CompTIA

Network+

CompTIA Network+

Associate N10-009 Content Available

The vendor-neutral networking certification that proves your skills across any platform.

Practice Network+ Questions Study Notes Exam Topics
Exam Code
N10-009
Duration
90 minutes
Questions
Maximum 90
Passing Score
720 / 900
Validity
3 years
Exam Cost
~$358 USD
Overview

About Network+

The CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) is the industry's leading vendor-neutral certification for networking professionals. It validates the essential knowledge and skills needed to confidently design, configure, manage, and troubleshoot any wired or wireless network. Unlike vendor-specific certifications, Network+ is recognised across all technologies and platforms — from Cisco and Juniper to cloud networking, Wi-Fi, and virtualised infrastructure. It is accredited by ANSI/ISO and approved by the US Department of Defense (DoD 8140) for Information Assurance Technical roles. The N10-009 version covers five domains: Networking Concepts, Network Infrastructure, Network Operations, Network Security, and Network Troubleshooting. It bridges the gap between CompTIA A+ and the more advanced Security+ or vendor-specific associate exams, making it an ideal foundation for any IT or networking career path.

Prerequisites
CompTIA A+ (recommended but not required) 9–12 months of networking experience recommended
Exam Domains

What you need to know

5 domains, 70 objectives. Click a domain to expand its topics.

