USGBC LEED AP BD+C Exam Questions

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21.

Which of the following steps is the commissioning authority not responsible for completing in EA Prerequisite–Fundamental Commissioning and Verification? 

  • Develop the OPR and BOD 

  • Review the OPR, BOD, and project design 

  • Develop and implement a CX plan

  • Develop a system test procedure 

Correct answer: Develop the OPR and BOD 

The OPR, or Owner's Project Requirements, is developed by the owner. This document is then used by the team to develop the Basis Of Design (BOD). The commissioning authority is not responsible for completing either of these documents. 

The commissioning authority is responsible for reviewing the OPR, BOD, and project design; developing and implementing a CX plan; and developing a system test procedure. 

22.

For projects hoping to achieve LT Credit–High-Priority Site, which of the following sites should they avoid using? 

  • An abandoned building in need of renovation

  • An old building in a historic district

  • A site in a location listed as a Federal Empowerment Zone

  • A brownfield in need of remediation

Correct answer: An abandoned building in need of renovation

This is not one of the options for LT Credit–High-Priority Site, but it would earn points for MR Credit–Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction. To earn points in LT Credit–High-Priority Site, the project could be located in a historic district, a priority designated area, or a brownfield. 

A site in a location listed as a Federal Empowerment Zone, an old building in a historic district, and a brownfield in need of remediation would all earn project points in LT Credit–High Priority Site. 

23.

WE Prerequisite–Outdoor Water Use Reduction, Option 2: No Irrigation Required is achieved by showing that the landscape does not require any irrigation. However, LEED provides a grace period during which project teams can use irrigation until the plants are established. How long is this grace period? 

  • Two years

  • Ten years

  • Five years

  • One year

Correct answer: Two years 

The maximum time allowed for projects to irrigate their new plants is two years. This gives the plants enough time to become established and to no longer need irrigation. 

Ten or five years is too long for this option of the credit, and native or adaptive planting should not need this much irrigation. One year may not be enough time for the planting to become established, so LEED allows for two. However, if project teams feel that less irrigation time is sufficient, that's OK as long as they do not exceed two years. 

24.

A heathcare project has reused 50% of the building's surface area. How many points has this project earned in Option 3: Building and Material Reuse for MR Credit–Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction?

  • Three

  • Two

  • Four

  • Five

Correct answer: Three 

Reusing 50% of the building's surface area would earn a project three points. Reusing 25% would earn a project two points. Reusing 75% would earn all BD+C projects except core and shell four points and would earn a core and shell project five points. 

25.

A project is building on a Federal Renewal Community Site. Which of the following have they earned by choosing this location?

  • LT Credit–High-Priority Site

  • MR Credit–Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction 

  • LT Credit–Sensitive Land protection

  • RP Credit–Regional Priority: Specific Credit 

Correct answer: LT Credit–High-Priority Site

A Federal Renewal Community Site is considered a priority designation, and building on such a site earns this project LT Credit–High Priority Site. 

This location is not one of the options to earn MR Credit: Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction, LT Credit: Sensitive Land protection, or RP Credit–Regional Priority: Specific Credit. 

26.

In which of the following projects would an alternative gender ratio be more appropriate than the default gender ratio generally used by projects?  

  • An all-girls school that has a few male teachers and staff

  • A male-dominated English Department building at a coed university

  • A government building

  • An office building of a women-owned company

Correct answer: An all-girls school that has a few male teachers and staff

Single-gender educational facilities are eligible to use an alternative gender ratio for full-time-equivalent occupants. 

Buildings that are dominated by one gender but are not single-gender facilities are not considered special circumstances. These buildings' imbalanced gender ratio is not a permanent status. Government buildings, coed schools, and office buildings should use the default gender ratio. 

27.

What type of project is required to comply with EQ Prerequisite–Minimum Acoustic Performance? 

  • Schools

  • Healthcare

  • Core and shell

  • Data centers 

Correct answer: Schools 

EQ Prerequisite–Minimum Acoustic Performance applies only to school projects. 

