LEED-Green-Associate USGBC LEED Green Associate GAFRE Exam (LEED GA) Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

impervious surfaces are those that do not allow water to infiltrate into the soil, such as asphalt, concrete, roofs, or compacted soil. Impervious surfaces increase the amount and speed of stormwater runoff, which can cause erosion, sedimentation, flooding, and pollution of downstream water bodies. Minimizing impervious surfaces can help reduce these negative impacts and preserve the aquatic habitat and natural stream morphology12.

Native vegetation is the plant life that is adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. Native vegetation can help filter pollutants, stabilize soils, reduce runoff, provide shade, and create habitat for wildlife. Enhancing native vegetation can help restore the natural functions and diversity of the ecosystem and protect the aquatic habitat and natural stream morphology13.

Rainwater is the precipitation that falls on the site. Rainwater can be captured and reused for various purposes, such as irrigation, toilet flushing, or cooling. Capturing and reusing rainwater can help reduce potable water demand, decrease stormwater runoff, and prevent flooding and pollution of downstream water bodies. Capturing and reusing rainwater can help conserve water resources and protect the aquatic habitat and natural stream morphology1 .

These strategies are consistent with the LEED v4 requirements for the Sustainable Sites credit category, which aims to protect and restore habitat, manage stormwater, reduce heat island effects, and promote alternative transportation.

Installing concrete sidewalks and parking areas will increase the quantity of the rainwater that is discharged from a site. Rainwater is the water that falls as precipitation on a site. Rainwater discharge is the amount of rainwater that leaves a site as surface runoff or subsurface flow. Rainwater discharge can affect the quantity and quality of water resources downstream by causing erosion, flooding, sedimentation, pollution, and habitat loss. Concrete sidewalks and parking areas are examples ofimpervious surfaces that prevent rainwater from infiltrating intothe soil and increase rainwater discharge by creating more runoff1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA’s Stormwater Management

Good site design benefits a project in which of the following ways: makes occupants comfortable by providing green spaces. Green spaces are areas of vegetation that improve the quality of life for building occupants and visitors by providing natural views, fresh air, shade, noise reduction, and recreational opportunities. They also reduce heat island effect, improve stormwater management, and sequester carbon dioxide. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the intents of the Sustainable Sites category is to “enhance occupant comfort by providing green spaces” [1, p. 13]. References: [LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook], [Green Spaces | U.S. Department of Energy]

One of the causes of surface water degradation is the expansion of impervious surfaces. Impervious surfaces are those that do not allow water to infiltrate into the soil, such as roads, parking lots, rooftops, and sidewalks. Impervious surfaces increase the amount and speed of stormwater runoff, which can carry pollutants, sediments, nutrients, and pathogens into surface water bodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Impervious surfaces also reduce groundwater recharge, lower base flow in streams, increase flooding and erosion, alter streammorphology and habitat, and affect water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels2. Therefore, impervious surfaces can have significant negative impacts on the quality and quantity of surface water resources. References: Surface Water as a cause of land degradation from dryland salinity3; What is Water Pollution?4

Setting project goals is the action that the design team should conduct first in order to incorporate green building strategies in a six-story commercial building renovation project. Setting project goals is an important step in the integrative process that defines the vision and expectations for the project’s sustainability performance and guides the decision-making throughout the design and construction phases. Setting project goals involves engaging key stakeholders, such as owners, users, designers, contractors, and operators, and identifying measurable objectives, targets, and metrics for various aspects of green building, such as energy efficiency, water conservation, material selection, indoor environmental quality, site selection, and transportation access. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the steps in the integrative process is to “establish sustainability goals early in project development” [1, p. 12]. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, [Integrative Process | U.S. Green Building Council]

ASHRAE stands for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, a professional organization that develops standards and guidelines for the design, operation, and maintenance of buildings. ASHRAE standards are applicable to two LEED categories: Energy and Atmosphere (EA) and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). The EA category addresses the energy performance, efficiency, and renewable sources of buildings. The IEQ category addresses the indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting quality, and acoustic performance of buildings. Some of the ASHRAE standards that are relevant for these categories are: ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for energy efficiency;ASHRAE Standard 62.1 for ventilation; ASHRAE Standard 55 for thermal comfort; ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for high-performance green buildings1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, ASHRAE’s Standards & Guidelines