Short answer: you can no longer take Terraform Associate 003. HashiCorp retired it on 8 January 2026, and the current exam is version 004. Version 004 tests Terraform 1.12, reorganises the syllabus into eight objectives instead of nine, and adds four new topics: lifecycle rules, custom conditions, ephemeral values with write-only arguments, and HCP Terraform workspaces and projects. The exam itself is still a one-hour, online-proctored, multiple-choice test in English for US$70.50 plus local taxes, and the credential is still valid for two years. If you are studying with material written for 003, about four topics are missing. If you already hold 003, nothing changes until your credential nears its expiry date. Every price, date and rule below was checked on HashiCorp's own pages on 28 October 2026.
The timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 2023 | Version 003 became available (HashiCorp announcement) |
| 5 January 2026 | HashiCorp's cut-off for 003 prep: anyone testing after this date should switch to 004 materials |
| 8 January 2026 | Version 003 retired |
| Today | Version 004 is the only Terraform Associate exam you can book |
The retirement date and the 5 January advice come from HashiCorp's 003 learning path, which now sends readers to the 004 materials.
What changed from 003 to 004
| 003 | 004 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Retired 8 January 2026 | Current |
| Terraform version tested | Earlier Terraform release | Terraform 1.12 |
| Objectives | 9 | 8 |
| HCP Terraform | Last objective (9), named Terraform Cloud in older material | Objective 8, with a new item on workspaces and projects |
| New topics | - | 4f, 4g, 4h, 8c (below) |
| Exam length, format, price | One hour, multiple choice, online proctored | Unchanged: one hour, multiple choice, online proctored, US$70.50 |
HashiCorp's 004 exam content list names the eight objectives:
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform
- Terraform fundamentals
- Core Terraform workflow
- Terraform configuration
- Terraform modules
- Terraform state management
- Maintain infrastructure with Terraform
- HCP Terraform
HashiCorp publishes no weighting per objective, no question count and no passing score. We do not invent any of them. What it does publish is the list of four new topics. That list is the most useful thing on the page if you studied for 003, because it tells you exactly where your old material ends.
The four new topics, and what to practise for each
4f - Define resource dependencies in configuration (depends_on and create_before_destroy). Terraform works out most dependencies from references between resources. The exam now wants you to know when that is not enough. Use depends_on when one resource relies on another without referring to any of its attributes. Use the create_before_destroy lifecycle rule when a replacement must exist before the old object is removed, for example to avoid downtime. Practise reading a plan and saying in which order Terraform will create and destroy objects.
4g - Validate configuration using custom conditions. This covers validation blocks on input variables, precondition and postcondition blocks inside a resource's lifecycle, and check blocks. Know when each one runs, during plan or during apply, and what happens when it fails: does the run stop, or do you only get a warning?
4h - Ephemeral values and write-only arguments. This is the newest part of the language on the exam. Terraform 1.10 introduced ephemeral values: ephemeral input variables, outputs and ephemeral resources whose values are never written to the plan or state. Terraform 1.11 added write-only arguments, so a managed resource can accept a secret without storing it. The exam objective is framed as "best practices for managing sensitive data", so also revise the older point: a value marked sensitive is hidden in CLI output but is still stored in state. HashiCorp's sensitive data guide covers the whole topic.
8c - Organise and use HCP Terraform workspaces and projects. In 003 the HCP Terraform objective was mostly about what the platform offers. Now you also need to know how projects group workspaces, how that structure carries permissions and settings, and how HCP Terraform workspaces differ from CLI workspaces on your own machine. That last difference is a classic trap, because the two share a name and do different things.
The exam today, in one table
| Terraform Associate (004) | |
|---|---|
| Price | US$70.50 plus locally applicable taxes and fees |
| Free retake | Not included |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| Question types | True or false, multiple choice, multiple answer (sample questions) |
| Delivery | Online proctored |
| Language | English |
| Terraform version | 1.12 |
| Prerequisites | Basic terminal skills and an understanding of on-premises and cloud architecture; professional experience recommended, not required |
| Validity | 2 years |
| Retakes | 7 days between attempts, at most 4 attempts in a rolling 365 days (HashiCorp retake rules) |
Sources: Terraform Associate (004) certification page, 004 exam content list.
