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LEED Exam success stories:

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What others are saying about LEED Green Associate Exam Guide…

 

“Finally! A comprehensive study tool for LEED Green Associate Prep!”

“I took the one-day Green LEED Green Associate course and walked away with a power point binder printed in very small print—which was missing MUCH of the required information (although I didn’t know it at the time). I studied my little heart out and took the test, only to fail it by 1 point. Turns out I did NOT study all the material I needed to in order to pass the test. I found this book, read it, marked it up, retook the test, and passed it with a 95%. Look, we all know the LEED Green Associate Exam is new and the resources for study are VERY limited. This one’s the VERY best out there right now. I highly recommend it.”   —Consultant VA

 

“Complete overview for the LEED Green Associate exam”

“I studied this book for about three days and passed the exam … if you are truly interested in learning about the LEED system and green building design, this is a great place to start.”

—K.A. Evans

 

“Very effective study guide”

“I purchased both this study guide and Mr. Chen's LEED GA Mock Exams book and found them to be excellent tools for preparing for the LEED Green Associate Exam. While Mr. Chen's LEED Green Associate Exam Guide is not perfect (in that it's not the most user-friendly presentation of the material), it was very effective in at least presenting most, if not all, of the topics that the exam touched upon. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend my abbreviated strategy for preparing for the exam, the following worked for me: I read through the exam guide a couple of times (but not word for word), took the mock exam and referenced the guide for explanations for any wrong answers, did the same for the two mock exams in Mr. Chen's LEED GA Mock Exams book, flipped through the documents that Mr. Chen recommends, and took two other web-based mock exams that I purchased on eBay. Literally after ten hours of preparation time, I took the actual exam and passed with a 189, thanks in large part to Mr. Chen's books. If I decide to take one of the LEED AP exams in the future, I will definitely be picking up more of Mr. Chen's study materials.”

—shwee "shwee"

 

“Only study guide needed to pass on your first try”

“I don't write reviews, but I'm compelled to for this purchase. This was the only book I read and studied to prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam, and passed with ease on the first try today. I was over prepared for the exam by using this study guide, which is what I wanted on exam day. I bought the book, read it three times, learned a lot of good information, saved valuable time, and passed on the first try. By the way, I'm not a good test taker. I don't agree with any of the negative reviews that are posted... I'm glad I ignored those when I made the purchase and went with the majority. THIS PRODUCT DELIVERED THE RESULTS, CASE CLOSED. I'll be buying his LEED AP BD&C Exam Guide to prepare for the specialty exam. Thank you Mr. Gang Chen!!!”

—Lobo

 

“I just finished taking the LEED Green Associate Exam and, thankfully, I passed it on the first try by using this book as my primary study guide...I particularly liked the way the author organized the information within it.”

—Lewis Colon

 

“Just what is needed”

“I'm glad I used this book for my LEED Green Associate test, which I passed today. I tried other resources (stay away from the USGBC ones on their website!) but none were as organized as this book. When you're studying to pass the exam, you just need to know what to memorize (this would be different if you are trying to learn the concepts for work, which I think you're better off getting LEED project work experience!). Gang Chen's book gives you most of what you need to memorize in the core 120+ pages as opposed to other resources that are 250 pages full of fluff. Just remember, you only need to answer about 60% of the questions correct to pass the exam...

 

My tip is to get this book, read it three times (yes, three) to memorize the facts, take the mock test included to see where you need to improvement, and do a little outside research. You just need a 60% passing score...”

—N. Kong

 

“Best LEED Green Associate Study Package”

“This book is easy to read, and successfully gives you a much needed crash course on literally, how to study (for this exam and any other exam for that matter) and how to use the material provided most efficiently; the material in this book is able to zoom in on the most important items required to pass the exam, and deliver each item in a way which seems less technical and easier to remember (the bottom line). This book is one of a kind at the time of this review, and could be the most affordable tutor available.”

