What is on the N10-009 exam?

Up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, 720 to pass on the 100 to 900 scale. Domains: Networking Concepts (23%), Network Implementation (20%), Network Operations (19%), Network Security (14%), Network Troubleshooting (24%).

Which domain is worth the most?

Troubleshooting at 24% and Networking concepts at 23%. Start there, and keep coming back: the heaviest domains decide most pass and fail results.

How long should I plan for?

Set aside five to eight weeks at about five focused hours a week, then let a full practice sitting decide your exam date. If you already work in IT, the first weeks move faster. Do not book until a fresh sitting, with questions you have not seen, lands above the pass mark.

What score do I need to pass?

You need 720 on the 100 to 900 scale. Keep a margin above that in practice, because exam-day stress costs a few points.

Make subnetting automatic first. It opens addressing, VLAN, and troubleshooting questions downstream.

Do I need hands-on experience?

Helpful, not required. The browser labs let you practise the hands-on tasks without a server or a rack, and each lab grades the end state rather than the exact command you typed.

Are the practice questions the same as the real test?

No. SecLern questions are written originally for this site and mapped to the published objectives. They are never copied from a real exam.

What should I do the week before the exam?

Take one full simulation early in the week and review every miss. Spend the middle of the week on the two domains that scored lowest, then stop adding new material 48 hours out. Confirm your appointment and ID, sleep, and read the goal line twice on every performance task.

Is this page current?

This page is built against Exam Objectives Document Version 6.0 (6.0), verified 2026-10-16. Exam owners change objectives and retirement dates, so confirm the date for your language before you book.

CertificationsNetwork+

CompTIA · N10-009

CompTIA Network+ N10-009

CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) proves you can design, run, and fix real networks: addressing and subnetting, switching and VLANs, routing basics, wireless, and a troubleshooting methodology the exam tests relentlessly. It is the natural step between A+ and Security+.

Help-desk techs moving toward network roles, A+ holders climbing the path, and anyone whose eyes glaze over at CIDR notation (we will fix that).

Study N10-009 free

See labs Check version dates

Version status

CompTIA has not published a date. Three years after launch is an estimate.

Retires: Estimated 2027

Where the marks live

Domain weights from the current N10-009 objectives. Start with the heaviest slice, not the first chapter.

Troubleshooting leads at 24%

24%Troubleshooting

How much study time does N10-009 need?

Pick the closest starting point. The range below is a planning estimate, not a promise or a pass prediction.

50 to 70 hoursat a steady pace

That is up to 14 weeks at 5 hours a week, or 9 weeks at 8 hours. Some IT background, but the exam material is still new.

Estimate only. Based on the exam level and a study-pace assumption. Your background, exam date and practice scores will move it.

A study plan that works

Order matters

Make subnetting automatic first. It opens addressing, VLAN, and troubleshooting questions downstream.
Learn switching (VLANs, trunks, STP) as one story about keeping traffic separated and loop-free.
Drill the troubleshooting methodology in order. The exam rewards process, not hunches.
Read packet captures and logs before exam day. Analysis questions assume you have.

Try one question

Live demo

Demo questionNetworking concepts

A host has the address 172.16.8.200/26. What is the network address?

Written for this page. It is a teaching demo, not an item from the question bank or the real exam.

Try the hands-on shape

About 2 minutes

Try it: change a firewall rule and see the probes change

HTTPS from anywhere
Telnet (block it)
SSH from admins only

HTTPS (port 443): connected
SSH (port 22): connected
Telnet (port 23): refused by the rule
HTTP (port 80): no rule matches, so the default deny drops it

A teaching model of rule order and default deny, not a real firewall.

Demo preview. A teaching model with fixed sample data, not the real lab. Full labs run in the browser with checkable steps.

Practice a performance question

39 performance-based questions are written for CompTIA Network+ N10-009. They ask you to do the task in a simulated console, table or form, and they grade in parts, so a half-right answer still earns credit.

How performance questions are scored

Sample performance questionMatch each task to the control or service

A Linux script refuses to run: Permission denied

A workstation has 169.254.x.x and no internet

A switch port shows no link light

A teaching demo written for this page. It is not a real exam item, and nothing here is saved.

This matching sample is local and ungraded. The full set is included in practice for this exam.

Common traps

Ways smart people lose points on this exam.

Doing subnetting slowly. Speed matters because later questions build on it.
Confusing similar wireless standards and their frequencies. Make one comparison table and keep it.
Skipping cloud and virtualization topics because they feel new. They are on the objectives, so they are on the exam.

Practise N10-009, three ways

Every lab is a job task in the tool that job uses, graded on the end state you leave behind. The PBQ pages explain the performance formats this exam uses and open one real scenario in the browser. The practice test gives you fifteen questions with a reason for every option.

Open the N10-009 labs

Objectives by domain

Every published N10-009 objective, grouped by the domain that carries it. The wording stays with CompTIA.

25 objectives

Networking concepts23% of the exam

1.1OSI model
1.2Network appliances
1.3Cloud concepts
1.4Ports & protocols
1.5Media & connectors
1.6Topologies
1.7IPv4 addressing
1.8Modern networks

Implementation20% of the exam

2.1Routing
2.2Switching & VLANs
2.3Wireless networks
2.4Physical installs

Operations19% of the exam

3.1Processes & docs
3.2Monitoring
3.3Disaster recovery
3.4Network services
3.5Remote management

Network security14% of the exam

4.1Security concepts
4.2Network attacks
4.3Defenses

Troubleshooting24% of the examStart here

5.1Troubleshooting method
5.2Cabling issues
5.3Service issues
5.4Performance issues
5.5Tools & commands

The full entry for each objective (the explainer, key terms, traps and practice questions) lives in the Study Book. One objective per certification is free to read; Pro opens the rest.

Questions about this exam

90 questions in 90 minutes. 720 to pass on the 100 to 900 scale. Domains: Networking concepts (23%), Implementation (20%), Operations (19%), Network security (14%), Troubleshooting (24%).

Study N10-009 with your weak spots in view

Daily sessions that aim at your gaps, hands-on labs, and full simulations under the real clock. Free to start.

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