Run SOC 2 Type I and Type II engagements under the AICPA Trust Services Criteria. Published Self-Study enrolment starts from $849 + GST and includes the official exam access stated on this page. Training is delivered online. Available formats and booking arrangements are listed on this course page.
Available Australia-wide, in New Zealand and across Asia Pacific — and, because self-study and eLearning are delivered online through the myPECB platform, from anywhere in the world. Academy training is online only. Where a course offers live online teaching, dates and booking arrangements are confirmed before booking. Base prices are published in AUD, and every course page supports available local currencies including NZD. An Australian billing address adds 10% GST; a non-Australian billing address has no Australian GST.
The PECB Lead SOC 2 Manager Self-Study course costs A$849 excluding GST (A$933.90 including 10% GST for an Australian billing address) through Aegentra Academy, an official PECB authorised training partner in Australia. That price includes the official PECB examination voucher, the full course materials, 12 months of myPECB access, and one free exam resit within 12 months. Typical total learning effort is 30–40 hours. A separate eLearning option is not currently published. For non-Australian billing addresses, Australian GST is not charged and any applicable local taxes are determined at checkout.
Academy training is online only. Check the available formats and booking arrangements on this page. Any published live online option is arranged by enquiry; Self-Study is available without waiting for a cohort.
Brochures describe the published course material and may retain an earlier examination or credential version. Check the current PECB examination record and confirm your assigned edition before enrolment.
Download course brochurePDFThis course publishes 12 months of material access. Course-material access, examination and retake deadlines, and any certificate-application deadline are separate. Confirm the material-access start date in your booking confirmation and check the deadlines recorded in myPECB before scheduling your examination. PECB’s partner-course policy sets a 12-month examination and included-retake cycle from purchase for Self-Study and eLearning, or from course completion for instructor-led training. A failed attempt does not restart that cycle. The first retake requires at least 15 days after the unsuccessful examination; booking rules and the recorded myPECB deadline also apply.
Australian totals above include 10% GST. For non-Australian billing addresses, Australian GST is not charged; any applicable local taxes are determined at checkout.
Ask Aegentra Academy about the online formats currently available for this course and their booking arrangements. An enquiry does not confirm live-class availability.
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Official PECB training is included. Start with free Aegentra Labs practice, add full exam preparation only if you want it.
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Aegentra Labs is independently authored supplementary exam preparation. It is not official PECB course content and does not guarantee an examination result.
The current PECB course and candidate handbook use Lead SOC 2 Manager. Lead SOC 2 Analyst is retained as the former course name so existing links remain useful. Ask PECB about any conversion or upgrade of a previously awarded Analyst credential; this course does not promise an automatic conversion or exemption from examination.
Buying a SOC 2 course and engaging a SOC 2 consulting firm solve two different problems. The PECB Lead SOC 2 Manager course is an individual professional certification — you take it to build and prove your own expertise in preparing a service organisation for a SOC 2 audit, and to add a recognised credential to your CV and tender responses. Corporate readiness is a separate, organisation-level engagement where a firm gets your company audit-ready. If you are a compliance analyst, GRC practitioner, auditor, or consultant looking to certify your own skills and advance your career, this is the course you want: $849 + GST, 100% online and self-paced, with the official PECB exam voucher and two exam attempts included — enrol and sit the remotely-proctored exam from anywhere in Australia or worldwide.
SOC 2 is built on the AICPA Trust Services Criteria (TSC). The course teaches you to scope, design, and evidence controls against all five, and to prepare a service organisation for both Type I and Type II reports.
Security is always in scope; the other four are selected based on the commitments a service organisation makes to its customers. You will also learn the difference between a Type I report (control design at a single point in time) and a Type II report (operating effectiveness over a period, typically three to twelve months), and how to build a readiness program for each.
The exam is 80 multiple-choice questions over 3 hours, open book, with a 70% pass mark. Each question has three options and one correct answer, and the paper mixes stand-alone questions with scenario-based sets. Of the 80 questions, 45 test comprehension, application and analysis and 35 test evaluation. Check these examination details against the current PECB Lead SOC 2 Manager candidate handbook.
| Competency domain | Questions | % of exam |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fundamental principles and concepts of the SOC 2 Framework | 11 | 13.75% |
| 2. SOC 2 criteria | 12 | 15% |
| 3. Planning of SOC 2 requirements implementation | 25 | 31.25% |
| 4. Implementation of SOC 2 requirements | 22 | 27.5% |
| 5. Monitoring of security measures and preparing for the SOC 2 audit | 10 | 12.5% |
| Total | 80 | 100% |
Planning and implementation together are 47 of the 80 questions — nearly 60% of the paper. That is where study time pays, and it is the part candidates most often under-prepare because it rewards applied judgement rather than recall.