—P O "philz"

 

“My name is Elizabeth (last name deleted to protect her privacy) and I am a junior at the University of....(college name deleted to protect her privacy)… After having no prior experience in sustainable architecture or LEED buildings I used both your review book and the study guides by USGBC as my study references. I wanted to e-mail to thank you for such a comprehensive review guide that was enormously helpful in passing the exam. Without your guide I don't know if I would have passed. Thank you so much.”

—Elizabeth

 

“A Great Book for Preparing the LEED exam!”

“I have read almost all the books for LEED exams, and found LEED Exam Guide series to be the best. The USGBC Reference Guide was too detailed and kind of confusing. Some other third party books have too many grammatical mistakes, are hard to understand, and have way too many questions. The questions in those books are confusing instead of helpful. The USGBC workshop missed some of the very important information, like extra credits.

LEED Exam Guide series gives you just the right amount of information for you to pass the LEED exam. Each book in the series includes study materials, sample questions and answers, as well as mock exam and answers for a specific LEED exam. It also gives you the most information for you to get your building LEED certified. A Great book!”

—Ellen

 

“A Wonderful Guide for the LEED Green Associate Exam”

“After deciding to take the LEED Green Associate Exam, I started to look for the best possible study materials and resources. From what I thought would be a relatively easy task, it turned into a tedious endeavor. I realized that there are vast amounts of third-party guides and handbooks. Since the official sites offer little to no help, it became clear to me that my best chance to succeed and pass this exam would be to find the most comprehensive study guide that would not only teach me the topics, but would also give me a great background and understanding of what LEED actually is. Once I stumbled upon Mr. Chen’s book, all my needs were answered. This is a great study guide that will give the reader the most complete view of the LEED exam and all that it entails.

 

“The book is written in an easy-to-understand language and brings up great examples, tying the material to the real world. The information is presented in a coherent and logical way, which optimizes the learning process and does not go into details that will not be needed for the LEED Green Associate Exam, as many other guides do. This book stays dead on topic and keeps the reader interested in the material.

 

“I highly recommend this book to anyone that is considering the LEED Green Associate Exam. I learned a great deal from this guide, and I am feeling very confident about my chances for passing my upcoming exam.”

—Pavel Geystrin

 

“Like other books in the LEED Exam Guide series, this is a great timesaver! The important information that you need to memorize is already highlighted / underlined by the author. This really saved me a lot of time. I love it! A Great Timesaver!”

 —Alice

 

“Easy to read, easy to understand”

“I have read through the book once and found it to be the perfect study guide for me. The author does a great job of helping you get into the right frame of mind for the content of the exam. I had started by studying the Green Building Design and Construction reference guide for LEED projects produced by the USGBC. That was the wrong approach, simply too much information with very little retention. At hundreds of pages in textbook format, it would have been a daunting task to get through it. Gang Chen breaks down the points, helping to minimize the amount of information but maximizing the content I was able to absorb. I plan on going through the book a few more times, and I now believe I have the right information to pass the LEED Green Associate Exam.”

—Brian Hochstein

 

“All in one—LEED GA prep material”

“Since the LEED Green Associate Exam is a newer addition by USGBC, there is not much information regarding study material for this exam. When I started looking around for material, I got really confused about what material I should buy. This LEED GA guide by Gang Chen is an answer to all my worries! It is a very precise book with lots of information, like how to approach the exam, what to study and what to skip, links to online material, and tips and tricks for passing the exam. It is like the ‘one stop shop’ for the LEED Green Associate Exam. I think this book can also be a good reference guide for green building professionals. A must-have!”

—SwatiD

 

“I'm giving this book 5 stars, as it accomplishes exactly what the author promises. Read it multiple times and memorize the key points/stats/figures, and you will be poised to pass the test.”

—R. C. O'Brien

 

“Useful Study Guide”

“The book is by far the most useful study guide I've purchased for the LEED GA exam. The other books were far too vague and did not approach the kind of pragmatic detail you'd need to pass.”

