Network+ in 2026: Who Needs It and How to Pass N10-009

Last updated September 2026

Network+ is the certification that fixes fuzzy networking. If subnet masks, VLANs and DNS still feel like magic words, security work will keep tripping you up, because almost every attack and every defense runs over a network. Network+ isn’t a security cert. It’s the floor that the security certs stand on.

The current exam is N10-009 (Network+ V9). It launched June 20, 2024, and CompTIA estimates it will retire in 2027. CompTIA hasn’t posted a successor launch date on its Network+ page, so if you’re studying now, study N10-009.

Should you take Network+ at all?

Take it if one of these sounds like you:

• You work help desk or desktop support and want to move toward network or systems administration.
• You’re a junior admin or NOC technician and want a vendor-neutral credential on your résumé.
• You’re changing careers into security and can’t yet explain what happens between typing a URL and seeing the page.
• You plan to take PenTest+ later. CompTIA lists Network+ and Security+ (or equivalent knowledge) as recommended experience for it.

Skip it if you already configure switches, firewalls or cloud networks every week. Go straight to Security+. And if you want to be a network engineer rather than a security person, the Cisco CCNA goes deeper and carries more weight in that job market.

CompTIA recommends A+ plus 9 to 12 months in a junior network administrator or network support role. That’s advice, not a gate. CompTIA maps Network+ to the NICE and DoD 8140 work roles of technical support specialist, network operations specialist and system administrator (CompTIA).

N10-009 at a glance

Sources: CompTIA’s Network+ page and Network+ overview, CompTIA’s continuing education pages on CEUs and fees, and the June 2026 price change as published by authorized CompTIA partner Total Seminars. Prices change, so confirm at checkout.

Where the points are

Troubleshooting is the biggest domain at 24%, and it’s where the performance-based questions live. Those questions punish people who memorized port numbers but never ran traceroute on a broken network. Domain list and weights: CompTIA Network+ exam details.

Why people fail Network+

• Slow subnetting. You get up to 90 questions in 90 minutes. If every addressing question turns into a page of scratch work, you run out of clock.
• Memorizing instead of troubleshooting. Knowing DNS’s port number won’t help when a performance-based question shows you a client that resolves some names and not others.
• Skipping the cloud bullets. Domain 1 includes VPCs, network functions virtualization and security groups. Candidates who learned networking only from on-premises gear lose easy points here.
• Booking the exam when the book ends. Finishing a course isn’t the same as being ready. Book when your timed practice scores stop swinging.

From Donald: Everyone in cyber needs to know basic networking. You need to be able to talk the talk with the network team.

A 10-week plan for people new to subnetting

Plan on six to eight hours a week. If you already work in IT, compress weeks 1 to 4. If subnetting is brand new, don’t compress anything.

• Weeks 1 to 2: the map. Read the official objectives end to end. Learn the OSI layers well enough to place any protocol or device on them. Start ten minutes of subnetting practice every day and keep it up until exam day.
• Weeks 3 to 4: addressing and switching. IPv4 and IPv6 basics, CIDR, VLANs, trunking and spanning tree. Build a small virtual lab (Packet Tracer, GNS3 or a couple of VMs) and break it on purpose.
• Weeks 5 to 6: routing, wireless and cloud. Static vs dynamic routing, NAT, wireless standards and security, and how VPCs and security groups map to what you already know.
• Week 7: operations and security. Monitoring, documentation, DR terms (RPO, RTO, MTTR, MTBF), plus the attacks and defenses in domain 4. This is where Network+ starts to overlap with Security+.
• Week 8: troubleshooting. Walk the troubleshooting methodology on real problems. Use ping, traceroute, nslookup or dig, ipconfig or ip, and a packet capture in Wireshark until you can explain what each output tells you.
• Weeks 9 to 10: timed practice. Take full practice exams, review every miss by objective, and drill performance-based questions. Book the exam when your scores are stable, not when you finish a book.