Passing the exam makes you eligible to apply. PECB assesses professional and project experience before awarding the appropriate Manager tier.
| Tier | Professional experience | Project activity |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional Manager | No threshold | No threshold |
| Manager | 2 years, including 1 in information security | 200 hours |
| Lead Manager | 5 years, including 2 in information security | 300 hours |
| Senior Lead Manager | 10 years, including 7 in information security | 1,000 hours |
Each tier requires the PECB Code of Ethics. Provisional credentials are maintenance-exempt. Check the current maintenance requirements for other tiers and PECB’s assessment requirements before requesting an upgrade.
| What you get | Included |
|---|---|
| Self-paced online course access (myPECB) | Yes — 12 months |
| Course material | 450+ pages |
| Official PECB exam voucher | Yes — in the price, no separate exam fee |
| Exam attempts | Two — the initial sit plus one free retake within 12 months |
| CPD credits | 31 |
| Accreditation | Accreditation is program- and scope-specific; verify the applicable credential before enrolment |
| Credential subject to approved application | PECB Certified Lead SOC 2 Manager |
| Delivery options | Online & self-paced; online learning available across Australia |
| Price | $849 + GST |
The official PECB course and exam package starts at A$849 + GST — with no separate exam fee after enrolment. Optional Aegentra Labs exam preparation is clearly priced separately.
The exam voucher is included in your enrolment, and so is one free resit if you don’t pass first time. Both the exam and the credential are issued directly by PECB.
After passing, apply to PECB for the eligible SOC 2 Manager tier. The current course page lists Provisional Manager (no experience), Manager (two years of work, including one in information security, and 200 project hours), Lead Manager (five years, including two in information security, and 300 hours), and Senior Lead Manager (ten years, including seven in information security, and 1,000 hours). PECB validates the application and requires its Code of Ethics. Provisional credentials are maintenance-exempt; other tiers follow the applicable CPD and fee policy.
An exam pass is the first step. You must submit PECB's certification application and required declarations and references. PECB decides whether the requirements for the requested credential tier are met.
Official training + independent exam preparation
Aegentra Academy provides the official PECB course, learning materials and examination pathway. Aegentra Labs is the separate practice workspace for a sourced exam guide, independently authored practice questions, timed exam mode, answer review and domain-level results for this exact qualification.
Aegentra Labs is independently authored supplementary practice. It is not official PECB course content, it does not reproduce live examination questions and it does not guarantee an examination result.
/ Before you enrol
These answers use this course's current catalogue record and PECB's published exam, certification, and maintenance policies.
The published price is A$849 for Self-Study, before tax. It includes the official PECB course materials, the first exam attempt, one free retake, and the certification application fee. This course publishes 12 months of material access. Course-material access, examination and retake deadlines, and any certificate-application deadline are separate. Confirm the material-access start date in your booking confirmation and check the deadlines recorded in myPECB before scheduling your examination. PECB’s partner-course policy sets a 12-month examination and included-retake cycle from purchase for Self-Study and eLearning, or from course completion for instructor-led training. A failed attempt does not restart that cycle. The first retake requires at least 15 days after the unsuccessful examination; booking rules and the recorded myPECB deadline also apply. PECB’s partner-course policy also includes the first year of the Annual Maintenance Fee where maintenance applies; Foundation and Provisional credentials are maintenance-exempt. There is no separate first-exam or certification-application charge after enrolment.
PECB’s maintenance policy exempts Foundation, Provisional and Transition credentials. Other credentials have tier-specific CPD requirements and maintenance fees. Confirm the applicable amount and currency directly with PECB before renewal; its public fee table uses an unqualified dollar symbol, which must not be read as an Australian-dollar quote. Course-completion CPD credits and ongoing credential maintenance are separate requirements.
Yes. Every Academy course supports AUD and multiple local currencies, including NZD, USD, SGD, GBP, EUR, INR, AED, MYR, PHP, IDR, and VND when a live quote is available. Currency and tax are separate: an Australian billing address adds 10% GST, while a non-Australian billing address has no Australian GST. For example, an Australian working in New Zealand may pay in NZD and use an Australian billing address, but 10% GST will still be added because the billing address is Australian.
The currently published self-paced option is Self-Study at A$849 before tax, using the official PECB slide-based materials. A separate recorded eLearning price is not currently published for this course. The official exam package is still included. Check this course page for any separately published private live online option; an enquiry does not confirm availability.
Yes. PECB publishes remote online exam sessions that candidates can take from home or another suitable location through the PECB Exams application. The published course record lists these exam facts: duration — 3 hours; format — Open book. Multiple choice, three options per question, mixing stand-alone and scenario-based sets; assessment — 80 questions across 5 competency domains — planning and implementation are 47 of the 80; pass mark — 70%; language — English (other PECB languages available on request). New Zealand candidates should choose a published session that suits their local time, meet PECB’s identity and technical requirements, and complete the system check before exam day. PECB’s general exam policy does not publish a New Zealand restriction.
