ISO 42001 Guide
ISO 42001 training and certification for individuals
The three PECB ISO/IEC 42001 courses a person can take: who each one suits, how long it takes, the exam, the credential it leads to and what it costs, with the order to take them in.
What ISO 42001 training is
ISO/IEC 42001:2023 specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an artificial intelligence management system (AIMS) within an organisation. ISO 42001 training teaches that standard to the people who will work with it. PECB runs three courses on it, each ending in a PECB exam:
- ISO 42001 Foundation: the core principles for establishing and managing an AI management system, and the main requirements of ISO/IEC 42001.
- ISO 42001 Lead Implementer: planning, implementing, managing, monitoring, maintaining and continually improving an AI management system.
- ISO 42001 Lead Auditor: planning, conducting and closing ISO/IEC 42001 audits of an AI management system in line with ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO 19011, and managing an audit program.
This page is about the courses. For the standard itself, its clauses and how organisations are certified, see our ISO 42001 guide, and for the Annex A controls one by one, the ISO 42001 controls list.
The three PECB ISO 42001 courses compared
Mindset Cyber sells all three as PECB eLearning: pre-recorded video lessons by PECB Certified Trainers, with quizzes and the official course materials on myPECB. You study at your own pace.
Scroll the table sideways to see every course.
Course lengths are PECB's, given in days. As eLearning, each course is self-paced, and PECB's agenda for each one ends with the exam.
Which ISO 42001 course to take first
Start with the Foundation if you are new to the standard
PECB sets no prerequisites for the 2-day ISO 42001 Foundation. It covers the core principles for establishing and managing an AI management system, and the main requirements of ISO/IEC 42001. It leads to the PECB Certificate Holder in ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation certificate.
Then take the Lead Implementer or the Lead Auditor
Choose by the job you will do: the Lead Implementer for planning, implementing, managing, monitoring, maintaining and continually improving an AI management system, or the Lead Auditor for planning, conducting and closing ISO/IEC 42001 audits of an AI management system in line with ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO 19011, and managing an audit program.
The Foundation is not a prerequisite for either Lead course. PECB asks Lead Implementer candidates for a general knowledge of AI management systems and ISO/IEC 42001, and Lead Auditor candidates for a fundamental understanding of ISO/IEC 42001 and AI principles and concepts. If you already have that knowledge, you can start with a Lead course. The two Lead courses cost the same and include the same things.
For each role in more detail, see our guides to becoming an ISO 42001 Lead Implementer and becoming an ISO 42001 Lead Auditor.
How long ISO 42001 training takes
PECB sets the Foundation as a 2-day course and the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor as 5-day courses. PECB describes its eLearning as neither location-constrained nor time-bound, so there is no timetable: you work through the video lessons at your own pace, on any device. PECB asks you to complete the exam attempts and the certification application within 12 months of purchase.
Sitting the exam online
You schedule the exam from your myPECB dashboard and sit it online in the PECB Exams app, supervised remotely by a PECB invigilator. PECB's exam list and its 2026 candidate handbooks set the format:
- Foundation: 1 hour, 40 multiple-choice questions, closed book.
- Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor: 3 hours, 80 multiple-choice questions, open book. You may use a hard copy of ISO/IEC 42001, the course materials and your own notes from the course.
The pass mark for all three exams is 70%.
What each ISO 42001 course costs
Each price includes the exam. Here are the prices in five currencies:
Scroll the table sideways to see every currency.
Australian prices are shown before GST and UK prices before VAT, with the tax-inclusive amount underneath. Prices are set in each currency and do not change with the exchange rate.
What the course price includes
- ISO 42001 Foundation: the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee and 12 months of access.
- ISO 42001 Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor: the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee, the first year of PECB certification maintenance and 12 months of access.
There is no separate exam fee. A second attempt within 12 months is included if you need it, and PECB asks you to wait 15 days after a first attempt before you retake the exam. The Foundation price has no maintenance year because PECB charges no maintenance fee for the Foundation certificate. Training three or more people? See team training.
Mindset Cyber is a PECB Authorised Titanium Partner, PECB's highest partner level.
The credential each course leads to
Passing the exam lets you apply to PECB for a credential. The Foundation leads to a certificate; each Lead exam leads to a PECB certification at the level your experience supports:
You apply in myPECB within 12 months of purchase, with two professional references, and sign the PECB Code of Ethics. PECB issues the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor credentials under ISO/IEC 17024, the standard for bodies that certify people, and UKAS accredits PECB for both. The requirements for every level, up to Senior Lead, are in our guides to becoming an ISO 42001 Lead Implementer and becoming an ISO 42001 Lead Auditor.
Keeping the credential
PECB certifications are valid for three years. To keep a Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor credential you log 90 CPD hours over each three-year cycle, pay PECB's Annual Maintenance Fee and keep to the PECB Code of Ethics. The first year of the fee is included in the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor course price. The Foundation certificate and the Provisional level need no maintenance.
Certifying a person vs certifying an organisation
"ISO 42001 certification" can mean either of two things, and the courses on this page are about the first:
A person: a PECB credential
A person cannot be certified to ISO/IEC 42001 itself. You earn a credential about the standard, such as PECB's, by passing the PECB exam, usually after the course, and applying for the level your experience supports.
An organisation: a certificate for its AI management system
An independent certification body audits the organisation's AI management system against ISO/IEC 42001 in two stages and issues the certificate. ISO itself does not certify organisations.
Training prepares people to build an AI management system or to audit one; it does not certify the organisation they work for. For what an organisation's certification audit involves and what decides its cost, see ISO 42001 certification cost.
