CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) Practice Exam
Cover all five Network+ objective areas — networking concepts, implementation, operations, security, and the troubleshooting that carries the most weight — with objective-mapped practice questions, instant feedback in Learn mode, and a full timed simulation in Exam mode. Start with a 24-hour free trial.
Start 24-hour free trial →CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) exam at a glance
- Vendor
- CompTIA
- Exam code
- N10-009
- Certification
- CompTIA Network+
- Level
- Early-career networking / infrastructure
- Blueprint
- Exam version V9, launched June 20, 2024 (current edition)
- Format
- Maximum of 90 questions; multiple-choice and performance-based
- Duration
- 90 minutes
- Passing score
- 720 on a scale of 100–900
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE test center or online proctored
- Recommended experience
- CompTIA A+ plus 9–12 months in a junior network role (recommended, not required)
- Languages
- English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish
- Estimated retirement
- About three years after launch (estimated 2027)
Source: CompTIA — Network+ certification (exam details & V9 objectives). Verify current details with CompTIA before scheduling.
About the CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) certification
CompTIA Network+ is the vendor-neutral credential for the people who keep networks running. Where A+ proves you can support a workstation, Network+ proves you understand the infrastructure those workstations depend on — addressing and protocols, switching and routing, wireless, cloud connectivity, monitoring, and the security hardening that protects it all. It is the standard early step for anyone moving from general IT support into a dedicated networking role.
The current exam is version V9 (series code N10-009), launched in June 2024. It delivers up to 90 questions — a mix of multiple-choice and hands-on performance-based items — across five objective areas, and the weighting makes the exam’s intent clear: Network troubleshooting (24%) is the single heaviest area, just ahead of Networking concepts (23%). This is a diagnose-and-fix exam, not a vocabulary test. Every PowerKram practice question maps to one of the five areas, so a weak score points you at the exact objective to revisit. For context on the certification-versus-degree decision many networking candidates weigh, see our guide to choosing certifications over a college degree.
Network+ (N10-009) exam objectives and weights
CompTIA splits the V9 exam across five objective areas. The weights below are CompTIA’s own and sum to 100% — plan your study time roughly in proportion to them.
The troubleshooting methodology; cabling and physical-interface issues; switching, routing, and addressing faults; performance issues such as congestion, latency, packet loss, and wireless interference; and the tools to diagnose them.
The OSI model, networking appliances, cloud concepts, ports and protocols, traffic types, transmission media and connectors, topologies, and IPv4 addressing including subnetting.
Routing technologies (static, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, NAT/PAT), switching (VLANs, spanning tree, MTU), wireless device configuration, and physical installation considerations.
Documentation and diagrams, life-cycle and change management, configuration management, network monitoring, disaster recovery (RPO/RTO), network services (DHCP, DNS, NTP), and secure access.
Logical and physical security, PKI and IAM, segmentation, common attack types (DDoS, ARP/DNS poisoning, evil twin, on-path), and defenses such as NAC, ACLs, and screened subnets.
Who the Network+ exam is for
Network+ is built for people moving into a dedicated networking role: junior network administrators, network support and operations technicians, and help-desk staff ready to specialize. CompTIA recommends A+ plus about 9–12 months of hands-on network experience, though both are guidelines rather than hard requirements. If you have not yet built that foundation, our A+ Core 1 practice exam is the usual first stop before Network+.
If you are mapping out where a networking credential like this can take you, the Network Engineer role guide in our career hub lays out the day-to-day work, the salary range, and the certifications that build on Network+.
What this Network+ practice exam delivers
Score by objective area
Every question is tagged to one of the five V9 areas, so your report shows whether Troubleshooting or Networking concepts — the two heaviest — is dragging your score, not just an overall percentage.
Learn mode
Immediate feedback after each question with a full explanation of why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong — built for the diagnose-and-fix reasoning Network+ tests.
Exam mode
A timed, 90-question-style simulation that mirrors the 90-minute format and its mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, so test day feels familiar.
No setup, no download
Runs in the browser with nothing to install. Your 24-hour trial unlocks the full bank and both modes — no credit card required.
