How Hard Is Network+ (N10-009)? Scope and Learner Data

CompTIA Network+ (N10-009) is moderately hard if you already know basic IT and steep if you are starting from zero. You get up to 90 questions in 90 minutes and need 720 on a 100-900 scale, which is a scaled score, not a percentage. Troubleshooting and networking concepts carry 47% of the exam.

People usually weigh N10-009 against A+ and Security+. CompTIA sets each passing score for its own exam, so the table can’t rank them by those numbers.

Is Network+ hard for beginners?

Yes, if you are a true beginner. CompTIA sets no prerequisites for its exams ^[4]. For Network+ it recommends A+ plus 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience as a junior network administrator or network support technician ^[1].

If you have never run a network, four parts of the N10-009 objectives will probably be new ^[5]:

• The OSI model (objective 1.1): seven layers and what happens at each. One approach the troubleshooting method (5.1) lists is working through the layers top to bottom or bottom to top.
• Ports and protocols (1.4): a table of protocols and port numbers to memorize.
• IPv4 addressing (1.7): a “Given a scenario” objective that includes subnetting with CIDR and VLSM. Work problems by hand, then check them with a subnet calculator.
• The troubleshooting method (5.1): seven steps, from identifying the problem to documenting what you found.

Can you skip A+? Yes, nothing stops you booking Network+ first. The A+ vs Network+ guide helps you choose. To see the full scope, skim the N10-009 exam objectives and the Network+ acronym list.

What makes Network+ hard?

Where the work sits, more than how much there is. N10-009 is the narrowest exam here by objective count, but its largest domain asks you to work problems.

The table counts each official objectives PDF. “Given a scenario” is CompTIA’s wording for an objective where you apply a skill to a situation.

N10-009 has the fewest objectives here, and 10 of its 25 are scenario tasks. Each A+ exam is broader and more scenario-heavy. Security+ has 28 objectives but only 7 scenario tasks.

Network+’s largest domain is mostly scenario tasks. In troubleshooting, 4 of the 5 objectives are scenario tasks. At 24%, troubleshooting is the largest domain ^[1]. Add networking concepts at 23%, and those two domains carry 47% of the exam. The concepts domain includes subnetting (1.7), itself a scenario task.

The format adds to it. N10-009 mixes multiple-choice and performance-based questions ^[1]. CompTIA lists Network+ among its exams with simulation PBQs, where you solve a problem in a simulated setting instead of picking an answer ^[12].

Learner data: first-try misses by topic

SecuSpark is a gamified practice-exam and flashcard app for CompTIA and Anthropic Claude certification prep. Disclosure: SecuSpark is my product. The figures below come from its Network+ learners.

Learners got 68.7% of Network+ questions right on first sight. Each learner’s misses in a topic were compared with that learner’s misses everywhere else, so weaker learners can’t make a topic look hard. A topic is named only when the 95% interval around that gap excludes zero ^[8].

Of the 6 topics measured, 4 cleared that bar. Each row compares a topic with the same learners’ average.

OSI model, switching and cabling questions tripped learners up most. With 6 topics tested, one could clear the bar by chance, and cabling only just does. Treat the list as a starting point, then follow your own misses.

Is Network+ harder than A+?

CompTIA places it one step after A+, so it assumes more background, but each A+ exam covers more ground. For A+, CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist role ^[2]. For Network+, it recommends A+ plus 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience as a junior network administrator or network support technician ^[1].

By objective count, Core 1 and Core 2 are each broader and more scenario-heavy than N10-009 ^{[5] [6]}. A+ also makes you pass both. Network+ concentrates its load in subnetting and troubleshooting. If you hold A+, parts of N10-009 will look familiar, since Core 1 has a networking domain worth 23% ^[2].

Don’t read the passing scores as a ranking. A+ needs 675 on Core 1 and 700 on Core 2, and Network+ needs 720. All three sit on CompTIA’s 100-900 scale ^{[1] [6]} and are set by statistical analysis ^[9], so they can’t be compared as percentages. For which to take first, see the A+ vs Network+ guide.

Is Network+ harder than Security+?

No, by CompTIA’s own positioning: Security+ sits one step above it. Security+ recommends Network+ plus two years in a security or systems administrator role ^[3]. Earning Security+ also renews Network+ and A+ if you hold them ^[10].

The two are hard in different ways. Network+ has more scenario objectives: 10 of 25, against 7 of 28 for Security+ ^{[5] [7]}. The other 21 Security+ objectives ask you to explain, compare or summarize. If you already work with networks, expect the security material to be the new part. If you come from security, expect subnetting and troubleshooting to take the most time.

The Security+ difficulty guide answers this from the Security+ side, and Security+ vs Network+ covers which to take first.

How is Network+ scored, and what percent pass?

You need 720 on a 100-900 scale, and CompTIA doesn’t publish a pass rate. The scaled score isn’t the share of questions you got right ^[9], and CompTIA’s policy is not to disclose pass rates ^[11]. The Network+ passing score guide explains the score report.

How long does it take to get ready for Network+?

It depends on how much networking you already know. If subnetting, the OSI model and the troubleshooting method are new to you, give them the most time, because they sit in the two heaviest domains. The Network+ study guide has timelines by starting point and a week-by-week plan.

How do you know you're ready for Network+?