What it costs

• Exam voucher: $399 US retail after CompTIA’s June 1, 2026 price increase (up from $390), per authorized partner Total Seminars. One voucher covers one attempt.
• Discounts: Authorized partners resell vouchers below retail, and CompTIA offers student pricing to U.S. students with a valid student ID and .edu email.
• Training: Optional. CompTIA’s own CertMaster products range from practice-only to full courses with labs; plenty of people pass with a book, a video course, a lab and one good practice bank.
• Renewal: $150 in CE fees over the three-year cycle if you renew by uploading CEUs. You can pay it all at once or spread it out, as long as it’s paid before your expiration date.

What hiring managers use Network+ for

Mostly as a filter. For support, NOC and junior admin jobs, Network+ tells a hiring manager you can talk about addressing, routing and troubleshooting without hand-holding. For security jobs, it’s rarely the deciding credential, but interviewers notice fast when a candidate can’t explain a VLAN or read a packet capture.

BLS doesn’t track pay by certification. It does publish pay for the jobs Network+ targets:

• Network and computer systems administrators: median pay of $99,130 in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $62,640 and the top 10% more than $155,050. BLS projects employment to decline 4% from 2025 to 2035, but still expects about 13,400 openings a year from replacement demand (BLS).
• Computer network support specialists: median pay of $76,220 in May 2025 (BLS).
• Information security analysts, where many Network+ holders head next: median pay of $129,180 in May 2025, with 21% projected growth from 2025 to 2035 (BLS).

Your résumé, your location and any clearance will move your pay more than this one cert will. Treat Network+ as the credential that gets you into the room.

Network+ or something else?

• A+ vs Network+: A+ covers hardware, operating systems and end-user support. Network+ is the next step, and CompTIA recommends A+ before it.
• Network+ vs Security+: Security+ is the baseline security cert. Network+ teaches how networks work; Security+ teaches how to defend them. If you already work with networks every day, you can often go straight to Security+. If you don’t, Network+ first makes Security+ much easier.
• Network+ vs PenTest+ and CEH: Both are offensive-security certs, and both assume networking knowledge. CompTIA recommends Network+ and Security+ (or equivalent) before PenTest+, and EC-Council’s CEH course says it won’t teach you what a port is.
• Where it leads: Many people go Network+ → Security+ → CySA+ for SOC work, or → PenTest+ for offensive work, and consider CISSP much later, once they have the experience it requires. If you want to go deeper into networking itself, Cisco CCNA is the vendor-specific next step.

Not sure what comes after Network+? Our certification roadmap lays out the order by career goal.

Changing careers entirely? Read How to Transition to a Cybersecurity Career at Any Age alongside this guide, and see Best Cybersecurity Certifications in 2026 for the wider list.

Subnets don’t change. The attacks on networks do. Edge devices, VPN appliances and routers show up in security news almost every week. The CyberExperts Daily Brief tells you which ones matter in five minutes each weekday morning. Get tomorrow’s brief.

Network+ questions people ask

Sources

• CompTIA, Network+ certification and N10-009 exam details: comptia.org
• CompTIA, Is CompTIA Network+ worth it? (delivery options): comptia.org
• CompTIA, Earn continuing education units (CEU requirements): comptia.org
• CompTIA, Continuing education renewal fees: comptia.org
• CompTIA Help, How do I pay CE fees? (renewal options): help.comptia.org
• CompTIA, How much does the CompTIA Network+ certification cost? (student discounts): comptia.org
• Total Seminars (authorized CompTIA partner), CompTIA exam price increase June 2026: totalsem.com
• BLS, Network and computer systems administrators: bls.gov
• BLS, Computer support specialists: bls.gov
• BLS, Information security analysts: bls.gov

Donald Korinchak, MBA, PMP, CISSP, SecurityX, ITILv3

Donald Korinchak is a Cybersecurity Professional in the Washington DC area. Donald holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. Donald is considered a thought leader in business, leadership, and cybersecurity issues.