WELL AP Exam Preparation

The WELL Building Standard (WELL) focuses on the people in the building. The standard places human health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvents buildings that are not only better for the planet, but also for people. This is the first standard of its kind that focuses solely on the health and wellness of building occupants.

Other than being administered by the GBCI, WELL and LEED are both independent building rating systems. LEED focuses on sustainability as it pertains to the built environment along with occupant comfort. On the other hand, WELL focuses solely on the health and wellness of building occupants. WELL complements LEED and other rating systems geared towards environmental sustainability.

A WELL AP is a professional who possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to support the WELL certification process.

One must take and successfully pass the WELL AP exam. Candidates must be 18 years or older. WELL project experience is recommended, however it is not a requirement! Candidates take the WELL Exams at Prometric Centers around the world (just like the LEED exams)

Do you consider yourself a leader in your industry? Are you committed to placing health and wellness at the center of building design and performance? Then the WELL AP credential may be right for you!

Yes. GBRI WELL AP Exam Prep Package offers everything you need to pass the exam.
1. On-demand Audio/Video Modules for each Knowledge Domain/ WELL Concept
2. Standalone Study Guide
3. Practice Quizzes for each Knowledge Domain/WELL Concept
4. Five (5) Mock Exams
5. Memorization Tools (FREE)

Depending on your preference, GBRI has several options available:
1. All inclusive WELL AP Package (This includes everything) – $149

2. WELL AP Study Guide, Quizzes and Mock Exams (Everything minus On-Demand Modules) – $99

3. WELL AP On-demand modules, Quizzes and Mock Exams (Everything minus Study Guide) – $99

4. Quizzes and Mock Exams (Everything minus Study Guide & On-Demand Modules) – $69

Not sure if WELL is right for you? Join us for a FREE session on WELL building standard

GBRI’s Study Guide and  On-demand Modules are both stand-alone exam prep resources.  Depending on your preference or learning style, you may choose one over the other. You don’t need both the study guide and on-demand modules; however, if you prefer, you may use the study guide to complement the on-demand modules. For example, you could start with the on-demand modules and use the guide to review what you learned or vice versa. While reviewing, pay close attention to underlined text in your study guide. Take the practice exams after completing each module/knowledge domain/concept and review answer choices to identify topics that may need additional attention. You may also utilize the concept matrix as a learning tool.

Step 1 – Sign-up for a FREE WELL online account @ wellonline.wellcertified.com

Step 2 – Register for the Exam by paying applicable fees

Step 3 – Schedule the exam through Prometric

The fee varies based on your location, your organization’s USGBC member status and your LEED accreditation status. In the U.S. the fee is $465 for USGBC members and LEED professionals & $660 for others until July 1, 2017. After July 1, 2017, the fees will increase.

The questions within the WELL AP Exam test candidates’ abilities to recall factual information learned from the WELL standard guide, identify a solution for a scenario or problem given in a question and analyze the relationship or interaction between multiple elements of the rating system.

The exam is similar to what we see with the LEED Green Associate, AP and other credential exams .It is a computer-based multiple choice exam that is taken at a Prometric testing center. The exam is 2 hours long and contains 100 questions including 15 unscored items. The exam is in English. There are questions that require you to pick multiple correct answers (no partial credit). All items are delivered randomly throughout the exam and candidates are not informed of an item’s status, so candidates should respond to all the items on the exam. The WELL AP exam is scored between 125 and 200. You have to earn a 170 or higher to pass and earn your WELL AP.

Yes. WELL APs have to complete 30 hours of CE in a 2 year reporting cycle. 6 of those 30 hours have to be WELL specific. A WELL specific course would have an explicit connection to the WELL rating system.

The knowledge domains or concepts are the most important to study for the test. Understanding how many questions you can expect from each knowledge domain or concept will help identify how each section is weighed. This is noted in the beginning of each knowledge domain or concept. At a minimum, identify, understand and learn the context of each feature, requirement and path involved. Pay close attention to texts that are highlighted, italicized, and underlined.

Yes, but it’s not memorization alone. Information is hard to remember if it does not make sense. So you need to understand what you are trying to learn and relate it to things you already know from the guide or your current knowledge.

We have identified and listed several memorization techniques within the guide such as Mnemonics (using the first letter of each word to create an easily remembered phrase or word). Choose the ones that work for you or use them to improvise your own techniques that suit you as each of us have a different way of learning and recalling information. According to Edward Bolled – “We remember what we understand; we understand only what we pay attention to; we pay attention to what we want.” Some of us identify and attach information to numbers while some identify them to sound, music and words. Studies have shown that revision is the key to long term memorization. Add notes or annotate while you read the guide for the first time. Review a concept after you read it once, pay attention to underlined text and your notes. Review it again before going to bed, and again the next day while trying to recall requirements for each WELL feature. Take the practice quizzes. Review your answers and revise the guide as needed. You should review the guide again after 1 day, 3 days and 1 week .Each time you review, you don’t have to read the whole concept, just focus on key items or underlined texts. You should be able to recall the information needed to pass the test.

You are not required to memorize every single threshold, number and reference standard; however certain concepts carry more weightage than others. We have identified important ones by highlighting, italicizing or underlining the texts. Please memorize those.

You are not required to memorize the titles or identification numbers associated with each feature. The features along with their identification number and titles will appear in FULL in your exam questions and answer choices.

Identifying a feature – whether it is a pre-condition or optimization is important for the exam. There is an easy way to identify the optimizations within each concept area; we have noted it in the beginning of each concept.

Before taking the mock exams, we recommend completing the individual concept quizzes after completion of each concept. Once you are done studying the guide take each of the timed mock exams. Once done, review all answer choices. Use the review process to strengthen what you already know and to fill your gaps. Retake the mock exams. We recommend scoring more than 90% before moving on to the next mock exam.

Yes. We recommend reading them before you take the mock exams. They are located towards the end of this study guide.