Related guides
- ISO 42001 guide: what the standard covers and how certification works.
- ISO 42001 controls list: the Annex A controls, one by one.
- ISO 42001 certification cost: what the courses cost a person, and what decides an organisation's audit cost.
- How to become an ISO 42001 Lead Implementer: the role, the steps and the exam.
- How to become an ISO 42001 Lead Auditor: the role, the steps and the exam.
- AI governance certification: the PECB AI courses, compared by goal.
- PECB eLearning vs Self-Study: what each PECB format includes.
- PECB course and exam prices: the price of every PECB course we sell.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ISO 42001 training and courses.
What is ISO 42001 training?
ISO 42001 training is a course on ISO/IEC 42001, the international standard that specifies the requirements for an AI management system, ending in an exam that leads to a personal credential. PECB runs three ISO/IEC 42001 courses: the Foundation, on the core principles for establishing and managing an AI management system, and the main requirements of ISO/IEC 42001; the Lead Implementer, on planning, implementing, managing, monitoring, maintaining and continually improving an AI management system; and the Lead Auditor, on planning, conducting and closing ISO/IEC 42001 audits of an AI management system in line with ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO 19011, and managing an audit program. Mindset Cyber sells all three as PECB eLearning with the exam included.
Which ISO 42001 course should I take first?
If you are new to ISO/IEC 42001, start with the Foundation: PECB sets no prerequisites for it. Then take the Lead Implementer if you will build and run an AI management system, or the Lead Auditor if you will audit one. Neither Lead course requires the Foundation. PECB asks Lead Implementer candidates for a general knowledge of AI management systems and ISO/IEC 42001, and Lead Auditor candidates for a fundamental understanding of ISO/IEC 42001 and AI principles and concepts, so if you already have that knowledge you can start with a Lead course.
How long does ISO 42001 training take?
PECB sets the ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation as a 2-day course and the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor as 5-day courses. As PECB eLearning they have no timetable, so you study at your own pace, and PECB asks you to complete the exam attempts and the certification application within 12 months of purchase. The exam takes 1 hour for the Foundation and 3 hours for the Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor.
Is the ISO 42001 exam included?
Yes. Every PECB ISO 42001 course Mindset Cyber sells includes the exam, so there is no separate exam fee. The Foundation price includes the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee and 12 months of access; the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor prices include the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee, the first year of PECB certification maintenance and 12 months of access. A second attempt within 12 months is included if you need it, and PECB asks you to wait 15 days after a first attempt before the retake. The Foundation exam has 40 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, closed book; the Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor exams have 80 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, open book. All three have a 70% pass mark.
Can I do ISO 42001 training online?
Yes. All three PECB ISO 42001 courses are PECB eLearning, which PECB delivers through PECB Certified Trainers in pre-recorded video format, with quizzes and the official course materials on myPECB, and which you can follow from any device and location. The exam is online too: you schedule it from your myPECB dashboard and sit it in the PECB Exams app, supervised remotely by a PECB invigilator.
How much does an ISO 42001 course cost?
The ISO 42001 Foundation is US$195 in the United States, A$279 + GST (A$306.90 including GST) in Australia and £146 + VAT (£175.20 including VAT) in the UK. The Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor is US$485 in the United States, A$699 + GST (A$768.90 including GST) in Australia and £367 + VAT (£440.40 including VAT) in the UK. The Foundation price includes the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee and 12 months of access; each Lead price includes the PECB exam voucher, two exam attempts, the certification fee, the first year of PECB certification maintenance and 12 months of access.
What certificate do you get after ISO 42001 training?
The Foundation leads to the PECB Certificate Holder in ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation certificate, an entry-level credential with no experience requirement. The Lead Implementer and Lead Auditor exams lead to PECB Certified ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer and PECB Certified ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor, or to the level your experience supports, from Provisional (no experience needed) to Senior Lead. PECB issues both Lead credentials under ISO/IEC 17024, the standard for bodies that certify people, and UKAS accredits PECB for them.
Is ISO 42001 training the same as ISO 42001 certification?
No. ISO/IEC 42001 certification is for an organisation's AI management system: an independent certification body audits it in two stages and issues the certificate. Training is for a person: passing the PECB exam leads to a personal credential about the standard, and it does not certify the organisation you work for. Our ISO 42001 certification cost guide explains what an organisation's certification audit involves and what decides its cost.
Sources
Every source was checked on 25 and 26 October 2026.
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation course page
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer course page
- PECB, ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor course page
- PECB, Candidate Handbook ISO/IEC 42001 Foundation, version 1.5 (2026)
- PECB, Candidate Handbook ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer, version 1.5 (2026)
- PECB, Candidate Handbook ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor, version 1.5 (2026)
- PECB, List of PECB Exams
- PECB, Exam Rules and Policies
- PECB help centre, How do I schedule a PECB Online Exam after attending a Training?
- PECB, Training course delivery formats
- PECB, Certification Maintenance Policy
- PECB, CPD Policy, June 2026 (pages 2 and 3)
- PECB, Partnership Level Scheme
- UKAS, Schedule of Accreditation 21923, PECB Group Inc., issue 007 (27 August 2026)
- ISO, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI management systems
- ISO, Certification
- ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 section 9, as quoted in slides by the International Accreditation Service, an accreditation body (PDF)
Ready to choose your ISO 42001 course?
Each course page shows the price in your currency, the exam details and what the course covers. If you have a question about the courses or the exam, get in touch.
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