CERTIFICATION GUIDE

CompTIA

Network+
What is it?

CompTIA Network+ verifies that IT professionals have

the range and depth of foundational networking skills
to develop a career regardless of technology or platform.

Why is it different?
Exam #
• Unlike other vendor-specific networking certifications, CompTIA Network+ prepares candidates
N10-007
to support the network regardless of the platform. It forms the foundation you need before
specializing in a vendor solution.
Release Date
• CompTIA Network+ is the only industry certification that covers both wired and wireless networks.
March 2018

List Price
About the exam
$329
CompTIA’s Network+ validates the knowledge and skills needed to troubleshoot, configure, and
manage wired and wireless networks found in companies around the world. Network+ certifies Languages
a professional-level understanding of emerging technologies including cloud and virtualization English
technologies.
CE Required?
Network+ ensures an IT professional has the knowledge and skills to: Yes

• Design and implement functional networks. Accreditation

• Configure, manage, and maintain essential network devices. Accredited by ANSI to show
• Use devices such as switches and routers to segment network traffic and create resilient networks. compliance with the ISO
• Identify benefits and drawbacks of existing network configurations. 17024 Standard. It is also
• Implement network security, standards, and protocols. approved by the DoD for
• Troubleshoot network problems. Directive 8140/8570.01-M.
• Support the creation of virtualized networks.
What’s in this Version?
CompTIA Network+ N10-007 has been updated and reorganized to address the current networking technologies. The N10-007
version has expanded coverage of several domains by adding:
• Critical security concepts to helping networking professionals work with security practitioners
• Key cloud computing best practices, including virtual switches, hypervisors, and virtual NICs, as well as typical service models
• Coverage of newer hardware and virtualization techniques, including “white box switching” and Network Feature Virtualization (NFV).
• Concepts, such as network virtualization, disaster recovery, and device hardening to give individuals the combination of skills to
keep the network resilient.

How does Network+ Compare to Alternatives?

CCENT CCNA MTA/Networking

Certification Network+
Not job-role based Vendor-specific Fundamentals

Performance-based
Yes Yes Yes No
Questions
1 exam with a
Exam Length maximum of 90 1 exam, 90 min. 1 exam, 90 min. 1 exam, 50 min.
questions, 90 min.

Experience Level Entry Entry Early career Student

Job role based. Covers

Not job role based. Entry Job role based. Not job role based.
networking technologies
Exam Focus level networking for Networking for Cisco Minimal introduction to
across all vendors &
Cisco products & solutions. products & solutions. networking.
solutions.
CompTIA A+ & a
minumum of 9 months
Prerequisites None 1-3 years experience None
networking experience
recommended

CompTIA Certification Pathway

Top Network+ Job Roles
CompTIA certifications align with the skillsets needed to support and manage IT infrastructure.
Enter where appropriate for you. Consider your experience and existing certifications o
r • Network Field Technician
course of study.
INFRASTRUCTURE PATHWAY • Network Administrator

• IS Consultant

• Network Field Engineer

• Computer Technician

• Help Desk Technician

• System Engineer

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS • Network Support

Specialist

• Network Analyst
CYBERSECURITY PATHWAY
Technical Areas Covered in the Certification

Networking Infrastructure Network

Concepts 18 % Operations
23% 17%

• Explain the purposes and uses • Deploy the appropriate cabling • Use appropriate documentation and
of ports and protocols solution diagrams to manage the network

• Explain devices, applications, • Determine the appropriate placement • Compare and contrast business continuity
protocols and services at their of networking devices on a network and disaster recovery concepts
appropriate OSI layers and install/configure them
• Explain common scanning, monitoring
• Explain the concepts and characteris- • Explain the purposes and use cases and patching processes and summarize
tics of routing and switching for advanced networking devices their expected outputs

• Given a scenario, configure the • Explain the purposes of virtualization • Given a scenario, use remote access
appropriate IP addressing and network storage technologies methods
components
• Compare and contrast WAN • Identify policies and best practices
• Compare and contrast the technologies
characteristics of network
topologies, types, and technologies

• Implement the appropriate wireless

technologies and configurations

• Summarize cloud concepts and

their purposes

• Explain the functions of network

services

Network Network
Security Troubleshooting & Tools
20% 22%

• Summarize the purposes of physical • Explain the network troubleshooting

security devices methodology

• Explain authentication and access • Use the appropriate tool

controls
• Troubleshoot common wired
• Secure a basic wireless network connectivity and performance issues

• Summarize common networking • Troubleshoot common wireless

attacks connectivity and performance issues

• Implement network device hardening • Troubleshoot

common network service issues
• Explain common
mitigation techniques and their
purposes
 Organizations that Use Network +
“...firms are
• Apple • Konica Minolta
seeking these
• Best Buy • Motorola
• Blue Cross Blue Shield • Ricoh masters-of-all-
• Canon • Sharp things-network-
• Cisco • Time Warner
ing because
• Dell • United States Department of Defense
• HP • Verizon networks have
• Intel • Xerox become increas-
Research and Statistics
ingly complicat-
ed as technology
Job Growth Salary Snapshot
has grown and
12% job growth expected for Network Average salary for a Network+ certified IT
& Computer Systems Administrators, professionals is about $74,000.1
advanced.”
2012 – 2022, according to the BLS. Why it Pays to
Industry Shortage Be a Network
28% of organizations say they have a Engineer,
shortage of network security specialists. Robert Half
Staffing
“Today’s IT professionals must understand how the fundamentals of
networking integrate into emerging technologies such as cloud, virtual
networking, and software defined networking. The CompTIA Network+
is a globally recognized certification which provides a foundation for IT
In order to lay the
professional looking to validate their networking knowledge and skills.”
foundation for
today’s smart and
Joshua Clough, Technical Solution Manager, IBM
connected manu-
facturing plant, you
Learn with CompTIA
must first build a
reliable, predict-
Official CompTIA Content is the only study material exclusively developed by CompTIA for the
able and secure
CompTIA certification candidate; no other content library covers all exam objectives for all
network.Building a
certifications. CompTIA eBooks and CertMaster Products have been developed with our Official
network with those
CompTIA Content to help you prepare for your CompTIA certification exams with confidence.
dimensions begins
Learners now have everything they need to learn the material and ensure they are prepared for
with foundational
the exam and their career. knowledge and you
gain that founda-
Whether you are just starting to prepare and need comprehensive training with CertMaster tional knowledge by
Learn, need a final review with CertMaster Practice, or need to renew your certification upon leveraging CompTIA
expiration with CertMaster CE, CertMaster’s online training tools have you covered. and the Network+
certification.”

* What is a Performance Certification? Dwight Thomas,

Jr., Sr. Consultant,
CompTIA performance certifications validate the skills associated with a particular job or
Network Security,
responsibility. They include simulations that require the test taker to demonstrate multi-step
Burwood Group
knowledge to complete a task. CompTIA has a higher ratio of these types of questions than any
other IT certifying body.

1 http://www.globalknowledge.com/training/generic.asp?pageid=3640&country=United+States
2 Cybersecurity Skills Shortage: A State of Emergency, ESG

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