LEED GA Practice Questions: Indoor Environmental Quality

Indoor Environmental Quality is worth 11 of the 100 questions on the LEED Green Associate exam. It covers indoor air quality, lighting and daylight, acoustics, thermal comfort, biophilic design, and accessibility and inclusion. These 12 practice questions cover the ground the exam actually tests.

Candidates underestimate this domain because the ideas feel familiar — everyone has an opinion about whether an office is too warm. The exam does not test opinion. It tests specific terminology, and the terms are precise enough that intuition will not carry you.

What this domain covers

The exam specification lists six areas: indoor air quality, including construction practices, filtration, green cleaning, low-emitting materials, ventilation and monitoring; lighting, including daylight, glare control and lighting quality; sound and acoustics; thermal conditions, including occupant control and adaptive comfort; biophilic design; and accessibility and inclusion.

That last one is worth noting. Inclusive design is a genuine part of this domain under LEED v5, and candidates working from older material often do not expect it.

12 Indoor Environmental Quality practice questions

Fill in your details, take all 12 questions, and submit once — we'll grade it and email you the score plus a full explanation for every question.

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Welcome to the LEED Green Associate practice quiz. Enter your details, then work through all 12 questions — we'll email you the score and a full explanation for every question.

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1.What is source control, and why does LEED treat it as the first line of defence for indoor air quality?

A. Controlling the source of ventilation air by locating intakes carefully

B. Eliminating the sources of pollutants in the first place, so there is less to filter or ventilate away

C. Controlling who has access to the building's plant rooms

D. Monitoring pollutant levels continuously

None

2.What is environmental tobacco smoke?

A. Smoke from wildfires entering the building

B. Emissions from cooking equipment

C. Secondhand smoke from someone else's smoking device

D. Particulate matter from vehicle exhaust

None

3.What is PM2.5 and why is it singled out?

A. A ventilation rate standard

B. A category of low-emitting material

C. Fine airborne particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, which penetrate deep into the lungs

D. A filtration efficiency rating

None

4.A building uses CO2 sensors to raise ventilation rates when spaces fill and lower them when spaces empty. What is this, and what problem does it solve?

A. Demand-controlled ventilation — it keeps air fresh when people are present without conditioning air for an empty room

B. Natural ventilation — it removes the need for mechanical systems

C. Passive survivability — it keeps the building habitable in an outage

D. Monitoring-based commissioning — it re-tunes the system using data

None

5.Which of the following is not a strategy for improving acoustic comfort?

A. Absorptive ceiling and wall finishes

B. Isolating noisy plant equipment from occupied spaces

C. Increasing the outdoor air ventilation rate

D. Planning the layout so noisy and quiet activities are separated

None

6.What is thermal comfort?

A. Maintaining a fixed temperature of 22 degrees Celsius year round

B. The insulating performance of the building envelope

C. The efficiency of the heating and cooling system

D. Occupant satisfaction with thermal conditions, influenced by temperature, humidity, air movement, activity level and clothing

None

7.Why does giving occupants control over their environment matter in this domain?

A. It reduces the building's energy use in all cases

B. It is a Minimum Program Requirement

C. Adjustable conditions measurably increase comfort and satisfaction

D. It removes the need for commissioning

None

8.What is daylighting?

A. Using electric lighting that mimics daylight colour temperature

B. Intentionally bringing natural light into a space, with glare control

C. Operating the building only during daylight hours

D. Lighting the building exterior at night

None

9.What is biophilic design?

A. Using only biodegradable materials

B. Connecting occupants with nature to support wellbeing

C. Designing for biological contamination control

D. Landscaping with native plant species

None

10.What is integrated pest management?

A. Managing pests using the most effective, lowest-risk options available

B. Applying pesticides on a fixed preventive schedule

C. Excluding all pest control from certified buildings

D. Managing pests only after an infestation is confirmed

None

11.A project has persistent water intrusion at a roof detail. Which IEQ risk should the team be most concerned about?

A. Mould growth

B. Elevated carbon dioxide

C. Glare

D. Acoustic transfer

None

12.What does inclusive design mean in the context of Indoor Environmental Quality?

A. Including all project stakeholders in design decisions

B. Including all building systems in the commissioning scope

C. Designing spaces that can be subdivided for different tenants

D. Making the environment usable by people of all ages, abilities and demographics

None

Time's up

Where candidates lose marks in this domain

• Answering from intuition. The terms are precise: source control, ETS, PM2.5, demand-controlled ventilation, passive survivability and IPM. Learn them as definitions.
• Confusing inclusive design with the integrative process. One is about who the building serves, the other about how the team works.
• Forgetting glare control is part of daylighting. Light without control is not daylighting.
• Treating thermal comfort as a temperature. It is satisfaction, and it depends on multiple variables.
• Missing the accessibility and inclusion content entirely. Older study material may not cover it adequately.

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