#Certification
187 posts
Terraform Associate 004 #10 Practice Exam: 50 Questions Across the Full Scope with Explanations
A 50-question multiple-choice practice exam drawn from all nine parts of the series. The questions are arranged by domain — from IaC concepts through the workflow, state, modules, writing configuration, the new 004 scope of ephemeral and write-only, and HCP Terraform — and every question comes with an explanation covering the reasoning behind the answer and the traps in the wrong choices. Grade yourself, then go back to the matching part for any weak domain as a final check.
Terraform Associate 004 #9 HCP Terraform: Workspaces, Variable Sets, Policies, and Drift Detection
Starting from the fact that an HCP Terraform workspace shares only its name with the CLI workspace, we lay out the structure that groups workspaces under projects and the three ways runs start (VCS-, CLI-, and API-driven). We then cover variable sets for supplying values to multiple workspaces, where Sentinel and OPA policies are evaluated and the hard versus soft failure distinction, always-on drift detection, and the relationship with Terraform Enterprise — the areas 004 widened.
Terraform Associate 004 #8 Deep Dive on the New Scope: ephemeral, write-only, and Meta-Arguments
This part gathers 004's flagship new scope in one place. We cover the nature of ephemeral values that never land in plan or state and where they can be used, how write-only arguments solve the secrets problem and why _wo_version is what triggers rotation, then firm up the meta-arguments from the exam's angle: the legitimate use of depends_on, choosing between count and for_each, and how the three lifecycle arguments — create_before_destroy, prevent_destroy, and ignore_changes — differ in effect.
Terraform Associate 004 #7 Writing Configuration: Variable Precedence, Functions, and Custom Conditions
We compress the exam view of variable types and the precedence of value sources, the actual reach of sensitive, and the roles of output and locals, then organize the built-in functions and expressions that appear most often. We also reinforce what the track covered lightly: the custom conditions strengthened in 004 — variable validation, resource precondition and postcondition, and check blocks — including how they differ and when each is evaluated.
Terraform Associate 004 #6 Modules: Source Addresses, Version Pinning, and Input/Output Syntax
Starting from the definition of a module and the distinction between root and child modules, we organize the syntax of the registry, Git, and local-path source types and the conditions under which the version argument works, all from the exam angle. We pin down inputs that pass values into a module and outputs read as module.<name>.<output>, the encapsulation principle that rules out direct access to resources inside a module, and the verified badge on the public registry.
Terraform Associate 004 #5 State Management: Backends, Locking, State Commands, and Sensitive Data
Starting from the purpose of state and its default file location, we organize the difference between local and remote backends, the incidents locking prevents, and where force-unlock fits, all from the exam angle. We pin down what the state list, show, mv, and rm commands each change and each leave alone, how they map to the moved, removed, and import blocks, and cover sensitive data in state and access control as exam points.
Terraform Associate 004 #4 Core Workflow: init, plan, apply, destroy, and Debugging
We cover the three stages of the official exam workflow — Write, Plan, Apply — what each command does, and the four situations that require running init again. Then the option-based question points: saving a plan with -out, apply with -auto-approve and -replace, the dangers of -target, the role split between fmt and validate, and enabling debug logs with the TF_LOG environment variable.
Terraform Associate 004 #3 Terraform Fundamentals: Version Constraints, the Lock File, and Provider Configuration
Starting from installation and checking with terraform version, we work through the version constraint operators the exam loves (=, ~>, >=) and how to read them, then separate the roles of the required_providers block and the .terraform.lock.hcl lock file. We cover provider configuration and multi-region setups with alias, and what actually goes into the .terraform directory — the question points of exam objective 3.
Terraform Associate 004 #2 IaC Concepts and Terraform's Purpose: Mastering Definition Questions
We organize the definition and benefits of IaC in the language the exam expects, and firm up the declarative-versus-imperative distinction and the concept of idempotency from a question-solving perspective. We also cover Terraform's position in the multi-cloud and provider ecosystem, why state exists, and the structure of Terraform's language and binary — a pass through the testing points of exam objectives 1 and 2.
Terraform Associate 004 #1 Exam Introduction: The 004 Revision, Domain Structure, and Study Strategy
An overview of the HashiCorp Terraform Associate certification as of the January 2026 004 revision: the exam format and what changed from 003. We cover the newly tested areas — ephemeral values and write-only arguments — along with the expanded HCP Terraform coverage and the domain breakdown, then build a mapping table between the exam objectives and the 26 parts of this blog's Terraform track to lay out a study path.
GitHub Foundations #10 Bonus — Full-Scale Practice Exam (50 Questions with Explanations)
The final post of the GitHub Foundations series. Work through 50 questions distributed across the seven exam domains, with the answer and explanation available on every question. If you score 38 or more (76%), consider yourself ready to book the exam.
GitHub Foundations #9 Domain 7: The GitHub Community + Exam Tips
Open source versus source-available, InnerSource, and community features like Sponsors and Marketplace, followed by question-type strategies, commonly missed patterns, and a test-environment checklist to finish your preparation.