thinQmaster Virtual testing partner Adaptive practice exams that find your weak spots and drill them. Every answer explained. From $69
Enroll

thinQmaster

Find your exam

Five questions free, before you decide.

Step 1 · choose a vendor

In one of our camps? Your practice exams come with the tuition — they are on your study page already.

CompTIA · Networking · Associate

CompTIA Network+ exam guide

Exam N10-009

CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) validates vendor-neutral networking skills: designing, implementing, operating, securing and troubleshooting wired and wireless networks, including cloud and virtualized networking. It is the most common stepping stone from help desk into network administration and a prerequisite in many employers' and DoD hiring baselines.

QuestionsUp to 90
Time limit90 minutes
Passing score720 (100-900 scale)
Exam fee$399 USD
Valid for3 years
DeliveryPearson VUE test center or online proctored (OnVUE)

Format: Multiple choice and performance-based.

Who it's for

IT support staff and junior network technicians with about a year of experience who want to move into network administration or prepare for Security+ and CCNA.

What the exam covers

Networking Concepts23%
Network Implementation20%
Network Operations19%
Network Security14%
Network Troubleshooting24%

Eligibility & prerequisites

Required: None

Recommended: CompTIA A+ certification and 9-12 months of hands-on experience as a junior network administrator or network support technician.

Keeping it active

Valid 3 years. Renew through CompTIA Continuing Education: earn 30 CEUs in the 3-year cycle and pay the $150 CE fee, or pass a newer version or a higher-level CompTIA exam that renews it automatically, or complete the matching CertMaster CE course.

Skills & careers

Skills it validates

  • OSI model, IPv4/IPv6 addressing and subnetting
  • Configuring switching, VLANs and routing basics
  • Deploying and securing wireless networks
  • Network monitoring, documentation and high availability
  • Cloud networking concepts and network virtualization
  • Network hardening and common attack mitigation
  • Structured network troubleshooting with CLI tools

Job roles

Network AdministratorNetwork Support TechnicianNOC TechnicianJunior Network EngineerSystems AdministratorTelecommunications Technician

DoD 8140

Recognized in the DoD 8140 qualification matrix for network operations and system administration work roles. Open the DoD Workforce Navigator

Where it fits in your path

Planning a degree too? See how this cert earns college credit in the College Credit Navigator.

Build my study plan

  1. Week 1-2: Networking concepts: OSI model, ports and protocols, subnetting practice daily until you can subnet in under a minute.
  2. Week 3: Network implementation: switching, VLANs, routing protocols at a concept level, wireless standards and cabling.
  3. Week 4: Network operations and security: monitoring, SNMP, syslog, DR concepts, segmentation, attacks and hardening.
  4. Week 5: Troubleshooting (24%): methodology, cable and wireless issues, and command-line tools (ping, traceroute, nslookup, ipconfig, netstat).
  5. Week 6: Timed practice exams with performance-based labs; review weak objectives and schedule the exam.

Make it yours: pick your exam date and weekly hours. We'll split your time by domain weight and give you a printable plan.

Exam-day tips

  • Subnetting appears in several forms; practice until CIDR to mask conversion is automatic.
  • Troubleshooting is the largest domain at 24%; know which tool or step comes next in a scenario.
  • Memorize well-known ports and which protocols use TCP vs UDP.
  • Expect performance-based items such as configuring a wireless setup or matching cables to use cases.
  • N10-009 dropped some legacy topics and added cloud and infrastructure-as-code concepts; use N10-009 materials only.

Key terms for this exam

All 644 terms Study with thinQcards™

Commonly confused on this exam

Frequently asked questions

How much does Network+ cost?

The N10-009 exam voucher is $399 USD at CompTIA's 2026 US retail price.

When does N10-009 retire?

CompTIA has not announced a replacement yet. V9 launched June 20, 2024, and CompTIA exams usually retire about three years after launch, which points to 2027.

Network+ vs CCNA: which should I take?

Network+ is vendor-neutral and broader. CCNA goes deeper on Cisco configuration. Many take Network+ first, then CCNA for hands-on routing and switching roles.

How do I renew Network+?

Earn 30 CEUs within 3 years and pay the $150 CE fee, or pass a higher-level CompTIA exam such as Security+ or CySA+.

Is Network+ hard?

It is moderately difficult. Subnetting, ports and troubleshooting scenarios are where most candidates lose points.

Official page: www.comptia.org. Reviewed November 2026. Vendors change fees and objectives, so confirm with the vendor before you book. Spot something out of date? Tell us.