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Trouble Spots
The primary trouble spot for many Network+ exam candidates is using critical thinking in combination with their knowledge to answer a scenario-based question or correctly complete a simulation. An example would be a troubleshooting scenario in which the clients are unable to reach a network resource, and the candidate needs to identify why. A single question like this requires knowledge of networking, IP addressing, host configuration, and a working troubleshooting methodology. Another challenge is that, instead of focusing on only a single technology (such as routing, switching, wireless networking, or security), the Network+ exam requires you to know the fundamentals of many different technologies, and be able to apply that knowledge. Many of the questions integrate multiple technologies into a single question.
CompTIA has based the exam on five areas, referred to as domains. The following table lists those domains and the percentage of exam questions in each domain.
Domain |
Exam Percentage |
Network Architecture |
22% |
Network Operations |
20% |
Network Security |
18% |
Troubleshooting |
24% |
Industry Standards, Practices, and Network Theory |
16% |
One of the biggest differences between the current N10-006 version of the exam and the previous version of the exam, N10-005, is the increased focus on scenario-based situations and troubleshooting. The N10-006 exam devotes 24% of the exam to troubleshooting, and troubleshooting well requires a solid understanding of the technologies being used and how they interoperate.
Performing the binary math calculations required to subnet an IP network is another area where many test takers struggle. For example, you should be able to divide a given IP network into a certain number of subnets to support a certain number of hosts, and be able to identify the usable IP address range in each of the subnets, along with the new masks for each subnet.