🌐
Networking Concepts
OSI model, TCP/IP, port numbers, IP addressing, subnetting, IPv6, routing, wireless, and cloud.
23%
  • Explain the OSI model layers and the function of each layer (L1–L7)
  • Describe the TCP/IP model layers and map them to OSI layers
  • Identify common network protocols and their associated port numbers (SSH 22, DNS 53, HTTP 80, HTTPS 443, SMTP 25, RDP 3389)
  • Describe IP addressing classes (A, B, C) and the purpose of each
  • Calculate subnet masks, network addresses, and broadcast addresses using CIDR notation
  • Apply VLSM to efficiently allocate IP address space
  • Describe private IPv4 address ranges (RFC 1918) and the purpose of NAT
  • Explain IPv6 address format, types (global unicast, link-local, multicast, anycast), and EUI-64
  • Describe IPv6 transition mechanisms (dual stack, 6to4, NAT64)
  • Explain routing concepts (default gateway, routing table, static vs dynamic routing)
  • Describe switching concepts (MAC learning, flooding, VLANs, STP)
  • Identify wireless standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) and their frequency bands, speeds, and range
  • Describe cloud computing models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and deployment types (public, private, hybrid, community)
  • Explain SDN architecture (application, control, infrastructure layers) and its benefits
🏗️
Network Infrastructure
Network devices, cabling standards, topologies, and WAN technologies.
20%
  • Describe the functions of network devices (hub, switch, router, firewall, IDS/IPS, load balancer, proxy, WAF)
  • Explain the differences between Layer 2 switches and Layer 3 switches
  • Describe wireless infrastructure components (AP, WLC, SSID, band, channel)
  • Identify copper cable categories (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A) and their maximum speed and distance
  • Describe fibre optic cable types (SMF, MMF) and common connectors (LC, SC, ST, MPO)
  • Identify coaxial cable types and use cases (RG-6, RG-59)
  • Describe cable installation best practices (cable management, plenum vs riser, patch panels)
  • Explain common network topologies (bus, ring, star, mesh, hybrid)
  • Describe data centre topologies (spine-leaf vs three-tier)
  • Explain WAN technologies (MPLS, Metro Ethernet, DSL, cable broadband, fibre, satellite, cellular/LTE/5G)
  • Describe VPN concepts (site-to-site, remote access, split tunnelling)
  • Identify network appliance form factors (desktop, 1U rack, blade) and port density considerations
  • Describe the purpose of a demarcation point and the role of the CPE vs carrier network
⚙️
Network Operations
Documentation, monitoring, remote access, high availability, and disaster recovery.
17%
  • Create and maintain network documentation (network diagrams, cable maps, rack diagrams, IP address inventory)
  • Describe the purpose of a network baseline and how to establish one
  • Configure and interpret SNMP monitoring (v2c vs v3, OIDs, traps, MIBs)
  • Describe NetFlow and sFlow for traffic analysis and bandwidth monitoring
  • Configure syslog for centralised log collection and severity level filtering
  • Use remote access technologies (SSH, RDP, VNC, Telnet) and their security implications
  • Describe VPN remote access technologies (IPsec, SSL/TLS, OpenVPN)
  • Configure DHCP server scope, reservations, exclusions, and lease time
  • Describe DNS record types (A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, PTR, NS, SOA, TXT) and DNS hierarchy
  • Describe high availability concepts (FHRP, clustering, load balancing, redundant links)
  • Explain the purpose of VRRP, HSRP, and GLBP for first-hop redundancy
  • Describe backup and recovery strategies (full, incremental, differential, snapshots)
  • Describe change management processes and their importance in network operations
  • Configure NTP for time synchronisation and explain stratum levels
🔒
Network Security
Physical and logical security, attack types, authentication protocols, and wireless security.
20%
  • Describe physical security controls (locks, badge access, CCTV, mantrap, cable locks)
  • Explain the purpose of firewalls, ACLs, and stateful packet inspection
  • Describe Network Access Control (NAC) and 802.1X port-based authentication
  • Explain common network attack types (DoS, DDoS, MITM, spoofing, replay, VLAN hopping)
  • Describe ARP poisoning and DNS poisoning attacks and their mitigations
  • Describe common wireless attacks (evil twin, deauthentication, WPS brute force)
  • Configure firewall rules and ACLs using principle of least privilege
  • Describe RADIUS and TACACS+ for centralised AAA and explain their differences
  • Describe LDAP and Kerberos for directory services and authentication
  • Describe wireless security protocols (WEP weaknesses, WPA/WPA2/WPA3 improvements)
  • Explain EAP types (EAP-TLS, PEAP, EAP-TTLS) for enterprise Wi-Fi authentication
  • Configure DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, and IP source guard for Layer 2 security
  • Describe VPN technologies for secure remote access (IPsec, SSL/TLS)
  • Explain the Zero Trust security model and network segmentation with microsegmentation
🔧
Network Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting methodology, connectivity tools, cable testing, wireless issues, and performance.
20%
  • Apply the CompTIA seven-step troubleshooting methodology to network problems
  • Use ping and ping with options to test IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity and measure latency
  • Use traceroute (Windows) / traceroute (Linux/macOS) to identify routing path and failures
  • Use nslookup and dig to query DNS records and troubleshoot name resolution issues
  • Use netstat to display active connections, routing tables, and interface statistics
  • Use arp -a to view and manipulate the ARP cache for Layer 2 troubleshooting
  • Use ipconfig (Windows) and ifconfig / ip address (Linux) to verify interface configuration
  • Use tcpdump and Wireshark for packet capture and protocol analysis
  • Identify cable faults using a cable tester, TDR, and OTDR
  • Troubleshoot duplex and speed mismatch symptoms (late collisions, CRC errors, poor throughput)
  • Troubleshoot VLAN misconfiguration (wrong VLAN, trunk not allowed, native VLAN mismatch)
  • Troubleshoot wireless issues (weak signal, channel interference, wrong SSID, authentication failure)
  • Identify network performance issues (high latency, jitter, packet loss, bandwidth saturation)
  • Troubleshoot routing issues (missing route, wrong next-hop, AD/metric misconfiguration)
  • Use port mirroring (SPAN) to capture traffic for analysis without installing a tap
Resources

Study & Practice

Practice Network+ Questions Official CompTIA Network+ Exam Page CompTIA Exam Objectives (N10-009) Schedule your exam via Pearson VUE CompTIA CertMaster Learn