Practical SOC Analyst Associate
TCM Security's entry-level SOC analyst certification — the blue-team companion to PJPT. Covers Tier 1 and Tier 2 incident response across phishing analysis, network traffic analysis, security monitoring, endpoint security, threat intelligence, SIEM, and digital forensics. Realistic SOC scenarios requiring multi-system investigation; no CTF flags or multiple-choice. Free retake included.
What you'll prove
- Investigate Tier 1 and Tier 2 SOC alerts using multi-source telemetry
- Perform phishing analysis including email header and attachment investigation
- Analyze network traffic and packet captures to reconstruct adversary activity
- Conduct endpoint security investigations across Windows and Linux hosts
- Apply SIEM queries to identify and correlate suspicious activity
- Document incident findings and recommended actions in a professional report
Frequently asked
How much does PSAA cost?
$249 USD with 30+ hours of training access, hands-on labs, one exam attempt, and one free retake. 20% discount for students, educators, military, and first responders.
PSAA vs BTL1 vs SAL1 — which entry-level SOC cert?
All three are practical hands-on entry-level SOC certs with similar scope. PSAA ($249) is the cheapest and bundles training. BTL1 ($490) has the strongest practitioner community recognition. SAL1 ($349) emphasizes a SOC-simulator format. PSAA is the best price-to-value option for cost-conscious candidates; BTL1 has the strongest portfolio signal.