After passing, apply to PECB for the eligible SOC 2 Manager tier. The current course page lists Provisional Manager (no experience), Manager (two years of work, including one in information security, and 200 project hours), Lead Manager (five years, including two in information security, and 300 hours), and Senior Lead Manager (ten years, including seven in information security, and 1,000 hours). PECB validates the application and requires its Code of Ethics. Provisional credentials are maintenance-exempt; other tiers follow the applicable CPD and fee policy. Passing the exam does not by itself award a credential or guarantee the highest experience-based tier. PECB requires an online certification application and reference contact details, and its Certification Department decides whether the education, professional experience, and field-related project activity requirements are met.
PECB’s public certification-process page does not publish a closed list of documents that automatically proves project hours. It requires the online application and contact details for references who may be contacted to validate your experience. Keep a dated activity log showing the organisation or client, your role, the field-related project activity, dates, responsibilities, and hours; retain employer or client confirmations, statements of work, timesheets, or similar records in case PECB asks for support. The PECB Certification Department assesses the application and makes the final decision.
6 modules, fully on-demand. Click any module to see the topics inside.
The credential may support progression into risk, governance, implementation, audit and consulting roles. Actual eligibility, remuneration and engagement requirements depend on experience, sector, location and employer or client requirements.
SOC 2 Compliance Manager, Compliance and Audit Manager, GRC Manager (SOC 2 scope), Senior Security Engineer (compliance), vCISO, SOC 2 Programme Lead — all of these roles in the Australian SaaS market either require Lead SOC 2 Manager or treat it as a strong signal. Australian SaaS companies pursuing US enterprise customers, fintech and payments companies with US partner pressure, and MSPs hosting US workloads all weight the credential positively.
For Australian SaaS targeting both Australian and US markets, holding both ISO 27001 Lead Implementer and Lead SOC 2 Manager is the cleanest pairing. The control overlap is 60-80%, and a practitioner who holds both can architect a single control environment that satisfies both audit programmes. This is the standard credential pairing for Heads of Compliance and vCISOs at growth-stage Australian SaaS.
The credential may support progression into risk, governance, implementation, audit and consulting roles. Actual eligibility, remuneration and engagement requirements depend on experience, sector, location and employer or client requirements.
For Australian SaaS companies landing US enterprise customers, SOC 2 Type II is requested in some US enterprise procurement processes; requirements vary by buyer. Lead SOC 2 Manager is the credential held by the practitioner running the readiness programme — typically as Head of Compliance, Head of Security, Director of GRC, or vCISO.
Australian fintech companies with US partnerships or US-dollar flows face SOC 2 expectations from card networks, US banks, and US enterprise customers. The Processing Integrity TSC becomes particularly relevant for transaction-completeness claims. Lead SOC 2 Manager is the credential for the practitioner designing and operating the integrated SOC 2 programme.
Australian MSPs hosting workloads for US-based customers inherit SOC 2 expectations through customer contracts. The SOC 2 report decisions — Carve-Out vs Inclusive method for subservice organisations — directly affect what the customer can deliver to their own auditors. Lead SOC 2 Manager is the credential for the MSP staff designing and operating the SOC 2 programme.
Australian digital-health vendors and data-handling specialists targeting US healthcare customers face SOC 2 as the entry credential, often combined with HITRUST or HIPAA-aligned scoping decisions. Lead SOC 2 Manager is the credential for the practitioner navigating those scoping decisions and running the readiness programme.
Plan your study around these checkpoints.
Free learning resources
Use Aegentra’s existing templates, checklists, registers and mappings alongside your course. No account or email is required.
Free companion reading for anyone studying SOC 2 readiness and the AICPA Trust Services Criteria — the US-facing counterpart to ISO 27001:
Compare the family
The SOC 2 family page compares current levels, prices, delivery, audiences and exam facts before you choose a pathway.
Compare SOC 2 pathwaysSource and review status
Price, delivery and course content are generated from Aegentra’s authoritative catalogue record. The official PECB course page and exam policy are linked directly below. Source-link checks and substantive human review are tracked separately so one is never presented as the other.
Official PECB sources
Editorial accountability
Harry Sidhu owns publication of this record. A separate course-specific substantive reviewer has not yet been recorded.
Substantive review status
Official source links are checked separately. A course-specific substantive review date will be published when completed.
Official PECB training through an authorised partner. PECB is accredited by IAS and UKAS as a personnel certification body under ISO/IEC 17024 and by ANAB as a certificate issuer under ANSI/ASTM E2659-24. Accreditation is program- and scope-specific—verify the applicable credential before enrolment.
Official PECB training and credential pathway. Check PECB’s current accreditation information and the applicable program scope before enrolment.
