In the LEED

Amber, who posted a comment in my post test evaluation, kindly reminded me that I had forgotten to write about my pre-test brain dump as I had earlier promised. I apologize for the lateness of this post, and I hope it proves to be helpful for those of you who read it. (Thanks Amber!)

For those of you who don’t quite understand yet - after you sit down at your LEED AP prometric testing facility, you will be given 10 minutes to do a quick tutorial on how to use the testing software and program. Basically - I call it the “how to use a mouse” or “how to breath tutorial.” (Although it does teach you really quickly how to “mark” your questions so you can come back to them later, which is helpful, so don’t just blindly click through.) I breezed through it in about 45 seconds, and you have the remaining 9:15 to do whatever. You do have the option to skip this time and start your test, but you should definitely use the remaining time to your advantage - and DON’T do what I did.

What did I do?

• First, I wrote down WIMSEE, which was good. Quick, easy and informative.
• Then this is where I went wrong. I attempted to write down each and every single credit with points about each one so I could easily follow my chart throughout the test. I ended up not even using 95% of the stuff I wrote down or even referring to the chart for most of the questions. I already knew ABOUT the credits that were being asked - so this ended up being a total waste of time for me. It probably hurt me instead because I was so worried about getting all of the credits on this little piece of scratch paper within the time limit - and that clock is counting down right in front of you , so it can be a little stressful.
• The sad part was that I actually practiced this the night before until I could do it within 10 minutes. All of that practice was good because it actually helped me memorize the credits and their main points in a neat order - but everything I wrote down, I already knew like the back of my hand.

What do I recommend to do instead?

• Memorize and write down each of these charts: 
  • WIMSEE
  • Submittal Phases Chart
  • ASHRAE
  • Exemplary Performance / ID Threshold Chart

• Write down anything about the credits you know that you have been having trouble with.
  • Everyone will have a few things that, no matter how many times you go through the LEED AP Blank Study Guide, you always end up forgetting somehow. Know what these are going into the test and write them down during this time so when you DO forget them (like you always do) you’ll have them right there.

Everyone’s brain dump will be a little different, but this method should be easy to do within the 10 minute mark before you start your test. Don’t stress out (like me) about this pre-test brain dump of yours. It’s mainly used as a tactic to help you when you have brain-farts during the test.

So again I apologize for not posting this tip earlier. I would of uploaded an copy of the actual brain-dump I did during the test, but I have to say, it was pretty pathetic and not worth it. Just follow the tips here and you should be fine! You got this! Good luck!Anyone have any other suggestions?

Cheers!