Beta launches April 28, 2026

LEED v5 Green Associate — pass on the first try.

A practice deck built directly from the USGBC v5 rating system. Shipped before the beta exam launches on April 28, 2026 — not six months after. Every card cites its source. Every question maps to an objective domain. No filler.

Get the deck — $37 See 10 free sample questions
Built by Taylor Gardner, DO — board-certified physician. Sourced from USGBC's official LEED v5 rating system documents. Independent of USGBC and GBCI.

What's on the LEED v5 Green Associate exam

The Green Associate is the foundational LEED credential: it demonstrates that you understand green-building principles and the structure of the rating system. LEED v5 keeps that scope but rewrites the content around impact-area thinking — decarbonization, ecology, and quality of life sit at the center, and integrative process is treated as a prerequisite mindset rather than a single credit.

Exam launch
April 28, 2026
Beta period (results delayed)
Certifying body
USGBC / GBCI
U.S. Green Building Council
Exam fee
$250 (standard)
Beta discount available — confirm current fee at USGBC
Format
Online or testing center
Prometric / PSI — English only at beta launch
Recommended study
40–80 hours
Plan toward the high end during the v5 transition
Source of truth
We cite this on every product page

Passing score is set after the beta period; USGBC does not publish a historical Green Associate pass rate. We will not publish a pass-rate figure we cannot cite.

Try 10 free practice questions

Scenario-based, same format as the real exam. Explanations on every answer. No email required to play — we only ask at the end if you want the cheat-sheet PDF.

Free practice quiz · LEED v5 Green Associate

Are you ready for the LEED v5 Green Associate?

10 scenario-based questions pulled from the published U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) source material. About 6 minutes. Full explanations on every answer. No email required to play.

How Exam Relay compares

We are the newest v5 prep on the market. Incumbents GBES, Projectific, and GBRI have longer LEED histories and more v4 material. Here is an honest side-by-side.

  Exam Relay
(this deck)
GBES Projectific GBRI
Price (v5 Green Associate prep) $37 $99–$249 $99+ $199+
v5-specific (not v4 reskinned) Yes — built against v5 from day one Transitioning Transitioning Transitioning
Shipped before April 28, 2026 beta Yes No (v5 updates post-launch) No No
Money-back pass guarantee Yes — full refund if you do not pass Limited Limited Limited
Source citation on every card Yes — USGBC v5 rating system No No Partial
Independent of USGBC Yes (we cite; we do not represent) Yes Yes Yes

Competitor pricing and features are current as of April 2026 and sourced from each vendor's public pricing page. We recommend using more than one prep source; we do not claim to be a full study replacement.

What's in the deck

Full flashcard deck

200–300 spaced-retrieval cards covering all seven LEED v5 objective domains. Every card cites the v5 rating system section it tests.

Cheat-sheet PDF

Pass-faster reference for candidates 2–4 weeks out. Exam at a glance, high-yield concepts, 5 things most candidates miss, day-of mental model.

Exam-day quick reference

One-page checklist: what to bring, prerequisite-vs-credit trap list, pacing plan, and the reasoning frameworks you want fresh in your head when you sit down.

Free updates through 2026

When USGBC publishes additional v5 guidance during the beta period, we update the deck. You get every new version at no extra charge.

Testimonials

[PENDING — collect from first 5 buyers.] We won't publish testimonials we haven't earned. This block will fill in as real candidates come back with their results. If you're one of the first buyers and you want to be quoted (anonymously or by name), email us.

FAQ

When does the LEED v5 Green Associate exam launch?
The LEED v5 Green Associate beta exam launches April 28, 2026. The last day to register for the v4 Green Associate was April 21, 2026, and the last day to sit the v4 exam was April 26, 2026. Candidates who registered for v4 but did not sit by April 26 had their eligibility IDs automatically reassigned to the v5 exam, per USGBC.
Is the LEED v5 Green Associate exam harder than v4?
It is different in content, not necessarily harder. LEED v5 retires the v4 credit-category structure and replaces it with impact-area thinking across integrative process, decarbonization, ecology, water, materials, quality of life, and transformation. Scenario-based questions are weighted heavily. Candidates who studied v4 by memorizing credit names will find v5 questions harder; candidates who studied the reasoning behind credits will find the transition smoother.
What's the difference between v4 and v5?
LEED v5 shifts from a credit-by-credit checklist model toward an impact-area model. The v5 rating system (for BD+C, ID+C, and O+M, which launched in April 2025) groups requirements under decarbonization, ecology, and quality of life. Embodied carbon and equity are new first-class topics. Integrative process is now a mandatory mindset, not a standalone credit.
How long does it take to study for the LEED v5 Green Associate?
Most candidates spend 40–80 hours on Green Associate prep, spread across 3–6 weeks. With the v5 version change, expect the higher end of that range the first few months — there is no v4-era set of memorized credit names you can reuse. Our deck is designed to cover the seven v5 objective domains in a spaced-retrieval format that fits around full-time work.
How much does the exam cost?
USGBC announced a discounted fee for the v5 beta period versus the standard registration fee, with the exact dollar amount published on the USGBC exam information page. Confirm the current fee on USGBC before scheduling. Beta exam results are delayed — USGBC uses beta-period performance data to set the passing threshold.
How is the Exam Relay deck different from GBES, Projectific, or GBRI?
Exam Relay shipped its v5 deck before the beta exam launched on April 28, 2026. GBES, Projectific, and GBRI are established LEED prep vendors with long v4 histories — most of their v5-updated material lagged the launch by weeks or months. If you need v5-specific prep for a beta or early-window exam date, Exam Relay is the only prep built end-to-end against v5. We recommend using more than one prep source; we are not trying to replace a full study plan.
What's included when I buy?
The $37 LEED v5 Green Associate Prep Deck includes the full flashcard deck covering all seven v5 objective domains, the cheat-sheet PDF, and an exam-day quick reference. You also get free updates throughout 2026 — if USGBC publishes additional guidance during the beta period, we update the deck and you get the new version at no charge.
Is this deck authorized or endorsed by USGBC?
No. Exam Relay is an independent third-party study resource. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by USGBC or GBCI. LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council, used here descriptively to identify the exam our deck prepares you for. USGBC's official exam-information page is cited and linked throughout this site as the authoritative source.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes. If you study the Exam Relay deck, sit the LEED v5 Green Associate exam within 90 days of purchase, and do not pass, email us your GBCI result notification and we will refund your $37 in full. No questions asked. We are not going to claim a pass rate we cannot cite. We are willing to put the refund policy in writing.

Get the LEED v5 Green Associate deck

One-time payment. No subscription. Free updates through 2026. Money-back guarantee.

$37.00
One-time. Deck + cheat sheet + exam-day reference.

Get notified when the deck launches

Launching to first buyers the day the beta exam opens.

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Who built this deck

Taylor Gardner, DO
Board-certified physician. Founder, Exam Relay.
Medicine taught me one thing about high-stakes credentialing: the candidates who pass aren't the ones who read the most. They're the ones who practiced retrieval under exam conditions, early and often. I've brought that approach to every certification deck I build. Every claim is cited. Every question is verified against the official blueprint. No AI-hype, no filler, no pass-rate numbers we can't source.

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