Finally passed my CLEE exam after failing twice — here's what worked

by Tyler B. 482 views3 replies
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Tyler B.OP
May 27, 2026

Okay so I've been lurking here for a while and wanted to finally share my experience because I wish I'd found a post like this before my first attempt. I took the Certified Lighting Efficiency Expert exam back in January, bombed it with a 61 (passing is 70), tried again in March and missed by two points. I was seriously ready to give up on the whole thing.

What finally clicked for me was ditching the textbook-only approach and actually doing timed CLEE practice test sets. I found that the real exam leans way harder on lighting calculations and energy codes than I expected — the ASHRAE 90.1 stuff especially. I put together a study guide focused on those weak spots and drilled them for about three weeks straight, maybe 90 minutes a night after work.

Passed with an 82 last month. If you're prepping right now, happy to share my exam tips or talk through the calculation sections. What's tripping you up the most?

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Marcus T.
May 28, 2026
This is super encouraging, thank you for posting. I'm scheduled for mid-June and the lighting power density calculations are killing me. I keep mixing up the building area method vs. space-by-space method under 90.1. Did you find one came up more than the other on the actual exam? Also roughly how many questions were straight calculation vs. conceptual knowledge?
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Amanda H.
May 28, 2026
I passed on my first attempt last fall but I'll second everything you said about energy codes. A lot of people I know who failed spent all their time on lamp types and controls technology and then got blindsided by the compliance path questions. The CLEE study guide from the certification body is honestly pretty thin on that stuff so supplementing with the actual 90.1 standard sections is worth it even if it feels tedious.
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Megan P.
May 28, 2026
Congrats on the 82! That's a solid score after two tries. For anyone else reading — the timed practice tests are genuinely the move. I did untimed studying for weeks and it didn't prepare me for how fast you have to move through the calculation questions.

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