Sample Network+ practice questions
Ten free questions spanning the five objective areas, each with a full explanation. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
Users on a wired LAN report intermittent connectivity and slow speeds. Which tool should a technician use first to identify cable faults?
- A cable tester
- A network tap
- A port scanner
- A rack-mount kit
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — a cable tester. A cable tester verifies continuity, wiring order, and shorts/opens, quickly confirming whether a physical cable fault is causing the intermittent drops — the right first step for a suspected cabling problem.
Why not the others: a network tap (B) copies traffic for analysis but does not test the cable; a port scanner (C) enumerates open services on hosts; a rack-mount kit (D) is hardware for mounting equipment and is unrelated to diagnosis.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Troubleshooting tools →A technician must secure a small-office wireless network. Which protocol provides the strongest security?
- WPA3
- WEP
- WPA
- An open network
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — WPA3. WPA3 is the current Wi-Fi security standard, adding stronger encryption and protection against offline password-guessing compared with its predecessors.
Why not the others: WEP (B) is long broken and trivially cracked; WPA (C) is deprecated and vulnerable; an open network (D) applies no encryption at all.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Wireless devices → Further reading: PowerKram — security practices guide →A user cannot reach an internal web application but can browse external websites normally. What is the most likely cause?
- Incorrect DNS resolution for the internal domain
- An ISP outage
- Wi-Fi interference
- An outdated browser
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — incorrect internal DNS. When external sites resolve but an internal app does not, name resolution for the internal domain is the prime suspect — a wrong DNS server, a missing record, or a stale cache.
Why not the others: an ISP outage (B) or Wi-Fi interference (C) would break external browsing too, which is working; an outdated browser (D) would affect all sites, not just the internal one.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Network services issues (DNS) →A network administrator must link two campus buildings with high bandwidth and immunity to electromagnetic interference over distance. Which medium is best?
- Fiber-optic cable
- Cat 5e cable
- A 2.4 GHz wireless bridge
- Coaxial cable
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — fiber-optic cable. Fiber carries high bandwidth over long distances and, because it transmits light rather than electricity, is immune to electromagnetic interference — ideal for a building-to-building backbone.
Why not the others: Cat 5e (B) is limited to about 100 m and is susceptible to EMI; a 2.4 GHz bridge (C) sits in a crowded, interference-prone band; coax (D) is bandwidth- and distance-limited for this use.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Transmission media → Further reading: PowerKram — platform administration guide →A technician wants to watch network traffic in real time and identify which hosts are consuming the most bandwidth. Which tool is most appropriate?
- A protocol analyzer (packet sniffer)
- A tone generator
- A punch-down tool
- A cable crimper
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — a protocol analyzer. A packet sniffer (such as Wireshark) captures and breaks down live traffic, letting you see conversations and pinpoint bandwidth-heavy hosts — exactly the monitoring task described.
Why not the others: a tone generator (B) traces cables, a punch-down tool (C) terminates wires at a patch panel, and a crimper (D) attaches connectors — all installation tools, none of which analyze traffic.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Network monitoring →A company needs to provide secure remote access for employees working from home. Which solution is most secure?
- A VPN with multifactor authentication
- Port forwarding on the firewall
- Telnet access
- Unsecured remote desktop
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — a VPN with MFA. The VPN encrypts the connection across the internet, and multifactor authentication ensures a stolen password alone cannot grant access — defense in depth for remote workers.
Why not the others: port forwarding (B) exposes an internal service directly to the internet; Telnet (C) is unencrypted; unsecured RDP (D) is a well-known target for brute-force and ransomware entry.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Secure access → Further reading: PowerKram — security practices guide →A user cannot connect to the network after their workstation was moved to a new cubicle. What is the most likely cause?
- The new switch port is on the wrong VLAN
- A firewall misconfiguration
- An ISP outage
- A faulty rack-mount kit
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — wrong VLAN on the new switch port. Moving to a different jack means a different switch port, which may be assigned to a VLAN the user has no access on — the classic “worked at the old desk” symptom.
Why not the others: a firewall issue (B) or ISP outage (C) would affect many users, not just the one who moved; a rack-mount kit (D) plays no role in port connectivity.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Switching issues (VLAN) →A technician needs to reduce broadcast traffic on a large corporate network by separating it into multiple broadcast domains. Which device should be used?
