Challenge Your Exam Readiness With Our Free LEED Green Associate Practice Questions

Choosing the correct rating system is a foundational step in the LEED process and affects eligibility, prerequisites, and credit paths. LEED BD+C (Building Design and Construction): New Construction is designed for new, ground-up buildings and major renovations where the project team controls base building systems—enclosure, HVAC, lighting, and plumbing—and can deliver whole-building performance outcomes at occupancy. LEED ID+C targets tenant fit-outs where the base building is already constructed and the tenant controls interiors only. LEED O+M applies to existing buildings in operation seeking to optimize policies, performance, and maintenance practices rather than design. LEED ND addresses neighborhood-scale planning and development, not single buildings. Correctly aligning the project with BD+C: New Construction positions the team to address energy modeling, commissioning, indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, site strategies, and materials procurement holistically, and simplifies documentation because responsibilities and scopes match the rating system’s structure and reviewer expectations.