Healthcare, core and shell, and data center projects are not required to earn EQ Prerequisite–Minimum Acoustic Performance.

28.

How much of the building surface area can be excluded from credit calculation for Option 2: Renovation of Abandoned or Blighted Building of MR Credit–Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction?

  • Up to 25%

  • More than 25%

  • Exactly 25%

  • Less than 25%

Correct answer: Up to 25%

Option 2 of MR Credit–Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction requires projects to renovate and use an abandoned or blighted building. At least 50% of the building must meet the local criteria of abandoned or blighted. In an attempt to make this option more viable, LEED allows for up to 25% of the building surface area to be excluded from credit calculation due to deterioration or damage. 

29.

Which is NOT a document that will come out of the commissioning process?

  • Basis Of Design (BOD)

  • Cx plan

  • Construction checklists

  • System test procedure

Correct answer: Basis Of Design (BOD)

The BOD is reviewed by the commissioning authority but is not created through the commissioning process. 

The commissioning process produces a Cx plan, construction checklists, and a system test procedure. 

30.

To meet the requirements of EQ Prerequisite–Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control, must a no-smoking policy apply to spaces outside the property line used for business purposes?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Only for projects within the US

  • Only for projects outside the US

Correct answer: Yes 

To meet the requirements of EQ Prerequisite–Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control, a project's no-smoking policy must also prohibit smoking outside the property line for any spaces used for business. 

This requirement applies to all projects, whether inside or outside the United States. 

31.

What percentage of the total value of permanently installed products in the project must comply with one of the acceptable criteria for Option 2 of MR Credit–Building Product Disclosure and Optimization–Environmental Product Declarations?

  • 50% 

  • 100%

  • 75%

  • 25%

Correct answer: 50% 

To comply with Option 2: Multi-Attribute Optimization, project teams must use products that comply with one of the acceptable criteria for 50% of the total value of the permanently installed products.

Ensuring 100% or 75% of the total value complies is excellent but not required. Compliance of 25% would not meet the minimum requirement. 

32.

Your project team is using Option 1: Whole-Building Energy Simulation for EA Prerequisite–Minimum Energy Performance and is calculating their baseline and savings. Your building has elevators, rooms full of computers, and several copy rooms. How should your team calculate the savings from this equipment into the baseline and why? 

  • By using the Exceptional Calculation Method (ECM) because these are unregulated loads

  • These shouldn't be included in calculations because they are unregulated loads

  • By using ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guides for these loads only 

  • By using the Core Performance Guide to calculate these loads

Correct answer: By using the Exceptional Calculation Method (ECM) because these are unregulated loads 

ECM is used in ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED v4. It specializes in calculating the savings for unregulated loads such as copiers, computers, and elevators. 

Unregulated loads should be included in calculations. ASHRAE 50% Advanced Energy Design Guides and the Core Performance Guide are used in the other options for this credit. 

33.

For projects that have earned LT Credit–Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses or LT Credit–Access to Quality Transit, how much of a parking reduction do they need to achieve from their base ratios? 

  • 40%

  • 20%

  • 30%

  • 10%

Correct answer: 40% 

Projects that are able to achieve either LT Credit–Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses or LT Credit–Access to Quality Transit should not need as much parking as other projects. Therefore, the percentage of parking reduction they must achieve is higher. 

A 20% parking reduction is the requirement for projects that have not achieved either LT Credit–Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses or LT Credit–Access to Quality Transit. Reductions of 30% and 10% are not high enough for projects that have achieved either of these credits. 

34.

Which of the following can the project team include or exclude in their landscape area calculations at their discretion for WE Prerequisite–Outdoor Water Use Reduction? 

  • A vegetated playground

  • Impermeable paving areas 

  • Small flower gardens 

  • Xeriscaped areas 

Correct answer: A vegetated playground

Athletic fields and playgrounds with vegetation don't have to be included in landscape area calculations, but project teams that wish to include them may do so. 

