Terraform Associate 004 FAQ for exam format, topics, prep strategy, practice, and common candidate traps.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
Is 004 still the current associate exam? |
Yes. HashiCorp’s current certification page still lists Terraform Associate (004) on April 13, 2026. |
| What Terraform version does it test? | Terraform 1.12. |
| How long is it? | 1 hour. |
| What format is it? | HashiCorp’s certification page says multiple choice, online proctored, English. The current sample-questions page also shows true/false and multiple-answer examples. |
| Price? | $70.50 USD plus locally applicable taxes and fees. |
| What changed versus older prep? | 004 explicitly includes newer areas like custom conditions, ephemeral values, write-only arguments, and stronger HCP Terraform coverage. |
It tests foundational Terraform workflow and configuration knowledge: IaC basics, providers, workflow, configuration blocks, modules, state management, drift, import, lifecycle rules, validation conditions, and HCP Terraform concepts.
Yes. HashiCorp’s current certification page lists Terraform Associate (004) as the active associate exam and says it tests Terraform 1.12.
This exam is strongest for people who can already:
If your instincts are still “just run apply,” the exam gets harder than it should.
004 topics that older notes often miss?HashiCorp’s current certification page explicitly highlights several additions for 004:
depends_on and create_before_destroyephemeral values and write-only argumentsThat does not make the exam advanced. It means older shallow prep that ignores those topics is incomplete.
HashiCorp currently lists it as:
1 hourHashiCorp’s current sample-questions page also shows true or false, multiple choice, and multiple answer examples for associate-level exams. Treat the certification page as the official top-line exam-detail source, but do not be surprised if the item style is broader than a narrow “one-answer-only” reading suggests.
HashiCorp’s current page lists the price as $70.50 USD plus locally applicable taxes and fees.
Yes. The current objective list includes HCP Terraform collaboration, governance, workspaces, projects, and integration topics.
It usually punishes candidates who memorize commands but cannot explain the workflow around them. Typical misses come from:
plan like a side effect instead of a review stepTreating Terraform like a bag of commands instead of a workflow built around configuration plus state.
One small Terraform repo is enough if it includes:
depends_on, create_before_destroy, or custom conditions are not just wordsThat gives you enough surface area to understand the nouns the exam likes to mix together.
Start with:
No. You should recognize the high-yield commands and what problem each one solves, but the exam is more about when to use them safely than about memorizing every flag. If a question mentions a command, it is usually really testing workflow, state, or configuration behavior.
You can still learn the concepts from the official docs, but hands-on familiarity helps. You should be able to explain what HCP Terraform adds around runs, workspaces, projects, collaboration, credentials, and governance so those platform features do not blur into raw local CLI workflow.
| If the miss was really about… | Fix it by doing this next |
|---|---|
| workflow | restate init -> plan -> apply and ask what changes in each step |
| state | decide whether the issue is drift, import, backend, locking, or inspection |
| configuration structure | separate resource, data source, module, variable, and output roles |
| HCP Terraform | restate what the platform adds beyond raw local CLI usage |
| lifecycle or validation | identify whether the question is really about dependency control, replacement behavior, or configuration correctness |
init, plan, state, and apply stay concrete004 pages and sample questionsUse the study plan for order, the cheat sheet for workflow and state refreshers, the glossary for core terms, and the resources page for the official HashiCorp references.
Do not disappear into:
Use the current HashiCorp certification page and exam-objective pages as the source of truth. If a community write-up or older prep note conflicts with the current 004 objective list, follow HashiCorp.
| If you need… | Go here |
|---|---|
| pacing and lane order | Study Plan |
| compressed workflow review | Cheat Sheet |
| term cleanup | Glossary |
| current official links | Resources |
init, plan, and apply are different steps instead of one workflow blur.