—Swansong8

 

“Really Helpful”

“I purchased other exam preparation books for the LEED GA test and none of the others compared to this one. The layout and content of this book was much easier to use than the books from the USGBC. This book is all I needed to pass the test with its study tools like sample questions and exams. All in all a great buy!”

—Jamie

 

“Wonderful Resource!”

“This book is well organized and concise. The material is completely relevant and truly is what helped me to pass the LEED Green Associate Exam! I used this book as my primary study material and found it more than sufficient. I recommend this book to anyone preparing to take the LEED GA exam!”        

—Joel I. Semel          

 

“With this book, plus the little red book, LEED Green Associate Mock Exams, (also by Gang Chen) combined with all the free PDF downloads printed from the USGBC website, I passed my LEED GA exam on the first try! Gang Chen's books provide a concise and organized framework of all the info you need...Highly recommended.”          

—Sarah Bartz          

 

“Excellent resource!!!”        

“I reviewed this book and memorized the charts and passed on the first try! This along with the practice exams by Gang Chen were all that I needed and included valuable tips for studying and additional (free) publications to refer to. This was an excellent purchase.” 

—K. Lairet    

 

“Great Study guide. Will DEFINITELY help you pass the exam!”

“I took the LEED Green Associate Exam this morning and passed with a score of 190/200. I used this book as my primary study tool. The only other thing I did was to read the Green Associates handbook and I used the LEED NC Reference Guide to check the information in the book. The book is broken down very well for studying making it much easier to memorize the data. The practice exam will prepare you well. It is much harder than the real exam. There was a lot of information in this book that showed up on the exam that I would not have known had I not read it.      

My basic study schedule was about one day of reading the nontechnical chapters, one day devoted to the technical chapter about credits, and then the morning of the test to review my highlighted notes. I think if anyone studies this book until they pass the mock exam (I scored about a 70/100) and feel comfortable then they will be over prepared for the actual exam.”

—K. Mitchell "Kmitchell"  

 

Your LEED V4 Green Associate Exam Guide (along with downloaded materials) enabled me to pass the exam on the first try after studying for 10 days (60-80 hours total). Thank you! ...Also, I wanted to mention that the actual test was much easier than most of the free test questions I was able to find online. I think some of the places selling courses try to make people think the test will be harder than it is, and that you need their help.

—Meyer Baron

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What others are saying about LEED GA Mock Exam…

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“GREAT STUDY TOOL!!!

“My friend had told me about this book a week before my 2nd exam (yes I failed it the first time by one point could you believe it?) and it was a great learning tool! It really asked thorough questions and gave detailed explanations to the answers. If you can do good on these mock exams, you will do great on the real test! This guide really makes you utilize your knowledge and skill, other materials I had purchased prior to this were quite vague and uninformative, but this did the trick! Thanks Gang!”

—Jason

 

“Good book...

“I just pass the test with 183. The questions are more difficult that the ones that I saw in the test...That is good if you want to be sure that you will pass...”

—Omar Reyes

 

“Nailed that LEED GA on the first try!

“With this book, plus the ‘LEED Green Associate Exam Guide’ (also by Gang Chen) combined with all the free .PDF downloads printed from the USGBC website, I passed my LEED GA exam on the first attempt! This little book has 2 full mock-exams you can test yourself on throughout your studying to gauge when you are primed & ready to take the exam...Highly recommended.”

—Sarah Bartz

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“Excellent Guide, Tougher than the Actual Exam!

“I found this and the supplemental ‘LEED Green Associate Exam Guide’ to be extraordinarily helpful. I read both books and glanced at a couple online documents, but otherwise I relied purely on this book and passed with flying colors. I scored about a 65% on both mock exams the day before I took the exam and scored about a 91% on the actual thing. I was more than prepared for the LEED Green Associate Exam and couldn't be happier. I'll take a pass any day! Also, I think that these exams, while not flawless, help you on your way to become a LEED AP with Specialty, helping make sure you know MORE than is needed on this first, easier part of the exam. I would definitely recommend this and the accompanying guide, especially if you're on a tight schedule (I budgeted two weeks over the Thanksgiving holiday and found it to be a pretty good time table). Good luck and think Green!”

