HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (004) Exam
- Time limit
- 1h
- Exam fee
- $70.5
The HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (004) validates your ability to use Terraform in production environments. Aimed at cloud engineers, DevOps practitioners, and infrastructure professionals, this certification demonstrates mastery of infrastructure-as-code fundamentals and practical Terraform skills.
Overview
The exam covers eight objective areas: Infrastructure as Code concepts, Terraform fundamentals, the core workflow, configuration, modules, state management, maintenance, and HCP Terraform. You'll be tested on your ability to read and modify configurations, manage infrastructure using Terraform's workflow, handle state including remote backends and locking, and leverage cloud collaboration features in HCP Terraform.
Cost and registration
The exam costs $70.50 USD. This price covers the exam attempt only; a free retake is not included.
Exam format
The 60-minute online proctored exam contains multiple-choice questions in three formats: true or false, single-answer multiple choice, and multiple-answer questions. Your certification is valid for 2 years upon passing. Basic terminal skills and understanding of on-premises and cloud architecture are recommended prerequisites.
Questions by topic in the Terraform Associate practice bank
Counts describe our practice categories, which may subdivide official domains. They are not the exam’s official topic weights.
Verified facts about the Terraform Associate exam
12 statements, each bound to the official document it was taken from. The available source links open those documents.
Requirements and rules
What is tested
- Aimed at Cloud Engineers, DevOps and other practitioners who use Terraform in production
- HashiCorp
- Eight objective areas including Infrastructure as Code, Terraform fundamentals, the Core Terraform workflow, configuration, modules, state management, maintenance, and HCP Terraform
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- HCP Terraform content covers cloud-based infrastructure creation, collaboration features, and workspace organization
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- State management content covers local and remote backends, state locking, and drift management
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- Objective: Read, generate, and modify configuration
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- Objective: Use the core Terraform workflow
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- Objective: Understand Infrastructure as Code (IaC) concepts
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- The exam does not publish per-objective percentage weightings
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- Question types are true or false, multiple choice, and multiple answer
- HashiCorp
How hard is it?
HashiCorp’s Associate learning path says that professional experience is helpful, while practice in a personal demonstration environment may be sufficient. Treat the following as our study diagnostic, not a prediction of your exam result.
| Practice task | Explain before moving on |
|---|---|
| Review a plan before applying a configuration change | Which resources would change, and whether anything would be replaced |
| Move repeated configuration into a module | What the module accepts as inputs and returns as outputs |
| Inspect state and backend settings in a disposable lab | Where state is held and why concurrent changes need coordination |
| Compare local work with HCP Terraform | How workspaces and shared workflows change collaboration |
After a missed practice question, identify whether you misunderstood configuration, workflow, state or collaboration. Revisit the corresponding objective in the official learning path and explain the result of the lab in your own words. A practice score is not HashiCorp’s undisclosed passing threshold.
Ways to prepare
Our page on each provider below lists its published prices with the date we checked them, what it does better than free prep, and where the free path here is enough.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Terraform Associate (004) exam cost, and how long is it?
HashiCorp’s certification page lists the Associate exam at $70.50 USD, plus applicable taxes and fees, for a 60-minute online proctored assessment. A free retake is not included.
What version of Terraform does the 004 exam test on, and what topics are covered?
HashiCorp’s Associate 004 learning path specifies Terraform 1.12 and includes HCP Terraform. Use the eight objective areas listed in the overview above and the linked official learning path; do not rely on an older exam outline.
Do I need prior experience to take the Terraform Associate exam?
HashiCorp lists basic terminal skills and an understanding of on-premises and cloud architecture as prerequisites. Its learning path recommends professional experience but says practising the objectives in a personal demo environment may be sufficient.
How long is the Terraform Associate certification valid?
HashiCorp’s certification page gives a two-year credential expiration period and links the renewal options. Choose the renewal route for your exam version and whether your credential is still active.
Sources
- 1.HashiCorp Infrastructure Automation Certification exam details — HashiCorp (accessed Oct 11, 2026)
- 2.HashiCorp Associate 004 learning path — HashiCorp (accessed Oct 11, 2026)
- 3.Infrastructure Automation Certifications — Terraform Associate (004) — HashiCorp (accessed Jul 18, 2026)
- 4.Study Guide — Terraform Associate Certification (004) — HashiCorp (accessed Jul 18, 2026)
- 5.Sample Questions — Terraform Associate (004) — HashiCorp (accessed Jul 18, 2026)
- 6.HashiCorp Certifications — HashiCorp
- 7.Exam Review — Terraform Associate (004) Objectives — HashiCorp (accessed Jul 18, 2026)
Official sources
The official documents our facts about this exam are taken from.
- Learning Path — Terraform Associate (004)HashiCorpdeveloper.hashicorp.com
- Infrastructure Automation Certifications — Terraform Associate (004)HashiCorpdeveloper.hashicorp.com
- Exam Review — Terraform Associate (004) ObjectivesHashiCorpdeveloper.hashicorp.com
- Sample Questions — Terraform Associate (004)HashiCorpdeveloper.hashicorp.com
- Study Guide — Terraform Associate Certification (004)HashiCorpdeveloper.hashicorp.com
Last verified against HashiCorp's official sources: