TL;DR
Default order: Network+ first, then Security+. Security+ assumes you read addresses, ports, and logs fluently, and Network+ is where that fluency comes from. Take Security+ first only when a job or deadline requires it. Both exams run up to 90 questions in 90 minutes with performance questions up front.
Who each exam is for
Network+ is for anyone who configures, supports, or troubleshoots networks, plus every future security hire who wants the foundation solid. Its five domains cover concepts, implementation, operations, security basics, and troubleshooting, with troubleshooting alone worth 24%.
Security+ is for anyone entering security roles or satisfying a security requirement (many postings and contracts name it outright). Its five domains assume the network layer is already understood and build threats, architecture, operations, and governance on top.
The overlap is deliberate. CompTIA designs these as a sequence, and the exams share vocabulary on purpose.
Side by side
- Network+ N10-009. Up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, passing score 720 on the 100 to 900 scale. Domains: concepts 23%, implementation 20%, operations 19%, security 14%, troubleshooting 24%. Launched 2024-06-20.
- Security+ SY0-701. Up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, passing score 750 on the 100 to 900 scale. Domains: concepts 12%, threats 22%, architecture 18%, operations 28%, oversight 20%. Launched 2023-11-07; English retires 2027-06-11.
- Passing bars. Network+ asks 720, Security+ asks 750, on the same scale shape. Treat both as demanding; neither rewards thin topics, and both punish the domains candidates skip for feeling new (cloud, virtualization, governance).
- Shared topics. Addressing, ports and protocols, wireless basics, VPN concepts, and troubleshooting method appear in both with different emphasis. Learn them once in Network+ and they arrive pre-studied for Security+.
- Different centers. Network+ centers packets and connectivity. Security+ centers risk and adversaries. A Network+ question asks why traffic fails; a Security+ question asks whether traffic should be allowed and what happens if it is malicious.
Where they actually differ
Assumed fluency
Security+ questions spend no time teaching networking. A stem will cite an address, a port, and a log line in one breath and expect instant parsing. Candidates who pass Network+ first parse that breath automatically. Candidates who skip it spend Security+ study time learning two exams at once. This is the whole ordering argument in one paragraph.
Methodology against adversarial thinking
Network+ grades process: the troubleshooting methodology in exact order (identify, theory, test, plan, implement, verify, document). Security+ grades adversarial judgment: which threat, which control, which response order. Both reward ordered thinking, and learning the Network+ order first gives Security+ incident response a familiar shape to build on.
Security content in Network+
Network+ includes 14% network security, which tempts some candidates to call it enough. It is not Security+. It covers secure protocols, device hardening basics, and common attacks at the network layer. Security+ takes that seed and grows threats, architecture, operations, and governance around it. Think of the 14% as a preview, not a substitute.
The shared-topics dividend in detail
These topics appear in both exams, and learning them once pays twice. IP addressing and subnetting: Network+ teaches the math, Security+ spends it on log lines and firewall rules without reteaching. Ports and protocols: Network+ teaches the jobs and directions, Security+ tests which to allow or block under threat. Wireless: Network+ teaches standards and setup, Security+ tests enterprise attacks and hardening. VPNs: Network+ teaches tunnels, Security+ tests when each type fits a risk picture. Troubleshooting method: Network+ drills the seven steps, Security+ incident response echoes the shape. Study each topic the Network+ way (models and method) and the Security+ questions on the same topic feel like applications rather than new material. Keep one shared notebook across both exams so the dividend compounds instead of scattering across two sets of notes.
When the default order breaks
Three cases override Network+ first. A signed offer contingent on Security+ by a date: take the money path and backfill networking after. A degree program that already taught networks properly (check with a subnetting self-test, not nostalgia): skip ahead with confidence. A Security+ voucher expiring soon with Network+ unstarted: sitting Security+ now beats funding both later. In each case the fix is the same: front-load two weeks of networking (subnetting, ports, methodology) before opening threats material, and be honest that the schedule carries extra load. Exceptions work when they are named and scheduled, not when they are wished into being easy.
A combined 16-week calendar for the patient
Weeks 1 to 6: Network+ core (subnetting to automaticity, VLANs and wireless, routing and services, methodology in order, full simulations, sit the exam). Weeks 7 to 8: rest plus shared-topic harvest (ports sheet polished, one comparison table carried forward, light Security+ vocabulary reading). Weeks 9 to 14: Security+ core (threats block, architecture plus operations, governance, labs weekly). Weeks 15 to 16: Security+ simulations and booking. Total daily load stays near an hour; the rest weeks protect against burnout that kills more double-cert plans than difficulty does. Candidates who compress this into ten weeks usually pass the first exam tired and fail the second; the calendar above passes both by refusing to hurry. Print the calendar and cross off weeks visibly; visible progress protects motivation better than any app streak when the second exam approaches and novelty fades. Tell one person your exam dates; a witnessed deadline survives the weeks when private deadlines quietly dissolve. Celebrate the first pass properly before opening the second book; rested candidates retain the dividend, and exhausted ones spend it.
Hiring order
Postings name Security+ far more often, which creates pressure to take it first. Pressure is not pedagogy. If a deadline forces Security+ first, honor the deadline but budget extra weeks for networking catch-up (subnetting, ports, log reading). If no deadline forces it, the slower order passes faster: Network+ fluency shortens Security+ study by more than Network+ cost to earn.
Which order for your case
Employed or studying with no hard deadline: Network+ then Security+, using the Network+ plan followed by the Security+ plan. The shared topics make the second exam materially shorter.
Job posting or contract requires Security+ by a date: Security+ first, with a networking front-load. Spend the first two weeks on subnetting, ports, and the troubleshooting order before touching threats. Tell yourself the truth about the extra load and schedule it.
Already hold one: take the other next before the shared knowledge decays. Holders of either report the second exam taking roughly half the fresh study time when taken within six months.
How to study the pair efficiently
Keep one ports sheet and one subnet routine across both exams instead of rebuilding them. Maintain a single comparison table (OSI layers, wireless standards, cable types, routing protocols) that survives from Network+ into Security+. Simulate each exam in its own skin under the PBQ strategy, and let readiness tracking decide booking dates rather than calendars. The subnetting mastery guide covers the one skill that serves both exams most.
Sources
- CompTIA Network+ exam page (owner)
- CompTIA Security+ exam page (owner)
- Exam facts re-verified against published exam records 2026-10-18; pricing omitted (check owner pages for current fees).
Editorial: this guide was written by the SecLern study team and checked against the owner pages on 2026-10-18. Only owner-published format facts are stated.