Network+ Certification

Free Network+ study guides
Free Network+ practice exams and questions

The Network+ Certification from CompTIA is a vendor-neutral certification that is aimed at network technicians with roughly one to two years experience. The Network+ certification is an entry-level certification that tests a candidate’s ability to understand the functions and features of networking components, as well as their ability to carry out essential network installation, maintenance and troubleshooting duties.




The Network+ certification is a good complement to its sister certification, the A+ (also from CompTIA), and in itself offers a good platform to progress further onto more advanced networking certifications (such as those offered by Cisco or Microsoft). Reportedly over 180,000 individuals have gained the Network+ certification since its inception in 1999.

To gain the Network+ certification you need to pass just one exam (designated N10-003) which consists of 85 predominantly multiple-choice questions and 90 minutes with which to complete them. While this may sound daunting, it pays to remember that some questions will take longer than others, and many questions you’ll be able to answer in no time at all.

The Network+ certification targets 4 main areas and each are afforded different levels of importance throughout the exam:

· Media and Topologies (20%)
· Protocols and Standards (20%)
· Network Implementation (25%)
· Network Support (35%)

The most heavily weighted section in the CompTIA Network+ certification exam is Network Support, and it's the most likely section to throw those people off who haven’t had much experience in a networking position. Other than that, the Network+ is an entry-level networking certification and shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for those candidates who have sufficient work experience or have studied adequately.

The full list of exam objectives can be found at the official CompTIA website, here. Before you start your Network+ studying regime, or buy any study-related material, always make sure to get the latest exam objectives. It’s also a good idea to check back on the CompTIA site closer to the time of your exams to make sure nothing has changed.

During the exam you may be presented with ‘unscored questions’. These are questions that may or may not correspond to the official list of exam objectives and, regardless of whether you correctly answer them or not, they will not affect your score. CompTIA includes these questions as a way of testing future exam content and relevance. You will be advised prior to starting the exam as to whether you can expect such questions in the exam proper.

During the exam, you’ll have the opportunity to mark each question as you go (as well as being able to navigate forward and backward), so if you are unsure about any of the answers just mark the question and move on. You’ll be able to go back to the question at the end of the exam and in the meantime perhaps something in one of the following questions will jog your memory. At the end of the last question in the exam you’ll be presented with a list of the questions that you’ve marked or missed answering, and you have the opportunity to go back and deal with those questions. For that reason, don’t be too put off by the timer on the exam screen. By answering the questions that you know the answer to first, and marking the ones that you are unsure of, you can then go back and take your time over the ones you marked knowing that you already have a certain percentage of the exam ‘banked’. To pass the Network+ certification you need a passing score of at least 554 from a scaled scoring system of 100-900.

Once you finish your exam your score is calculated and you’ll be given a pass or fail mark immediately. If you fail your first attempt at the Network+ certification you can try again immediately (upon payment of the exam fee), but if you fail for a second time then you are required to wait at least 30 days before you are eligible to try again.

The Network+ certification is a lifetime award, meaning there is no specific requirement to upgrade the certification once you have obtained it. However CompTIA regularly update the Network+ exam objectives to accurately reflect current technologies and best practices so candidates can, if they choose, update to the latest Network+ version (again, there is no requirement to do so however). Updates to the Network+ certification have occurred in both 2002 and 2005.

Despite the fact the Network+ exam is entry-level, and while the Network+ certification is not a prerequisite for any of the more advanced networking certifications, candidates could do worse than to take the Network+ first to gauge whether they are ready for the step up to the higher certification tracks. Indeed, for those wishing to progress on to the Microsoft MCSA certification, then Network+ certification acts as a partial credit toward the MCSA (the candidate also needs the A+ certification).

The exams can be taken at any Pearson VUE or Thompson Prometric testing center. It’s always a good idea to make contact with your nearest center well ahead of time to get acquainted with their location and testing requirements. Make sure also that you pay for your exams with the use of vouchers - you'll save money no matter if you or your employer pays for the exams and you'll also get free training material thrown in. If you're not sure what exam vouchers are then read up on our section on Network+ exam vouchers. If you do know what they are and are looking for a reliable place to get them from, then try here.

Remember that the Network+ certification exam is an entry-level networking exam. While the subject matter might be broad in scope, it’s generally not very deep. This means that anyone with a good understanding the basics of networking principals (i.e. the various acronyms, subnetting basics, protocols, topologies etc.,) shouldn’t have too much to fear with this exam.  Make sure that your studying resources are up-to-date and in line with the official Network+ exam objectives from CompTIA’s website, and that you try as many Network+ practice questions as you can before the actual exam. You can start with our list of free Network+ practice questions and study guides below.

Other Network+ certification resources:
Free Network+ study guides
Free Network+ practice exams and questions