Impermeable paving areas should not be counted in landscape area calculations. Only food gardens may be included or excluded at the project's discretion; flower gardens must be included. Xeriscaped areas must be included. 

35.

What is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of the filtration media that should be used during construction?

  • 8

  • 13

  • 5

  • 7 

Correct answer: 8

EQ Credit–Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan asks projects not to operate permanently installed air-handling equipment during construction, and if it is necessary, to use filtration media rated at least MERV 8. 

The building's filtration media should have at least a MERV 13 rating after the construction is complete, but this rating is not required during construction. MERV 5 or MERV 7 would not meet the minimum requirements. 

36.

What should be done if the contaminant concentration exceeds the limit during an air test?

  • Take corrective action and retest for the noncompliant contaminants

  • Increase the limit threshold

  • Continue testing without any action

  • Ignore the limitation

Correct answer: Take corrective action and retest for the noncompliant contaminants

The air tests are meant to help project teams collect data and then establish better indoor air quality. If during air testing a project team discovers that the contaminant concentration level exceeds the permitted limit, they must take steps to rectify these results and test again to verify that the problem has been corrected. 

37.

What must healthcare facilities do during renovation concerning mercury-containing products?

  • Develop a plan to phase them out

  • Upgrade current lamps to high-efficiency lamps

  • Install preheat fluorescents

  • Specify probe-start metal halide HID lamps

Correct answer: Develop a plan to phase them out

According to the 2010 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities, healthcare renovation projects must develop a phase-out plan for their mercury-containing products. 

Probe-start metal halide HID lamps and preheat fluorescents should not be used. There is no requirement regarding the products that the project should upgrade to. 

38.

A team is building a new 10-story apartment building. Which of the following LEED rating systems should the team use? 

  • LEED BD+C–New Construction and Major Renovation 

  • LEED BD+C–Hospitality 

  • LEED BD+C–Homes and Multi-family Lowrise

  • LEED BD+C–Multi-family Midrise 

Correct answer: LEED BD+C–New Construction and Major Renovation 

New residential buildings that are nine stories or more fall under LEED BD+C–New Construction and Major Renovation. There are separate rating systems for residential buildings shorter than nine stories. 

LEED BD+C–Hospitality would not be appropriate because this project is an apartment building rather than providing transitional or short-term lodging like a hotel or inn. LEED BD+C–Homes and Multi-family Lowrise and LEED BD+C–Multi-family Midrise would not be the best choices for this project because this project is too big to qualify. 

39.

To be considered an infill site, what percentage of the 1/2-mile land area surrounding the project boundary must be previously developed? 

  • 75% 

  • 70% 

  • 65% 

  • 60%

Correct answer: 75%

To be considered an infill site, the 1/2 mile surrounding the project boundary must be 75% or more previously developed. 

If the surrounding land is 70%, 65%, or 60% previously developed, the project site would not be considered an infill site. 

40.

In which of the following would the use of reclaimed rainwater be an acceptable strategy? 

  • WE Credit–Outdoor Water Use Reduction

  • WE Prerequisite–Outdoor Water Use Reduction

  • WE Prerequisite–Indoor Water Use Reduction

  • WE Credit–Cooling Tower Water Use

Correct answer: WE Credit–Outdoor Water Use Reduction

There are two options to earn points in WE Credit–Outdoor Water Use Reduction. Option 1 requires teams to demonstrate that the project does not require any irrigation other than the maximum two-year establishment period. Option 2 requires teams to reduce their outdoor water use by at least 50% from the baseline through efficiency, alternative water resources (like reclaimed rainwater), and/or smart scheduling technologies. 

The reductions required in WE Prerequisite–Indoor Water Use Reduction and WE Prerequisite–Outdoor Water Use Reduction cannot be earned by using alternative water sources; they are meant to encourage projects to first reduce the amount rather than simply replacing the type of water they use. WE Credit–Cooling Tower Water Use focuses on metering other water subsystems; projects can choose to submeter their reclaimed water systems, but the use of reclaimed water would not earn points in this credit.