers and making their lives miserable.

For example, they have some information regarding the responsible party and project phase or case studies that are part of their workshops, but not in their reference guide; they also have a lot of information that is at the GBCI and USGBC websites, but not anywhere else, such as CIR guidelines, MPRs and related requirements, etc.

I just finished writing "LEED GA Exam Guide" (published on 10/28/09) and "LEED AP BD+C Exam Guide" (it should be published in a few weeks), and I am writing the "LEED AP ID+C Exam Guide." Another thing that I notice is that because USGBC has expanded the LEED systems so much, they have to have different task groups to write different reference guides, but they are NOT even consistent between reference guides for different LEED systems. It seems like their tasks forces do not even talk to each other and coordinate: For example, ALL LEED systems were based on the platform set by LEED NC, but for EAp2, LEED CI only listed 2 related credits as synergies, but the LEED NC has included MANY more credits for synergies for the same credit, and most of them DO apply to LEED CI also, but the LEED ID+C reference guide misses these credits. Page 121 of LEED Interior Design and Construction Reference Guide also mistakenly listed EAp1 as IEQp2 under Domestic hot water systems for Table 1.

If you are taking the LEED GA Exam, you can take USGBC courses or workshops. You should take USGBC classes at both the 100 (Awareness) and 200 (LEED Core Concepts and Strategies) level to successfully prepare for the exam A one-day course can cost $445 if you register early enough, and can be as expensive as $495 if you miss the early bird special. You will also have to wait until the USGBC workshops or courses are offered in a city near you.

The problem is: when you go there, after you spend 8 hours and close to $500 for each workshop, the instructor will tell you that the workshops are NOT for LEED exam prep. Come on, you have just spent so much money and time and go through the trouble for the workshops, and they just tell you now the workshops are NOT tailored for the LEED exams? Give me a break.

So, I think third party books are absolutely necessary and they are much more helpful than the USGBC publications and workshops or GBCI and USGBC websites alone.

Why is "LEED O&M Mock Exam" needed?

There are two main purposes for LEED O&M Mock Exam: to help you pass the LEED O&M Exam and to assist you in understanding the process of getting building LEED certified.

The LEED O&M Exam has two parts:

Part I is EXACTLY the same as the LEED Green Associate Exam. It has 100 multiple choice questions and must be finished within 2 hours. (The total exam time for BOTH parts of the exam is 4 hours.) In this book, "LEED O&M Exam Part I," "LEED O&M Exam Part I," and "LEED Green Associate Exam" are used interchangeably since they are EXACTLY the same.

Part II is the LEED O&M specialty exam. It focuses on information and knowledge related directly to green building operation and maintenance (O&M). It also contains 100 multiple choice questions and must be finished within 2 hours.

Both parts of the LEED O&M Exam must be taken back-to-back in the same sitting. The only exception is when a test taker fails one of the two parts, he can retake only the failed part of the exam at a later date.

The raw exam score is converted to a scaled score ranging from 125 to 200. The passing score is 170 or higher. You need to answer approximately 60 questions correctly in each part to pass. There is an optional 10-minute tutorial for computer testing before the exam and an optional 10-minute exit survey.

The LEED Green Associate Exam is the most important LEED exam for two reasons:

1. You have to pass this exam in order to get the title of LEED Green Associate.

2. This exam is also the required Part I (2 hours) of ALL LEED AP+ exams. You have to pass the LEED Green Associate Exam, plus Part II (2 hours) of the specific LEED AP+ exam of your choice to get any LEED AP+ title, unless you have passed the old LEED AP Exam before June 30, 2009.

There are several ways to prepare for the LEED O&M Exam:

1. You can take USGBC courses or workshops. You should take USGBC classes at both the 100 (Awareness) and 200 (LEED Core Concepts and Strategies) level to successfully prepare for Part I of the exam. USGBC classes at the 300 level (Green Building Operation and Maintenance: The LEED Implementation Process) can be taken to prepare for Part II of the exam. A 1-day course normally costs $445 (as of publication) with an early registration discount; otherwise, it is $495. The USGBC workshops or courses are offered at set times in different locations.

OR
2. Take USGBC online courses. Information is available at USGBC or GBCI Web sites. The USGBC online courses are less personal but still expensive.

OR
3. Read related books. Unfortunately, there are NO official GBCI books on the LEED O&M Exam, but some third-party books on the exam are available. LEED O&M Mock Exam is one of the first books to cover this subject and is available for purchase.

To stay at the forefront of LEED and the green building movement and to make my books more valuable to their readers, I signed up and completed USGBC courses and workshops. I also reviewed the USGBC and GBCI Web sites, and many other sources to acquire as much information as possible on LEED. LEED O&M Mock Exam is the result of my extensive research. This book is an invaluable tool for preparing for the exam.