- A router (or a Layer 3 switch)
- A hub
- A repeater
- A patch panel
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — a router (or Layer 3 switch). Routers do not forward broadcast traffic between their interfaces, so each routed segment is its own broadcast domain. Routing (or VLANs on a Layer 3 switch) is how you contain broadcast traffic on a large network.
Why not the others: a hub (B) repeats every frame to all ports, increasing broadcast traffic; a repeater (C) simply regenerates the signal on one segment; a patch panel (D) is a passive termination point with no traffic logic.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Networking appliances → Further reading: PowerKram — platform administration guide →A network team must keep server-room switches running during a power outage. What should be installed?
- An uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
- A rack-mounted cooling fan
- A PoE injector
- A network tap
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — a UPS. An uninterruptible power supply provides battery-backed power that bridges short outages and allows a graceful shutdown during longer ones — the standard way to keep critical gear available.
Why not the others: a cooling fan (B) manages heat, not power; a PoE injector (C) supplies power to a device over Ethernet but is itself dependent on mains power; a network tap (D) copies traffic for monitoring.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Physical installations (power) →A company wants to limit which devices can join its Wi-Fi, while recognizing the control is not foolproof. Which feature restricts access by hardware address?
- MAC address filtering
- SSID broadcast
- Port mirroring
- 802.1p QoS marking
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A — MAC address filtering. MAC filtering permits only listed hardware addresses onto the network. It is a basic control (MACs can be spoofed, so it is layered with stronger measures), but among these options it is the one that restricts access by device.
Why not the others: SSID broadcast (B) only controls whether the network name is visible; port mirroring (C) copies traffic for analysis; 802.1p QoS (D) prioritizes traffic and does nothing for access control.
Source: CompTIA Network+ objectives — Security features (NAC) →Keep going: study guides and career paths
Network+ proves you can run the infrastructure — it pays off fastest when you pair it with the next skill and a clear sense of where it leads. Two PowerKram hubs back this exam up.
Deep dive: Network+ exam structure, scoring, study path & what comes next
Exam structure and how it’s scored
The V9 Network+ exam (N10-009) delivers a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, combining multiple-choice items with performance-based questions that put you in a simulated configuration or troubleshooting task. Scoring is scaled from 100 to 900, and the passing mark is 720. The performance-based items are time-consuming and tend to appear early, so flagging and skipping them, clearing the multiple-choice questions, then returning is a common pacing tactic. See our networking cert study guides →
Where the weight actually sits
Troubleshooting (24%) and Networking concepts (23%) are the two heaviest areas and together approach half the exam, with Implementation (20%) and Operations (19%) close behind and Security (14%) the smallest slice. The exam rewards diagnostic reasoning — many questions hand you a symptom and ask for the most likely cause or the best next step. PowerKram’s objective-level scoring surfaces which of the five areas is dragging your readiness in your first practice run. Read the security practices guide →
Realistic study path
Network+ assumes some grounding — CompTIA recommends A+ first — and most candidates need six to ten weeks: work the five objective areas, drill objective-tagged practice questions, and re-weight each week toward your weakest area, usually troubleshooting or subnetting. Hands-on practice matters: configuring VLANs, reading a routing table, subnetting on paper, and using a packet analyzer build the intuition the performance-based questions assume. A full timed simulation in the final days converts knowledge into exam pace. Read the platform administration guide →
Recommended experience, cost, and delivery
CompTIA recommends A+ certification plus roughly 9–12 months in a junior network administrator or support role, but neither is a hard gate — many candidates pass while building that experience. The exam is delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or online with a proctor; the online option needs a quiet, private room and a webcam system check. It is offered in English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Fees and retake policies vary by region and change over time, so confirm the current voucher price and retake rules on CompTIA’s site before you book. CompTIA’s official Network+ page →
What comes after Network+
Network+ is the vendor-neutral foundation for an infrastructure career. From here, many candidates move toward Security+ to round out the security side, or into vendor-specific networking tracks for deeper routing and switching. Both build directly on the fundamentals Network+ establishes, which is why employers treat it as proof you can be trusted with real infrastructure. For role-by-role context on where networking paths lead, browse our Career Hub. IT Administrator role guide →
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