This official PECB course is sold and supported by Aegentra Academy. PECB supplies the course material, examination and professional credential scheme. Aegentra's wider practice also runs SOC 2 readiness engagements and Microsoft 365 hardening for Australian organisations. Named eLearning trainers are credited separately on this page when the course record supplies them.
Published Self-Study and eLearning courses run online through the myPECB platform, so professionals across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and New Zealand enrol online. Any live online option and its booking arrangements are stated on the relevant course page. Physical classroom and onsite Academy training are not offered. Multi-seat team pricing is available for five or more seats — email Academy@aegentra.com.au for an enterprise quote. Tax invoices with GST and ABN are issued automatically at checkout.
They solve different problems. This course credentials an individual to run SOC 2 work from the inside, at $849 + GST. If the immediate need is a SOC 2 report for a customer or a security questionnaire, the faster route is a company-level readiness engagement: scoping the Trust Services Criteria, designing and evidencing the controls, writing the system description, and running the observation window before the CPA firm starts. Many organisations do both — engage readiness support for the first report, and train the internal owner to sustain it. Aegentra runs SOC 2 readiness as a service at aegentra.com.au/services/govern/soc-2
Six modules covering the AICPA Trust Services Criteria, scoping decisions (Security mandatory plus optional Availability / Confidentiality / Processing Integrity / Privacy), system description writing, control design and evidence collection, the Type I vs Type II distinction, readiness assessment, and managing the relationship with the external CPA auditor. Total effort is 30-40 hours of self-paced study.
No. SOC 2 reports can only be issued by licensed CPA firms (or equivalent qualified accounting bodies in other jurisdictions). The PECB Lead SOC 2 Manager credential certifies you as a practitioner — to plan, design, implement, and prepare for SOC 2 engagements as a service organisation, or to consult to one. The independent CPA auditor performs the audit and issues the report.
Not required, but helpful. The two frameworks share 60-80% of their underlying control concepts. If you hold ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, much of the SOC 2 material (control design, evidence collection, internal audit prep) will feel familiar — the differences are in the audit format and the Trust Services Criteria structure. Doing SOC 2 cold is feasible.
SOC 2 is an AICPA attestation framework — a CPA firm issues an opinion on whether your service organisation met the Trust Services Criteria during the audit period. ISO 27001 is an international management system standard certified by an accredited certification body. SOC 2 is dominant in the US; ISO 27001 is dominant in Australia and Europe. Many Australian SaaS companies maintain both.
Eighty multiple-choice questions over three hours, open book, with a 70% pass mark. Each question has three options and the paper mixes stand-alone questions with scenario-based sets. The five competency domains are weighted unevenly — planning (25 questions) and implementation (22) are 47 of the 80 between them, so that is where preparation pays. Figures are from the PECB Candidate Handbook version 1.5. The credential is awarded on attestation of professional experience.
Every authorised PECB Lead SOC 2 Manager course leads to the same credential — the certificate is identical wherever you buy it. The differences are price, format, and who supports you. Aegentra delivers Lead SOC 2 Manager at $849 + GST with the exam voucher and two exam attempts included. The Australian-context worked examples are informed by active SOC 2 readiness practice.
Yes — it explicitly covers integrated patterns. Most Australian SaaS companies serving both Australian and US markets run a single control environment that satisfies both audit programmes. The course includes worked evidence-mapping examples showing how a single set of controls produces evidence for both audits.
PECB awards 31 CPD credits on completion of the Lead SOC 2 Manager course. These count toward CPD requirements at ISACA, (ISC)², AISA, and other professional bodies on submission, and toward maintenance of other PECB credentials.
Yes. Either complete checkout yourself and forward the Stripe tax invoice for reimbursement, or write to Academy@aegentra.com.au and we will issue an invoice direct to your organisation with payment terms. For group enrolments, request a written quote confirming the current price, payment terms and inclusions before purchase.
Self-Study — Typical total learning effort: 30–40 hours. A separate eLearning option and workload are not currently published for this course. These are typical total-learning-effort estimates. They are separate from course-material access, exam duration, any live-class calendar span, and professional-experience requirements.
After payment, the Academy team confirms your enrolment with PECB and you receive login details by email — usually within one business day.
This course publishes 12 months of material access. Course-material access, examination and retake deadlines, and any certificate-application deadline are separate. Confirm the material-access start date in your booking confirmation and check the deadlines recorded in myPECB before scheduling your examination.
One PECB-issued resit is included under the applicable conditions. PECB’s partner-course policy sets a 12-month examination and included-retake cycle from purchase for Self-Study and eLearning, or from course completion for instructor-led training. A failed attempt does not restart that cycle. The first retake requires at least 15 days after the unsuccessful examination; booking rules and the recorded myPECB deadline also apply. Aegentra does not publish a pass-rate claim without an audited cohort dataset.
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