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SITES AP credential

  • Updated

The SITES Accredited Professional establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development. It provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession. There are two ways to take the SITES AP exam. You have the option to take the exam at a Prometric Testing Center or as a remotely proctored online exam.

A SITES AP is an individual who possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to support the SITES certification process, including participating in the design and development process, supporting and encouraging integrated design, managing the application and certification process, and providing advocacy and education for the adoption of SITES.

What study resources are available? Are any sample questions available?

The SITES Rating System and the SITES Reference Guide are both helpful resources. The test specifications, as well as sample questions, are also available in the SITES AP Candidate Handbook.

Are there any Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) requirements for SITES AP and do they align with LEED and WELL AP CMP requirements?

Yes, there are CMP requirements for the SITES AP. There has been an overall effort to align the SITES, LEED and WELL APs as much as possible. For more information about CMP requirements for both the SITES, LEED and WELL credentials, please visit the GBCI CMP Guide.

What's involved in the process of creating the SITES AP?

  • Conception: GBCI will bring together leading experts in the fields of sustainable landscape design to form a Job Analysis Committee. This committee will include landscape architects, planners, consultants, horticulturalists and water, soil and human health specialists from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The committee will be responsible for creating content areas that lay the groundwork for building the SITES AP exam.
  • Validation: GBCI will enlist the help of a wider group of subject matter experts, who will review the content areas and their relative importance through the SITES AP Job Analysis Survey. The survey will give experts in the sustainable landscape community an opportunity to contribute to the SITES AP credential. GBCI will then gather and analyze results to create an exam blueprint, which will outline weight distribution for exam questions by content area.
  • Development: Once the blueprint is finalized, GBCI will enlist subject matter experts to write and review questions to appear on the SITES AP exam. With expert consensus, a well-rounded exam will be created and launched for the SITES AP credential. The exam will be finalized and placed into the testing platform for aspiring SITES AP candidates.

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