You are closer when you score well on questions you have never seen. Scores on questions you have already practiced run high, and SecuSpark’s data shows by how much.

These figures use the same won battles, March 18, 2026 to September 25, 2026. When a learner met a Network+ question a second time, practice accuracy went from 67.8% to 91.2% ^[8]. That covers 1,756 learner-question pairs from 55 learners. Per learner, across the 39 with at least 5 pairs, the average gain was 24.3 percentage points (95% interval ±4.2). The median gap between sightings was 16 minutes.

Missed questions tell the same story. When a learner missed one and met it again with no flashcard older than 10 minutes, they got 88.5% right (253 pairs). The median gap there was 5 minutes, so recall of an answer just shown likely explains much of it.

Where other study options win

SecuSpark’s Network+ practice is multiple choice. It has no hands-on labs, no performance-based simulations and no video lessons. Those gaps matter on a troubleshooting-heavy exam. These tools fill them:

• Professor Messer’s N10-009 course: 87 free videos for learning the material (checked October 9, 2026) ^[13].
• Cisco Packet Tracer, for configuring switches, routers and VLANs yourself. You get it through a free Cisco Networking Academy account and short course (checked September 26, 2026) ^[14].
• CompTIA CertMaster Labs, CompTIA’s paid virtual labs for Network+ ^[1].
• The free official objectives PDF, as your checklist of what is in scope ^[5].

SecuSpark’s Network+ bank holds 1,069 third-party-sourced N10-009 practice questions across 46 practice exams. They aren’t CompTIA’s questions, and SecuSpark didn’t write them. The free Network+ practice test includes 3 of those exams, about 23 questions each. That is enough for a first-sight baseline, not an exam-length run.

How this was made: AI-assisted drafting and fact-checking from CompTIA’s exam pages, help articles and objectives PDFs, read on October 9, 2026 and re-checked on October 10, 2026. The scope counts come from scripts/seo/objectives-scope.py. The learner figures come from a read-only query of SecuSpark’s database (scripts/seo/learner-stats-network-plus.sql), with an AI-assisted answer-key check of the most-missed questions.

Updated October 11, 2026: first published.

SecuSpark is not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA or Cisco. CompTIA, A+, Network+ and Security+ are trademarks of CompTIA, Inc. Cisco and Packet Tracer are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc.

References

1. CompTIA. “Network+ (V9) exam details, N10-009.” comptia.org. Maximum of 90 questions, multiple-choice and performance-based; 90 minutes; passing score 720 on a scale of 100-900; recommended experience; domain weights; CertMaster Labs. Accessed October 9, 2026.
2. CompTIA. “A+ Core 1 (V15)” and “A+ Core 2 (V15).” Core 1 and Core 2 exam details. Maximum of 90 questions and 90 minutes per exam; passing scores 675 and 700; recommended experience; domain weights. Accessed October 9, 2026.
3. CompTIA. “Security+ (V7) exam details, SY0-701.” comptia.org. Maximum of 90 questions; 90 minutes; passing score 750 on a scale of 100-900; recommended experience. Accessed October 9, 2026.
4. CompTIA Help Center. “Are There Any Prerequisites or Age Requirements to Take a CompTIA Exam?” help.comptia.org. No educational, training or certification prerequisites for any CompTIA exam. Accessed October 9, 2026.
5. CompTIA. “CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives,” version 4.0. PDF on CompTIA’s asset server. Objectives 1.1, 1.4, 1.7 and 5.1; objective and scenario counts. Accessed October 9, 2026.
6. CompTIA. “CompTIA A+ 220-1201” and “220-1202 V15 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives,” version 4.0. Core 1 PDF and Core 2 PDF, linked from CompTIA’s A+ pages. Objective and scenario counts; passing scores on a scale of 100-900. Accessed October 9, 2026.
7. CompTIA. “CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Exam: Exam Objectives,” version 6.0. PDF on CompTIA’s content server. Objective and scenario counts. Accessed October 9, 2026.
8. SecuSpark learner data. Read-only query scripts/seo/learner-stats-network-plus.sql against SecuSpark’s production database, data through September 25, 2026; results in lib/seo/learner-stats-network-plus.snapshot.json, answer-key check in scripts/seo/learner-stats-network-plus.key-audit.json. No question text is published.
9. CompTIA Help Center. “How Are CompTIA Exams Scored?” help.comptia.org. Scaled scores; passing scores set through statistical analysis; the number of questions needed to pass is not disclosed. Accessed October 9, 2026.
10. CompTIA. “Earn a Higher-Level CompTIA Certification.” comptia.org. Security+ fully renews Network+ and A+. Accessed October 9, 2026.
11. CompTIA. “Exam Development.” comptia.org. CompTIA’s policy is not to disclose pass rates to any external third party. Accessed October 9, 2026.
12. CompTIA Help Center. “What Are Performance-Based Questions (PBQs)?” help.comptia.org. Network+ is among the exams with simulation PBQs. Accessed October 9, 2026.
13. Professor Messer. “Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-009 Network+ Course.” professormesser.com. Free; 87 videos. Accessed October 9, 2026.
14. Cisco Networking Academy. “Getting Started with Cisco Packet Tracer.” netacad.com. Free course; enrolling gives access to the Packet Tracer download. Accessed September 26, 2026.