Every number worth committing to memory for the LEED Green Associate exam, on one page. Print it, keep it beside you, and test yourself against it until none of it needs looking up.
A warning before the tables: numbers are the cheapest marks on this exam and the smallest part of it. The exam mostly tests whether you understand how things relate. Memorising this page will not get you to 170 on its own — but arriving without it means losing marks you could have banked in an afternoon.
Certification levels
These apply to buildings, not people.
| Certified | 40–49 points |
| Silver | 50–59 points |
| Gold | 60–79 points |
| Platinum | 80 points or more |
Two things the numbers do not tell you. Under LEED v5, Platinum also requires meeting mandatory performance benchmarks beyond the point total, so it is a higher bar than 80 points alone. And 40 points is a scoring threshold, not an eligibility rule — a project that meets every Minimum Program Requirement and scores 35 is eligible to pursue LEED and simply does not certify.
The exam itself
| Questions | 100, of which 85 are scored |
| Correct answers per question | 1 |
| Testing time | 2 hours |
| Total appointment time to allow | 2 hours 20 minutes |
| Average time per question | 1 minute 12 seconds |
| Scaled score range | 125 to 200 |
| Passing score | 170 |
| Arrive at the test centre | 30 minutes early |
170 is not 85%. The scale starts at 125, so it cannot be read as a percentage — see the passing score explained.
Where the 85 scored questions come from
The most useful table on this page, because it tells you where revision time is worth most.
Why 85 and not 100. USGBC’s exam specification allocates 85 scored questions across the eight domains. The remaining 15 of the 100 you sit are unscored trial items, placed at random and not identified to you. Revise as though every question counts — because you cannot tell which do — but plan your hours using this table.
The top four are 52 of the 85 scored questions — well over half. If time is short, that is where it goes.
Standards worth knowing by number
| ASHRAE 62.1 | Minimum outdoor-air ventilation and indoor air quality |
| ASHRAE 55 | Thermal comfort |
| ASHRAE 90.1 | Energy — belongs to Energy and Atmosphere, not to indoor environmental quality |
The memory hook: 62.1 has more digits and is about the air you breathe; 55 is the shorter number and is about how you feel.
Other figures the exam uses
| PM2.5 | Particles 2.5 micrometres in diameter or smaller — fine enough to reach deep into the lungs, and therefore the most harmful fraction |
| The waste hierarchy, in order | Reduce, reuse, recycle or compost, recover, dispose. Recycling is third |
| The efficiency-first water order | Reduce demand, improve efficiency, use alternative sources, meter and manage. Alternative sources are third |
| The mobility hierarchy | Reduce trips, active travel, transit and sharing, manage parking, clean vehicles. EV charging is fifth |
| Flush rate | Per use — fixtures, meaning toilets and urinals |
| Flow rate | Per minute — fittings, meaning taps and showerheads |
Credential maintenance
| Reporting cycle | 2 years, for both credentials |
| LEED Green Associate | 15 continuing education hours per cycle, of which 3 must be LEED-specific |
| LEED AP with specialty | 30 continuing education hours per cycle, of which 6 must be LEED-specific in the specialty |
| Multiple AP specialties | Renewal is charged once, not per credential |
Registration and retake rules
| Eligibility ID validity | 12 months from registration |
| Courtesy extension | One, of 6 months, requested before the eligibility period expires |
| Attempts allowed | No limit |
| After 3 unsuccessful attempts in 12 months | Wait 90 calendar days before registering again |
| Reschedule 46 or more days ahead | Free |
| Reschedule 30–45 days ahead | Chargeable |
| Reschedule 4–29 days ahead | Chargeable, at a higher rate |
| Reschedule within 3 days | Not permitted — missing the appointment forfeits the whole fee |
Current fee amounts are on our LEED certification cost page, which is the one place we keep them, so there is only ever one page to check.
Numbers you do not need
Worth saying, because candidates waste real time here.
- Individual credit point values. Green Associate tests concepts and relationships, not the point value of specific credits. That is LEED AP territory.
- Specific performance thresholds. Percentage reductions, flow rates in litres, R-values — not required at this level.
- A raw number of questions needed to pass. It does not exist. Scores are scaled, and the exam contains unscored trial questions.
- Product standards and certification numbers. You need to know what an EPD and an HPD are for, not the standards behind them.
If a study resource is drilling you on credit-by-credit point values for the Green Associate exam, it is teaching to the wrong exam.
How to use this page
1.Print it and keep it where you revise.
2.Cover the right-hand column and work down the tables from memory. That is testing; re-reading is not.
3.Do this in short bursts — five minutes daily beats an hour once.
4.Stop when it is automatic, then spend the time you have left on concepts, which is where most of the marks are.
Frequently asked questions
What are the LEED certification levels and their points?
Certified is 40 to 49 points, Silver 50 to 59, Gold 60 to 79 and Platinum 80 or more. Under LEED v5 Platinum also requires meeting mandatory performance benchmarks beyond the point total.
How many continuing education hours does a LEED Green Associate need?
15 hours every two years, of which 3 must be LEED-specific. A LEED AP with specialty needs 30 hours, of which 6 must be LEED-specific.
Do I need to memorise credit point values for the Green Associate exam?
No. The Green Associate exam tests concepts and relationships rather than the point value of individual credits.
How many questions come from each knowledge domain?
USGBC allocates 85 scored questions across the eight domains: LEED Process 15, Energy and Atmosphere 15, Materials and Resources 11, Indoor Environmental Quality 11, Water Efficiency 10, Location and Transportation 9, Sustainable Sites 8, and Integrative Process 6. The remaining 15 of the 100 questions you sit are unscored trial items.
Turning numbers into understanding
Memorised figures are worth a handful of marks. Understanding what sits behind them is worth the rest. 3FOLD TRAINING teaches all eight knowledge domains to LEED v5 in LEED Green Associate training — ask through the course enquiry form. Test what has stuck with our free 50-question mock exam.
Leave a reply