Network+ study guide: how to prepare for N10-009
Every Network+ study guide should map back to one document: CompTIA’s exam objectives for N10-009. This page explains how to pick a guide that matches the current exam, what CompTIA itself offers, what is free, and how to build a study plan around the domain weights.
See the Network+ practice questions →
Start with the objectives, not the book
CompTIA’s own advice for preparing is to review the exam objectives, and it points you to the objectives section of the Network+ certification page to download them. That document is the real Network Plus study guide: it lists everything that can appear on the exam, and nothing else.
Any book or course you add is an explanation of those objectives. Keep the objectives open next to it and tick off each one as you cover it — that way you notice quickly if a guide skips something or spends pages on topics the exam does not ask about.
Source: CompTIA — What is on the CompTIA Network+ exam?. Checked 9 October 2026.
Choosing an N10-009 study guide
The most important check is the exam code. An N10-009 study guide covers the exam CompTIA launched on 20 June 2024; the English version of the previous exam, N10-008, retired in December 2024. Network Plus study guides written for the older code still circulate, and they miss topics CompTIA added for N10-009, such as SD-WAN, infrastructure as code, VxLAN, IDF and MDF, and zero-trust architecture with SASE/SSE.
Beyond the code, look for three things in a Network Plus certification study guide: it follows the five domains, it explains rather than lists, and it gives you hands-on tasks for the performance-based questions.
- Exam code N10-009 on the cover or in the introduction.
- Chapters that map to the five domains and their weights.
- Labs or step-by-step tasks, not just definitions.
- Review questions with explanations at the end of each chapter.
Source: CompTIA — The new Network+ (N10-009) exam: your questions answered. Checked 9 October 2026.
What CompTIA offers as a CompTIA Network Plus study guide
CompTIA does not sell a product it calls a study guide on its training page. Its closest equivalent is CertMaster Study, which CompTIA describes as an interactive alternative to an eBook. Around it sit CertMaster Learn (instruction, videos, performance-based questions and labs), CertMaster Labs, CertMaster Practice and CertMaster Perform.
Everything else on the market is third-party material. That is not a problem in itself — just measure it against the objectives rather than against its own table of contents.
Source: CompTIA — CertMaster training. Checked 9 October 2026.
A Network Plus study guide free of charge: what exists
The best free resource is official: the N10-009 objectives and the domain summary on CompTIA’s certification page. If you want a Network Plus study guide free of charge beyond that, you will be using community or third-party material, which varies a lot in accuracy and in which exam version it covers.
A sensible way to combine free material with a paid one: use the objectives as your checklist, use free material for topics you already half know, and spend money where your practice results show real gaps.
Source: CompTIA — Network+ certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
A study plan built on the domain weights
CompTIA weights the five N10-009 domains differently, so your time should not be split evenly. Troubleshooting and networking concepts together are close to half the exam; network security is the smallest share.
Work through the domains in an order that suits you, but test yourself at the end of each one. The exam is a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes with a passing score of 720 on a scale of 100 to 900, so finish with at least one timed run before you book.
- Network troubleshooting — 24%
- Networking concepts — 23%
- Network implementation — 20%
- Network operations — 19%
- Network security — 14%
Source: CompTIA — Network+ certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Adding practice to your study guide
A guide teaches; practice questions show whether it stuck. Certsqill’s expert-developed Network+ practice questions explain every answer option and give you a readiness score per exam domain, so you can see which chapter of your study guide to go back to. A 7-day money-back guarantee applies.
Network+ study guide: questions people ask
Is there an official CompTIA Network Plus study guide?
CompTIA’s training page lists CertMaster products, including CertMaster Study as an interactive eBook alternative, rather than a product called a study guide. The exam objectives are the official reference. Source: CompTIA, checked 9 October 2026.
Can I use an N10-008 study guide for N10-009?
Not safely. N10-008 retired for English in December 2024, and N10-009 added topics such as SD-WAN, infrastructure as code and zero-trust architecture. Source: CompTIA N10-009 blog, checked 9 October 2026.
Where do I download the Network Plus exam objectives?
From the objectives section of CompTIA’s Network+ certification page. Source: CompTIA FAQ, checked 9 October 2026.
Which domain should I study most for Network Plus?
Network troubleshooting carries the most weight at 24%, followed by networking concepts at 23%. Source: CompTIA Network+ page, checked 9 October 2026.