—Austin Curtiss Rice

 

“Such a great tool

“I passed the exam at the first attempt. These mock exams helped me to learn how to tackle the problems and which areas I should focus on! I worked with another book of the author also. It took 2-3 weeks for my preparation.”

—Chai

 

“Great news, I passed!!!

“‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ is a great book for assessing progress in your efforts to study and pass the LEED Green Associate Exam. Not only is it a method of testing and self assessment, but it is also an educational tool. Personally, I found that using ‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ helped in my passing the LEED Green Associate Exam on the first attempt because it tested me on the portions of the exam that seemed more obscure and slightly harder than others. The book doubles as an educational medium because of the answer explanations. There isn't simply a list of correct answers in the back of the book. However, there are deep rooted explanations accompanying the correct answer choice. As an educator and business professional I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking to take and pass the LEED GA exam on the first attempt. I found using this book in conjunction with other study materials was what afforded me the ability of passing the LEED GA exam. Good luck in passing your LEED GA exam and buy this book!”      
—Luke Ferland        

“Preparing for LEED GA Exam    
“This book provides several key points that I think will be crucial in my preparation for taking the LEED Green Associate Exam in the next month. Like many similar test prep guides, Mr. Chen cites the resources that will be useful to study. But he goes beyond this and differentiates which ones must memorize and those you must be at least familiar with. In this way, he is trying to give you the tools to streamline your study efforts for the best results. He is very aware that most individuals looking to take this exam are already working a 40-hour week and he wants you to invest your time wisely and efficiently.

Throughout this book Mr. Chen stresses that the primary keys to success are 1) to study in such a way that builds your confidence and 2) to time the taking of the exam so that this knowledge is still present in your consciousness. I am looking forward to also reading his ‘LEED Green Associate Exam Guide.’”
—NPacella

“Review of Gang Chen's LEED GA Mock Exams
“Studying for any LEED exam is an arduous task. Chen's ‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ is a good study aid in helping you prepare for the LEED GA exam. The questions are designed to test your understanding of the principles; and the answers found at the end of the section provide further explanation so you can better grasp the principle. This is a great way to reinforce your memory. Read ‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ before you start studying other resource materials. It will serve to bring your attention to the information that you are most likely to be asked on the exam as you come across it in your studying.     
 

I also found the information and links to other resources very helpful. It is a comprehensive list of "must read" information for anyone studying for the LEED exams. Chen has done the research and review to provide the ones that will be most useful.
 

I found his ‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ easy to read and use and recommend it to anyone preparing for the LEED GA exam.”     
—Mike Kwon           

“Helpful Practice Exams     
“I am in the process of studying for the LEED GA exam and have been finding overall that there is a confusing array of study guides and suggestions from USGBC. This brought me to look for other study outlets and I was glad to find this book. It is very clear and easy to use. The book is written in a succinct and easy to digest form and has clarified some confusing points. The book contains two full practice exams. The answer key has detailed explanations for each correct point. The book also includes frequently asked questions, and appendixes with useful additional resources. There is also an index which makes it very easy to look up issues. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for practice exams for the LEED GA test.”       
—Green Danny        

“LEED as a language          
“LEED is a language, a new way of ‘speaking’ (and thinking) about our relationship to our world in general and our buildings in particular. This new language, as with all things new, presents challenges to the established order - in my case the order of my professional practice.     
Gang Chen's new book, ‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ is proving itself to be an excellent training tool for me as I learn to master the language of LEED.         
 

A recent NY Times article (Personal Best - the Secrets of Elite Athletes - 18 Oct 2010 made the following observations,  
 

"Elite runners will examine a course, running it before they race it..."