You do not need AWS, Azure or Google Cloud experience. The content list says the tutorials may use specific cloud providers, but provider-specific knowledge is not needed for the exam. HCP Terraform knowledge is needed, because it is one whole objective. HashiCorp publishes no pass rate, so we do not give one. Our Terraform Associate exam format page and cost page keep these facts in one place.
What it means for you
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| First attempt, studying from scratch | Use only 004 material. Start from HashiCorp's 004 learning path |
| Halfway through a 003 course or book | Keep it for objectives 1-3 and 5-7, then study 4f, 4g, 4h and 8c from HashiCorp's docs |
| Hold an unexpired 003 (or 002) credential | It stays valid to its expiry date. From 6 months before expiry you can pass 004 and get a new, separate credential |
| Hold an expired Associate credential | Pass the current version at any time; you get a new credential with a new expiry date |
| Already strong in production Terraform | Consider the Advanced exam (below), which also renews the Associate |
Renewal is exam-only. HashiCorp has no continuing-education route for Terraform Associate. Besides retaking the Associate, its certification page lists two higher exams that renew it: the AWS or Azure version of Terraform Authoring and Operations Advanced, and the new Terraform Infrastructure Engineer Professional (002). The Professional page says the exam launches in October 2026, tests Terraform 1.15, lasts 90 minutes and lists its price as "coming soon". It strongly recommends the Associate first, so for most readers the Associate is still the starting point.
A 5-week plan for 004
HashiCorp publishes no official study hours, and neither do we. The plan below assumes about an hour a day. It puts the new topics in their own week, because that is where older material and older practice tests leave you short.
| Week | Objectives | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 IaC and 2 fundamentals: providers, the lock file, how state is used | You can explain what the lock file and the state file each protect |
| 2 | 3 core workflow and 6 state: init, validate, plan, apply, destroy, fmt; backends and locking | You can say what each command reads, writes and refuses to do |
| 3 | 4a-4e configuration and 5 modules: blocks, references, variables, types, functions, module sources and versions | You can write a small module and call it twice with different inputs |
| 4 | The new topics: 4f, 4g, 4h and 8c | You can explain each of the four topics above without notes |
| 5 | 7 maintenance (import, state inspection, logging) and full timed practice | You score steadily on mixed, timed sets |
Do every week in a real terminal, not just on paper. HashiCorp says professional experience is recommended but that practising the objectives in a personal demo setup can prepare you. Our Terraform Associate how-to-pass page has a longer week-by-week plan.
For timed practice, our Terraform Associate practice questions follow the eight 004 objectives, including the new topics. The bank is new, so it is smaller than the banks of older exams, and it simulates the single-answer format only, not true-or-false or multiple-answer items. The Terraform Associate overview and eligibility page cover the rest. If you are still choosing between cloud certifications, compare AWS Cloud Practitioner and AZ-900 or start at the which certification hub.
Verdict
The move from 003 to 004 is an update, not a new exam. The format, the price and the two-year validity stayed the same. What changed is the Terraform version and four topics that reflect how Terraform is used now: explicit dependencies, built-in validation, secrets that never reach state, and HCP Terraform projects. If you are starting now, study only from 004 material. If you are halfway through a 003 course, you do not need to start again. Finish it, then spend one focused week on 4f, 4g, 4h and 8c. And if you hold 003, put a reminder six months before your expiry date, because that is when the 004 exam becomes your renewal route.
Price, duration, delivery, language, validity, prerequisites and renewal options verified on HashiCorp's Terraform Associate (004) page on 28 October 2026. Objectives, the four new topics and the Terraform version from the 004 exam content list, question types from the 004 sample questions, the 003 retirement date from HashiCorp's 003 learning path and retake rules from HashiCorp's certification help centre. Professional exam details from its certification page. HashiCorp publishes no pass rate, question count, passing score, objective weights or official study hours, so we give none of them.