CompTIA Network+ (N10-009): What's Actually Tested

CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) is the vendor-neutral networking certification most hiring managers expect from junior network and help-desk staff. The exam costs $369, runs 90 minutes, has up to 90 questions, and requires 720 out of 900 to pass. Most candidates need 6 to 10 weeks of focused study. The questions are a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based simulations, so pure memorization will not carry you. If you already work with networks daily, you can pass in a month. If subnetting still scares you, budget the full 10 weeks and practice it until it is boring.

The 90-second answer

Take N10-009 if you have CompTIA A+ or 6 to 12 months of help-desk or IT support experience, you want to move into networking or systems roles, and you need a credential that is recognized across every vendor and the US Department of Defense (DoD 8140 approved). It is the cleanest bridge between A+ and a Cisco CCNA or a security track.

Skip N10-009 if you have never configured an IP address or touched a switch. You will not fail outright, but you will struggle through subnetting and the performance-based questions. Spend a few weeks on networking fundamentals first, or knock out CompTIA A+ (220-1201/220-1202), then come back.

What does N10-009 actually test?

N10-009 tests five domains. The version launched in June 2024 and replaced N10-008, which retired in December 2024. Every question maps to one of these five areas.

Domain	Weight	What it covers
Networking Concepts	23%	OSI model, ports and protocols, IP addressing, subnetting, network topologies, cloud concepts
Network Implementation	20%	Routing and switching, wireless standards, physical installs, IPv4/IPv6 configuration
Network Operations	19%	Documentation, monitoring, high availability, disaster recovery, organizational policies
Network Security	14%	Physical and logical security, zero trust, common attacks, hardening, remote access
Network Troubleshooting	24%	Methodology, cable and connectivity issues, network service problems, wireless faults

Notice the two biggest domains are Networking Concepts and Network Troubleshooting. Together they are 47% of the exam. The troubleshooting domain is where the performance-based questions (PBQs) usually live, and where most people lose points. A PBQ might drop you into a simulated console and ask you to configure a router, place firewall rules, or trace a connectivity failure through a diagram.

If you have heard people say "Network+ is mostly memorization," they took an older version. N10-009 leans harder on applied scenarios than N10-008 did.

How hard is N10-009?

N10-009 is a difficulty 3 out of 5. Harder than CompTIA A+, easier than Cisco CCNA (200-301), and a fair step up from N10-008. CompTIA does not publish an official pass rate, but community surveys put first-time pass rates around 70% for people who studied at least 6 weeks and actually drilled subnetting.

The hard parts are predictable:

• Subnetting under time pressure. You get up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, which is one minute each. You cannot afford to do long-form binary math on every subnet question.
• Performance-based questions early in the exam. They appear first and eat time. Many people over-invest in the first PBQ and then rush the rest.
• Port and protocol memorization. You are expected to know dozens of port numbers cold (HTTP 80, HTTPS 443, SSH 22, DNS 53, RDP 3389, and more).
• Troubleshooting methodology. CompTIA wants the steps in order, and the "best next step" answer, not just a correct-sounding one.

People who fail N10-009 usually fail on subnetting speed and PBQ time management, not on the concepts. The most common pattern: a candidate studies for 8 weeks, never practices subnetting on a stopwatch, opens the exam, spends 12 minutes on the first PBQ, and is behind pace by question 10. Build a subnetting drill into week 2 and time yourself.

How long should you study for N10-009?

CompTIA recommends CompTIA A+ plus 9 to 12 months of networking experience before this exam. That is the assumed baseline. On top of that, realistic study time looks like:

• With A+ and hands-on network experience: 4 to 6 weeks at 8 to 10 hours per week
• With A+ but little network experience: 8 to 10 weeks at 8 to 10 hours per week
• No A+ and no experience: 12 to 14 weeks, and take A+ first
• Coming from a Cisco CCNA: 2 to 4 weeks, mostly to learn CompTIA's vendor-neutral terminology and troubleshooting model

The single biggest time-saver is mastering subnetting early so it becomes automatic. The single biggest waste of time is re-watching videos instead of doing PBQ-style labs. Build a small home lab (Packet Tracer or GNS3 are free) and configure a router, a switch, VLANs, and DHCP yourself.

A realistic week-by-week pace for an 8-week plan:

1. Week 1: OSI model, ports and protocols, network types and topologies
2. Week 2: IPv4 addressing and subnetting (drill until automatic)
3. Week 3: IPv6, routing concepts, switching, VLANs
4. Week 4: Wireless standards, antennas, frequencies, and wireless security
5. Week 5: Network services (DHCP, DNS, NAT) and cloud networking concepts
6. Week 6: Network operations, monitoring, high availability, documentation
7. Week 7: Network security, zero trust, common attacks, hardening
8. Week 8: Troubleshooting methodology, full PBQ practice, timed practice exams

Do not skip week 2. Subnetting shows up directly and indirectly across the entire exam, and it is the one topic that punishes you for being slow.