‘LEED GA Mock Exams’ is designed to concentrate on increasing the intensity of your study efforts, examine the course, run it before you race it - providing the format and substance for the practice that leads to the experience needed to get this new language right.”  
—Howard Patrick (Pat) Barry, AIA NCARB, Barry Associates Architects     
“On the tougher side
“I found these exams to be quite tougher compared to the others I took a look at, which is good as it made me prepare for the worst I would definitely recommend using these mock exams. Also, in-depth explanations at the end make your basics quite clear. I ultimately passed with 181 with 3 weeks of study. Best wishes to all.”           
—swankysenor

“Great Resource!!!!!!           
“This book is a great resource for anyone studying for the LEED GA exam!!!       
Almost as important as learning the material is learning to ‘test well.’  Learning to read a test question and think clearly in the testing environment is critically important for passing the LEED GA exam as well as the LEED AP with specialty exams.”     
—Charles

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What others are saying about LEED BD&C Exam Guide …

 

“Passed on first try, only used this guide

“This is the best study guide HANDS DOWN. If you're serious about passing the LEED AP BD&C exam on your first try, this is the one you've been looking for! I bought Mr. Chen's LEED Green Associate Exam Guide2 months ago and passed it on the first try as well. I purchased the USGBC reference guide and Mr. Chen's LEED BD&C Exam Guide. I never opened the USGBC reference guide, only studied from Mr. Chen's study guide. I followed Mr. Chen's instructions and studied the guide for 2 weeks (yes, I have a full-time job). I did ignore the mnemonics, not my learning style (makes it more confusing to me). The exam was not easy, but I prepared and stuck to this material. I am not a good test taker by no means. I reviewed the technical data of the guide about 6 times and ignored everything else I had read or heard about the exam. Here's a piece of advice that I picked up from this book, spend less time on practice tests and more time studying! I have a subscription to a web exam simulator (rated the best) and only did about 100 questions, until I realized that I was wasting my valuable time. Find a good book and stick to it. This is also a great reference guide to use on everyday projects. Review the material, try to understand it, then try to memorize it through repetition. I would like to shake your hand and say THANKS AGAIN MR. GANG CHEN !!! ”

—LOBO

 

“Excellent Guide and Good Manual

“I passed the LEED AP BD+C and the LEED AP ID+C exams this year and Gang Chen's books were my primary study material! The books are easy to read and use. Gang Chen provides study hints and guidance as well as an outline format that makes it easy for the reader to grasp key points. He also provides an excellent review of the entire accreditation process which can save people time in personal research. The books are more than study guides; they are helpful as reference manuals because of the easy to follow format. Definitely a keeper in my bookshelf for future project reference.”

—Karen M. Scott     

 

“Great resource for studying for the LEED Exam!

“I have taken and passed the LEED AP BD+C exam and know what it takes. As this author says, it's not an easy exam and he is right. What is critical to passing is having great teaching tools and this book is one of them. He touches on every aspect of how to memorize data, how questions are formed, what to expect on tricky questions, the content the test writers are looking for and every little detail you need to know when preparing for this exam. I highly recommend this author's books if you are serious about passing any of the LEED exams, hopefully on the first try!”

—S. Jennifer Sakiewicz

 

“LEED BD & C Exam Study Guide

“Gang Chan's study guide is an excellent resource in preparing to take the LEED AP BD+C exam particularly if one follows the study recommendation made in the guide. It does not replace the LEED Reference manual as the definitive source for technical information but more importantly provides a structure for the study of the information that is easily understood and when followed should provide good assurance of success in passing the exam the 1st time. This is a 'keeper'!”