Strategy 101 for the LEED O&M Exam is that you must recognize that you have only a limited amount of time to prepare for it. So, concentrate on the most important information contained within the book.

LEED O&M Mock Exam provides you with a complete set of mock exams, including questions, answers, and explanations.

Many people in the field have some knowledge of LEED. If you are unfamiliar with some of the book's content, I suggest you should use a highlighter to mark that information. It will help you focus on the unfamiliar material later when you review it. You can repeat this process with different colored highlighters on subsequent reads until you are very familiar with the content of this book. Preparing in this manner will prepare you to take the LEED O&M Exam.

The key to passing the LEED O&M Exam, or any other exam, is to understand the scope of the exam, and not read too many books. Select one or two really good books and focus on them. Take time to understand and memorize the content.

There is a part of the LEED O&M Exam that you can score highly on by reading study materials. You should try to answer all questions related to this part correctly.

The exam may contain questions that you may not be prepared for. For example, if you have not done actual LEED building certification, some questions may require guesswork. This could be the hardest part of the exam, but these questions should be only a small percentage of the overall test. If you are well prepared, it should not be too problematic. Remember to always eliminate the obviously wrong answers, and then attempt to make an educated guess. There is no penalty for guessing. If you have no idea what the correct answer is and cannot eliminate any obviously wrong answers, then just pick an answer and do not waste valuable time on the question. The key is to use the same guess answer for all of the questions that you do not know. For example, if you choose "d" as your guess answer, then you should be consistent and use "d" as your guess answer for all the other questions that you don't know. This way, you will likely have a better chance at guessing more correct answers.

This is not an easy exam, but you should be able to pass if you prepare well. If you set your goal for a high score and study hard, you will have a better chance of passing. If you set your goal for the minimum passing score of 170, you will probably end up scoring 169, fail, and have to retake the exam again. Failing is the last thing you want. Give yourself plenty of time and do not wait until the last minute to begin preparing for the exam. I have met people who have spent 40 hours preparing and passed the exam, but I suggest that you give yourself at least 2 to 3 weeks of preparation time. On the night before the exam, you should look through the mock exam questions you answered incorrectly and review the correct answers. Read this book carefully, prepare well, relax, and be fit physically, mentally, and psychologically on the day of the exam. Follow this advice and you will pass the exam.

Tips on How to Pass a LEED Exam on the First Try and in One Week and Responses to Some of the Readers' Questions

The following are readers' questions, my responses, and some tips on how to pass the LEED exam on the first try and in one week:

1. I found the reference guide way too tedious. Can I read only your books and just refer to the USGBC reference guide (if one is available for the exam I am taking) when needed?

Response: Yes, for LEED GA Exam or Part I of the LEED AP O+M Exam, my books are sufficient. That is one way to study. If you read only LEED GA Exam Guide, you already have a very good chance of passing the LEED GA Exam.

For Part II of the LEED AP O+M Exam, we suggest you still need to read the USGBC O&M reference guide, but you do NOT have to read it from cover to cover. Read and focus on the important sections. LEED O&M Mock Exam will help you focus on the most important materials in the reference guide, such as prerequisites and credits intent, requirements, synergy, implementation, important equations or formulas under calculations section, etc.

LEED O&M Mock Exam will also help you become more familiar with the way that questions are asked in the real LEED O&M Exam, giving you more confidence and increasing your chance of passing.

2. Is one week really enough time for me to prepare for the exam while I am working?

Response: Yes, if you can put in 40 to 60 hours of study time during the week, you can pass the exam. This exam is similar to a history or political science exam; you need to MEMORIZE the information. If you wait too long to take the test after studying, you will probably forget much of the information.

In my book, LEED GA Exam Guide, I provide tips on how to MEMORIZE the information, and I have already highlighted/underlined the most important materials that you definitely have to MEMORIZE in order to pass Part I of the LEED O&M Exam. The purpose of this book is to help you to pass the LEED O&M Exam with minimum time and effort. It's designed to make your life easier.

However, to be on the safe side, for the average reader, I recommend not less than 2 weeks, but not MORE than 2 months of prep time.
3. Would you say that if I buy books from your LEED Exam Guide series, I could pass the exam without any other study materials? The books sold on the USGBC Web site cost hundreds of dollars, so I would be quite happy if I could buy your books and only use them.

Response: First of all, there are readers who have passed a LEED exam by reading only my books (www.ArchiteG.com). My goal is to write one book for each of the LEED exams and make each of my books stand alone to prepare people for one specific LEED exam.

Second, people learn in many different ways. That is why I published LEED O&M Mock Exam and added some new advice below for people who learn better by doing practice tests.

If you do the following things, you have a very good chance of passing the LEED exam. (However, this is NOT a guarantee; nobody can guarantee you will pass.):

a. If you study, understand, and MEMORIZE all of the information in my book, LEED GA Exam Guide, do NOT panic when you run into questions you are unfamiliar with. Use the guess strategy explained in my books, then you have a very good chance of passing Part I of the LEED O&M Exam.

You need to UNDERSTAND and MEMORIZE the information in LEED GA Exam Guide and achieve an almost perfect score on the mock exam in order to pass the LEED GA exam or the first part of any AP exam. For the second part of the specific LEED AP exam you are taking, the corresponding book from my LEED Exam Guide series will give you the MAJORITY of the most CURRENT information that you need. You HAVE to know the information included in my book related to the specific AP Exam you are taking in order to pass the second part of the AP Exam.

b. If you have not been involved in any LEED projects before, I suggest you also go to the USGBC Web site, and download the latest LEED credit templates for the LEED rating system related to the LEED exam you are taking. Read the templates and become familiar with them. This is important. See the link below:

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222

c. In fact, some of my readers have passed the LEED Green Associate Exam with a high score by reading only my books, LEED GA Exam Guide and LEED GA Mock Exams, and WITHOUT reading the USGBC reference guide AT ALL.

The LEED exam is NOT an easy exam, but anyone with a seventh-grade education should be able to study and pass the LEED exam if s/he prepares correctly.

Since I have not published the LEED O&M Exam Guide yet, I would suggest you read the USGBC O&M reference guide. You should know what information to focus on after you read this book.

4. I am preparing for the LEED exam. Do I need to read the 2-inch thick reference guide?

Response: See the answer above.

5. For LEED v3.0, will the total number of points be more than 110 if a project receives all of the standard and extra credits?

Response: No, for LEED v3.0, there are 100 base points and 10 possible bonus points. There are many ways to achieve bonus points (extra credits or exemplary performance), but you can have a maximum number of only 6 ID and 4 Regional Priority bonus points. So, the maximum points for ANY project will be 110.

On another note, the older versions of LEED rating systems all have less than 110 possible points except LEED for Homes, which has 136 possible points.

6. For the exam, do I need to know the project phase in which a specific prerequisite/credit takes place? That is, pre-design, schematic design, etc.

Response: The information on the project phase (NOT LEED submittal phase) for each prerequisite/credit is NOT mentioned in the USGBC reference guides, but it is covered in the USGBC workshops. If this information is important enough for the USGBC workshops to cover, then it may show up on the actual LEED exam.

Most, if not all, other third-party books completely miss this important information. I cover the material for each prerequisite/credit in my guide book because I think it is very important.

Some people THINK that the LEED exam ONLY tests information covered by the USGBC reference guides. They are wrong.

The LEED exam does test information NOT covered by the USGBC reference guides. This may include the process of LEED submittal and project team coordination, etc.

I would MEMORIZE this information if I were you, because it may show up on the LEED exam. Besides, this information is not hard to memorize once you understand the content, and you need to know it to do actual LEED submittal work anyway.

7. Are you writing any other books for the new LEED exams? If so, what are they?

Response: Yes, I am working on other books in the LEED Exam Guide series. I will be writing one book for each of the LEED exams. See LEEDSeries.com for more information.

Disclaimer for "LEED O&M Mock Exam"

"LEED O&M Mock Exam" provides general information about the LEED AP Operation and Maintenance Exam (LEED AP O+M or LEED AP O&M Exam) and LEED green building certification. For simplicity, we shall refer to this exam as LEED O&M Exam, or LEED AP O+M Exam throughout the entire book. The book is sold with the understanding that neither the publisher nor the author is providing legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal, accounting, or other professional services are required, seek the assistance of a competent professional firm.

The purpose of this publication is not to reprint the content of all other available texts on the subject. You are urged to read other materials, and tailor them to fit your needs.

Great effort has been taken to make this resource as complete and accurate as possible; however, nobody is perfect, and there may be several typographical errors or other mistakes present. You should use this book as a general guide and not as the ultimate source on this subject. If you find any potential errors, please send an e-mail to:
plantingdesign@yahoo.com

"LEED O&M Mock Exam" is intended to provide general, entertaining, informative, educational, and enlightening content. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable to anyone or any entity for any loss or damages, or alleged loss and damages, caused directly or indirectly by the content of this book.

USGBC and LEED are trademarks of the U.S. Green Building Council. The U.S. Green Building Council is not affiliated with this publication.