What does N10-009 cost?

The exam voucher is $369 USD through the CompTIA Store. Beyond that, your real total depends on your study path:

Component	Range	Notes
Exam voucher	$369	One attempt. A retake is another $369.
Discounted voucher	$339 to $359	Authorized partners (Professor Messer, training resellers) often shave $30 to $40 off
Study course	$0 to $130	Professor Messer's videos are free; Mike Meyers or Dion on Udemy run ~$15 on sale
Practice questions	$0 to $50	NerdExam has 653 N10-009 questions if you want a free option
Lab software	$0	Cisco Packet Tracer and GNS3 are both free
Total realistic spend	$339 to $500	Cheapest viable path: ~$339 (discounted voucher only)

CompTIA sometimes bundles a voucher with a retake and an e-book for a higher flat price, which can be worth it if you are not confident on the first try. Students and veterans should check for academic and military discounts before paying full price.

What salary can you expect?

Network+ is a foundational cert, not a senior one, so treat it as a door-opener rather than a raise generator. 2025 and 2026 US salary data shows:

• Typical range tied to Network+: $58,000 to $91,000 depending on role and location
• Newly certified, entry-level: $50,000 to $70,000 for help-desk and junior network roles
• Junior network administrator: $60,000 to $85,000
• Experienced with Network+ plus other certs: $123,000 and up at the 90th percentile

The cert alone does not deliver the top numbers. Network+ gets you past the resume filter for junior networking jobs and satisfies DoD 8140 requirements for some government and contractor roles. The real salary jumps come when you stack it: Network+ plus Security+ for a security path, or Network+ plus CCNA for a networking path.

A practical move: if you are currently in a help-desk role, use Network+ to argue for an internal transfer into a network or systems team before chasing a raise. The internal move plus the cert is what unlocks the pay band, not the cert by itself.

What study resources actually work?

The people who pass on the first attempt tend to use the same stack:

1. One video course for breadth. Professor Messer's free N10-009 course is the community default and genuinely good. Mike Meyers or Jason Dion on Udemy (around $15 on sale) are solid paid alternatives with more structure.
2. A subnetting drill tool. Practice subnetting on a timer every day until you can do a /26 in your head. This is the highest-leverage habit for this exam.
3. A free home lab. Cisco Packet Tracer or GNS3. Configure VLANs, DHCP, static routes, and basic ACLs yourself so the PBQs feel familiar.
4. A port and protocol cheat sheet you review daily until the common ports are automatic.
5. At least two full timed practice exams in the final week. Score honestly. If you are below 80%, postpone.

Skip the thick all-in-one books unless you like reading; the exam rewards applied practice more than theory. Reddit's r/CompTIA has current, crowd-sourced advice on which resources are working this quarter.

For the practice question portion, NerdExam has 653 enriched N10-009 questions with full explanations. Start practicing N10-009 questions to see the question style and PBQ-style scenarios before you commit to a study plan. The free explanations show you the reasoning CompTIA expects, which is the part videos tend to gloss over.

Who should NOT take N10-009?

The cert is the wrong choice for these candidates:

You are	Take instead
Brand new to IT with no fundamentals	CompTIA A+ (220-1201/220-1202) first
Aiming squarely at a security career	CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701), with Network+ optional
Targeting a Cisco networking career	Cisco CCNA (200-301), which goes deeper on routing and switching
Already a working network engineer	Skip it and go for CCNP or a cloud networking cert
Focused on cloud roles	AWS, Azure, or Google cloud certs after the basics

Network+ is most valuable for people moving from general IT support into networking, or for roles that require a vendor-neutral credential. If your job is committed to Cisco gear, CCNA carries more weight in that ecosystem.

What's next after N10-009?

Once Network+ is done, three common paths open up:

• Security track: CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) is the natural next step and pairs with Network+ to satisfy a lot of cybersecurity job filters and DoD requirements.
• Networking track: Cisco CCNA (200-301) for deeper routing and switching, or CompTIA's own higher networking content if you stay vendor-neutral.
• Cloud track: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or a Microsoft Azure fundamentals cert, then an associate-level cloud cert as you grow.

Most people move from Network+ to Security+ within 3 to 6 months because the two together cover the broadest set of entry IT jobs. Use the time between certs to get real hands-on work, since hiring managers value Network+ most when it sits next to actual networking experience, not as a lone line on a resume.

Ready to start? Practice with real N10-009 questions on NerdExam or jump straight into the free per-question explanations. The official exam objectives are also worth downloading first: CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam page.