—Spock

 

“Good summary of information to memorize for the test

“Chen's exam guide is a good summary of the test relevant information in the LEED reference guide. He underlines specific information that is important to commit to memory for the test. It is a good way to understand which information needs to be strictly memorized if you are preparing for the test in a short amount of time and have a good understanding of the LEED process through your professional experience. I passed the test with a very high score on my first try, and I did use this guide, one other, the LEED reference manual, online sources, a class, and many years of personally working on and completing online LEED submittals through my work. The week before taking the test I used it to commit point values and those kind of details to memory... ”

—Denver

 

“Not a bulky ref guide
“LEED BD&C Exam Guide does a great job in highlighting and summarizing the key points and concepts in USGBC ref guide. If you only have limited amount of time for LEED AP BD+C exam preparation, definitely go for this book.”
—Metcalf

“Very valuable guide!
“I am a lighting designer and am preparing to take the LEED BD+C exam...I got LEED BD&C Exam Guide to prepare for the LEED AP BD+C Exam and it was fairly well organized to help me refresh my memory on the background LEED knowledge I had. All the specifics that one needs to know about each credit such as the Purpose of the credit, Credit path, Submittals, Strategies and technologies etc, are clearly organized for every credit. In addition the author also employs the smart technique of Mnemonics which helps in memorizing the vast amount of information in a simplified manner.”
—Visswapriya Prabakar

“Immensely valuable and utterly to the point, a true must have!
“This is an excellent publication by Gang Chen that outlines precisely all the key points one need for success. I personally appreciate the easy to adopt memorization technique offered by the author. Practice exams are very comprehensive yet summarized and not to mention highly effective learning tool as it is designed in this book. It is a very delightful experience for me to have this outstanding publication. In a word, this definitely worth the money and for me it turns out extraordinarily helpful.”
—Shanaz, who passed LEED AP BD+C Exam on the first try

“Very Helpful!
“I found LEED BD&C Exam Guide to be very detailed and very helpful. I plan to take the exam soon, and I feel fully prepared for it.”
— Yousuf Asadzoi

“Good book!
“I had appeared for GA and passed. I loved the content and the underlined highlights. I read your book; it gave me insight and knowledge on how credits are applied. Some questions in your book helped me answer ones on the test. Good book, I'll go through it once again when I appear for AP.”
—Haresh Vibhakar, AIIA (India), AIA, LEED Green Associate, Architect

 

“A good outline

“The book is an excellent outline to learn the necessary items required to study for the exam. It is not a comprehensive study guide in and of itself. Practice exam is good indicator of test preparation.”

—Paul Levine

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“Solid LEED Study Guide

“This is the kind of book I wish was available when I did my original LEED AP exam. It teaches you how to study, which is so important when school is a distant memory. The bulk of the book helps you review and memorize with mnemonics the concepts for each credit that you need to know for the exam. The questions are good representations of questions on the exam. I would recommend to anyone studying for their exam, that they:

- First read the chapters in this book on how to study;

- Second read the actual LEED BD+C guide to give you the background information on the credits and gain comprehension. Underline and review as the author indicates to get the most out of your study time.

- Finally read the rest of this exam guide to help you review and memorize for the exam.”

—missfitz "missfitz"

 

“Very Helpful Guide

“Gang Chen's LEED BD&C Exam Guides very helpful in consolidating information from USGBC and GBCI sources as well as providing the information that is necessary for the exam without excess irrelevant information. I highly recommend this book for preparation for the LEED BD+C exams.”

—leedap

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What others are saying about LEED BD&C Mock Guide …

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“A Valuable Book!

“The Green Building Certification Institute's LEED AP BD+C Exam have been developed to identify those professionals who have participated in the design and construction of energy efficient and environmentally sound buildings.         

This book consists of two complete practice examinations that mimic the actual tests used. Then the correct answers to the questions are given and finally there is a short discussion on each question as to why the correct answer is correct.       

This book should not be the first or the only book you use in preparation for the LEED AP BD+C Exam. First you should study the appropriate reference material, a list of which is given in the book. Then the sample exams can identify the areas in which you have trouble.     

I recommend this book to everybody that wants to pass the LEED exam with no worries.”

—AlexZ

 

“A Good Book!

“This is a very useful book. It provides general, entertaining, informative, educational and enlightening content about the LEED AP BD&C Exam and green Building LEED Certification. It not only has the LEED AP BD&C Mock Exam, but also has the answers and Explanations for the Mock Exam. Some of the answers have the detailed calculations to make the answers more understandable... ”

—Tao Wang

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