A one-page Terraform Associate reference: exam facts plus the workflow and concepts you must know. Use it for final review. Confirm all current details on the HashiCorp certification page.
Exam facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | ~57 (multiple choice, multiple response, true/false) |
| Time | ~60 minutes |
| Pass mark | Not published as a fixed number (pass/fail) |
| Cost | ~US$70.50 (confirm with HashiCorp) |
| Validity | 2 years |
| Version | 003 (confirm current) |
The core workflow
- write - author configuration in HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language).
terraform init- initialise the working directory and download providers.terraform plan- preview the changes needed to reach the desired state.terraform apply- make the changes.terraform destroy- tear down the managed infrastructure.
State (heavily tested)
- State file - records the real resources Terraform manages.
- Local vs remote state - remote backends enable team collaboration.
- State locking - prevents concurrent operations from corrupting state.
- Backends - where state is stored (e.g. local, cloud object storage, HCP Terraform).
Configuration
- Providers - plugins for platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP and many more).
- Resources and data sources - what you create vs what you read.
- Variables and outputs - parameterise inputs and expose results.
- Functions and dependencies - built-in functions; Terraform infers resource order.
Modules
- Module - a reusable, parameterised group of resources.
- Public registry - a source of community and official modules.
- Inputs / outputs and versioning - pass values in, read values out, pin versions.
Common traps
- Confusing
plan(preview) withapply(make changes). - Underestimating state - locking, remote backends and
importshow up often. - Forgetting that Terraform is provider-agnostic - the exam is about the tool, not one cloud.