Prepare yourself to earn a credential and become a SITES AP

Published on
10 Oct 2016
Author
Sarah Buente

The SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) credential is here! Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI®) has officially added the SITES AP credential to its suite of green business and sustainability program offerings. The SITES AP establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development and provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession.

Testing for the SITES AP exam launches October 1, 2016. Registration is now open, so reserve your seat today!

The SITES AP exam is based on the SITES v2 Rating System and Reference Guide. To become a SITES AP, all candidates must meet the eligibility requirements and pass the SITES AP exam. The exam, constructed using GBCI’s rigorous test development best practices, was built on the expertise of leading practitioners in the field of sustainable land design and development and is intended to test a candidate’s competency to perform the job functions of a SITES AP.   

How to get started

Understanding the test specification, as well as how to apply one’s knowledge and experience while taking the exam, is essential to become a SITES AP.

The test specification is based on current practices in sustainable land design and development and was determined through a comprehensive job analysis. A job analysis is a process that determines the tasks and the knowledge/skills needed to adequately perform the duties of those practicing in sustainable land design and development.  

The SITES AP exam assesses your proficiency of the body of knowledge required and the application of that knowledge in the conduct of your job duties and responsibilities. To become a SITES AP, sustainable land design and development professionals are expected to have proficiency in seven knowledge domain areas found below and detailed further in the test specifications in the SITES AP Candidate Handbook

  1. Advocacy and Education for Adoption of SITES (7 questions)
  2. SITES Basis/Foundation (10 questions)
  3. SITES Process, Credit Connection, and Synergies (11 questions)
  4. Site Context and Pre-Design (14 questions)
  5. Site Design (21 questions)
  6. Construction (13 questions)
  7. Post-Construction Plans and Commitments (9 questions)

The exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions. Fifteen questions will be unscored and will be used to gather performance data to inform whether the question should be scored on future exams. Each question on the exam is based on this outline. Therefore, to prepare to take the exam, one should study this outline and especially consider the underlying knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform as a SITES AP.

Exam candidates should be well versed in the information found in the SITES v2 Rating System, SITES v2 Reference Guide and SITES AP Candidate Handbook. Further study resources are available at sustainablesites.org/resources.

Contact us if you have any questions or comments.