Certifications
HashiCorp Certified:
Terraform Associate (004)
Prove your foundational Terraform knowledge and skills in an hour-long multiple-choice exam.
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Read moreWho should take this exam
You should take the Terraform Associate certification exam if you are a Cloud Engineer with foundational Terraform knowledge and skills, who can identify Terraform Enterprise features and distinguish them from Community edition.
Exam Details
Assessment Type
Multiple choice
Format
Online Proctored
Credential Expiration
2 years
Language
English
Duration
1 hour
Version tested
Terraform 1.12
Price
$70.50 USD, plus locally applicable taxes and fees. Free retake not included.
Prerequisites
Basic terminal skills
Understanding of on-premises and cloud architecture
While professional experience is recommended, you can also prepare by practicing the exam objectives in a personal demo setup
Exam Objectives
- 1a Explain what IaC is
- 1b Describe the advantages of IaC patterns
- 1c Explain how Terraform manages multi-cloud, hybrid cloud, and service-agnostic workflows
- 2a Install and version Terraform providers
- 2b Describe how Terraform uses providers
- 2c Write Terraform configuration using multiple providers
- 2d Explain how Terraform uses and manages state
- 3a Describe the Terraform workflow
- 3b Initialize a Terraform working directory
- 3c Validate a Terraform configuration
- 3d Generate and review an execution plan for Terraform
- 3e Apply changes to infrastructure with Terraform
- 3f Destroy Terraform-managed infrastructure
- 3g Apply formatting and style adjustments to a configuration
- 4a Use and differentiate
resourceanddatablocks - 4b Refer to resource attributes and create cross-resource references
- 4c Use variables and outputs
- 4d Understand and use complex types
- 4e Write dynamic configuration using expressions and functions
- 4f Define resource dependencies in configuration
- 4g Validate configuration using custom conditions
- 4h Understand best practices for managing sensitive data, including secrets management with Vault
- 5a Explain how Terraform sources modules
- 5b Describe variable scope within modules
- 5c Use modules in configuration
- 5d Manage module versions
- 6a Describe the local backend
- 6b Describe state locking
- 6c Configure remote state using the backend block
- 6d Manage resource drift and Terraform state
- 7a Import existing infrastructure into your Terraform workspace
- 7b Use the CLI to inspect state
- 7c Describe when and how to use verbose logging
- 8a Use HCP Terraform to create infrastructure
- 8b Describe HCP Terraform collaboration and governance features
- 8c Describe how to organize and use HCP Terraform workspaces and projects
- 8d Configure and use HCP Terraform integration
Renew Your Certification
Understand your recertification options. Start by finding the scenario that applies to you and then evaluate your options. Know which exam version you passed by the 3-digit code on your credentials (badge and certificate).
Scenario 1: You hold an unexpired Terraform Associate certification from the 004 version of the exam
Option 1: Pass the Terraform Infrastructure Engineer Professional exam
- Extend your Associate credentials' expiration date
- Earn a new professional-level badge and certificate
Option 2: Pass either the AWS or Azure version of the Terraform Authoring and Operations Advanced exam
- Extend your Associate credentials' expiration date
- Earn a new advanced-level badge and certificate
Option 3: Pass the 004 version of the Terraform Associate exam starting 6 months before expiration
- Extend your existing credentials' expiration date
Scenario 2: You hold an unexpired Terraform Associate certification from the 002 or 003 version of the exam
Option 1: Pass the Terraform Infrastructure Engineer Professional exam
- Extend your Associate credentials' expiration date
- Earn a new professional-level badge and certificate
Option 2: Pass the Terraform Authoring and Operations Advanced exam
- Extend your Associate credentials' expiration date
- Earn a new advanced-level badge and certificate
Option 3: Pass the 004 version of the Terraform Associate exam starting 6 months before expiration
- Receive a new, separate set of credentials with a new expiration date
- Your original credentials' expiration date is not updated
- Review the content differences between the 003 and 004 version of the exam as part of your recertification preparation.
Scenario 3: You hold any expired Terraform Associate certification
There is only one option for recertifying if your certification has already expired.
Pass the current version of the Terraform Associate exam at any time
- Receive a new, separate set of credentials with a new expiration date
- Your expired credentials' expiration date is not updated
Learn more about recertification in our Knowledge base.
Visit our knowledge base
Review and follow the rules and requirements for taking exams before you register for an exam appointment. You are responsible for following the identification, system, and physical space requirements.
