CompTIA Network+ N10-009 is a 90-minute exam with up to 90 questions, a passing score of 720 on a scale of 100 to 900, and five domains led by network troubleshooting at 24 percent. Six weeks is a workable plan if you can study 8 to 10 hours a week: two weeks on concepts and subnetting, two on implementation and operations, one on security, and one on troubleshooting and practice exams.
This guide is for people moving from help desk or A+ into networking, and for anyone choosing a first networking certification. By the end you will know how the exam is structured, what each domain contains, which free resources and labs cover it, and how to schedule six weeks. Details come from CompTIA's Network+ page and Professor Messer's free course outline, read on October 29, 2026. Confirm current details on CompTIA's site before booking.
Exam facts
| Item | N10-009 |
|---|---|
| Questions | Maximum of 90, multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Time | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 720 (scale of 100 to 900) |
| Launch | June 20, 2024 |
| Retirement | Usually three years after launch; estimated 2027 |
| Languages | English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Recommended experience | A+ plus 9 to 12 months as a junior network administrator or network support technician |
The recommended experience is guidance only. The page does not list voucher prices, so check CompTIA's store. Because retirement is estimated for 2027, plan to finish well before then, and if you start close to a retirement announcement, confirm which version your voucher covers.
Domains and weights
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Networking concepts | 23% |
| Network implementation | 20% |
| Network operations | 19% |
| Network security | 14% |
| Network troubleshooting | 24% |
Professor Messer's free N10-009 course, organized by the same domains, lists these topics.
Networking concepts
The OSI model, network appliances and functions, cloud models (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), ports and protocols, communication types (unicast, multicast, anycast, broadcast), transmission media including Ethernet standards, fiber and copper cabling, topologies, IPv4 addressing and subnetting, and modern environments such as SDN, VXLAN, zero trust, infrastructure as code and IPv6 addressing.
This domain is the foundation, and subnetting is its hardest topic. Practice converting between binary and decimal, calculating network and broadcast addresses, and sizing subnets until it is routine.
Network implementation
Static and dynamic routing, NAT and PAT, switching including VLANs, trunking, interface configuration and Spanning Tree Protocol, wireless technologies and encryption, and physical installations covering power and environmental factors.
Network operations
Documentation, life cycle and configuration management, monitoring with SNMP and logs, disaster recovery and redundancy, IP services (DHCP, SLAAC, DNS and its record types, time protocols), and network access with VPNs and remote access.
Network security
Security concepts, authentication, security technologies, regulatory compliance and segmentation; attack types such as denial of service, VLAN hopping, MAC flooding, ARP and DNS poisoning, rogue services, social engineering and malware; and device security features and rules.
Network troubleshooting
The troubleshooting methodology, physical issues (cables, interfaces, hardware), network services issues (switching, routing and IP), performance issues including wireless, and tools: software tools, command-line tools, hardware tools and basic device commands.
Troubleshooting carries the largest weight at 24 percent, and it draws on everything else. Learn the method, then practice mapping symptoms to layers.
Free resources
- CompTIA's exam objectives. The master list of what can be tested. Download it from the certification page and treat it as your checklist.
- Professor Messer's N10-009 course. The page lists 87 videos (about 12 hours 55 minutes), all free to watch online. The 70-page course notes are sold separately.
- Cisco Packet Tracer. A network simulator that Cisco offers free through its Networking Academy. You sign in with a Networking Academy account to download it. The sign-up path and available courses change, so follow the instructions on netacad.com rather than a third-party download site.
- Your own network. A home router, a laptop and a phone are a small lab. Look at the router's DHCP leases, DNS settings and Wi-Fi security mode.
Hands-on labs
These labs map to the exam topics and cost nothing beyond the simulator.
- Subnetting drill. Take a /24 and split it into four /26 subnets by hand. Write each network address, usable range and broadcast address, then check with a subnet calculator.
- Two-switch VLAN lab in Packet Tracer. Create two VLANs, assign ports, configure a trunk between the switches and test that hosts in different VLANs cannot reach each other without routing.
- Inter-VLAN routing. Add a router and sub-interfaces (router-on-a-stick) so the VLANs can communicate, then verify with ping.
- DHCP and DNS. Configure a DHCP pool on a router in the simulator and verify that clients receive an address, mask, gateway and DNS server.
- Command-line tools. On a real computer, run the following and read the output.
ipconfig /all
ping 8.8.8.8
tracert www.contoso.com
nslookup www.contoso.com
arp -a
netstat -an- Wireless review. Log in to your router and note the security mode, channel and band. Read the related article on Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7 routers for how the standards differ.
For a larger picture of how small networks are segmented, see VLAN setup for a small office guest Wi-Fi.
Six-week study plan
| Week | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Concepts: OSI, ports and protocols, media, topologies | Flash cards for ports and protocols; draw the OSI layers |
| 2 | Concepts: IPv4 and IPv6, subnetting | Ten subnetting problems a day until each takes under two minutes |
| 3 | Implementation: routing, switching, wireless | Packet Tracer VLAN and routing labs |
| 4 | Operations: monitoring, DHCP, DNS, VPNs, disaster recovery | DHCP lab; read DNS record types and match each to a use |
| 5 | Security | Match each attack type to its defense; review authentication and segmentation |
| 6 | Troubleshooting and practice exams | Take two or three full-length practice exams; review every miss, then book |
The two-minute subnetting target is a personal pace goal, not an exam requirement. Adjust the plan if you already work with networks daily.
Exam strategy
- Know the troubleshooting method. Questions often ask for the next step. Identify the problem, establish a theory, test it, plan and implement, verify, document.
- Read the whole scenario. Performance-based questions may include distractors, such as devices that are not part of the problem.
- Match tool to task. Know what
ping,tracert,nslookup,arpandnetstateach tell you and what a hardware tool such as a cable tester is for. - Memorize common ports. Remember the standard port for each common protocol, and which are encrypted alternatives.
Common mistakes
- Skipping subnetting practice because it feels abstract.
- Studying only with videos and never touching a simulator.
- Using materials for the previous version (N10-008). Check that your sources say N10-009.
- Ignoring security because it has the lowest weight; it still accounts for 14 percent, and attack types are easy points if prepared.
Checklist
- Download the current N10-009 objectives and mark each one as you cover it.
- Work through the free video course alongside labs.
- Set up Packet Tracer through your Networking Academy account.
- Practice subnetting until it is routine.
- Take full practice exams and review every miss.
- Check the voucher price, testing rules and the confirmed retirement date before booking.
Comments
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