This Week’s Focus
This week, your goal is knowing what you really need to know to pass Network+.
This Week In Tech
1. CompTIA’s State of the Tech Workforce report shows 185,000 new tech jobs added across the U.S. in a single year, and networking roles are a core part of that growth.
2. Network administrator and engineer roles are growing at 4 to 6 percent, faster than the national average for any job category.
3. Network+ opens the door to network engineering and administration roles paying $95,000 to $123,000, stacked on top of whatever A+ already got you.
Common thread: Network+ is the certification that moves you from entry-level support into roles with real salary range, without requiring a four-year degree to get there.
The Number That Matters
24 percent.
That’s the single largest domain on the Network+ exam: Network Troubleshooting.
It’s also the domain self-studiers prepare for the least, because you can’t learn a troubleshooting methodology from flashcards.
You learn it by practicing it.
Nearly a quarter of your exam score comes down to whether someone actually walked you through the process, not just the theory behind it.
What This Means For You
Before we get into the objectives, here’s something to think about..
→ Network administrator and network engineer roles, $95,000 to $123,000, a meaningful jump above A+-level pay
→ The prerequisite mental model for Security+ (network security architecture) and CySA+ (network-based threat detection) later in this series
→ A credential that signals you understand infrastructure, not just individual devices
Here’s exactly what’s tested.
Network+ Exam Objectives: The Full Breakdown
One exam, five domains. Here’s the current N10-009 blueprint, with exact weighting.
1.0 Networking Concepts — 23% of the exam
The OSI model, cloud concepts, ports and protocols, topologies, and IPv4 addressing, the vocabulary everything else depends on.
2.0 Network Implementation — 20% of the exam
Routing and switching technologies, wireless devices, and physical installations, actually building the network.
3.0 Network Operations — 19% of the exam
Documentation, monitoring, change management, and disaster recovery, running a network day to day.
4.0 Network Security — 14% of the exam
Segmentation, common attack types, and physical and logical security, the smallest domain here but foundational for Security+.
5.0 Network Troubleshooting — 24% of the exam
The largest domain: a repeatable method for diagnosing cabling, service, and performance issues.
Five domains, one exam. That’s everything you need to know to pass Network+, straight from the current blueprint.
The Mistake Most People Make With This List
The mistake I see most make is just trying to memorize, instead of truly learning how to problem solve.
But troubleshooting is 24 percent of the exam, tied for the largest domain.
If your study plan is 90 percent flashcards and 10 percent hands-on practice, your study plan doesn’t match the exam you’re actually taking.
Military Education Benefits
Same note as last week, because it matters every week.
I’m an Army veteran, and Master I.T. exists because nobody handed me a roadmap when I transitioned out.
For Network+ specifically, here’s what applies if you’re active duty, a veteran, or a military spouse:
→ While you’re still in, certification training can often be funded through Army Credentialing Assistance, Air Force COOL, GI Bill benefits, VET TEC, or MyCAA for spouses, up to $4,500 a year through CA/COOL, up to $4,000 free through MyCAA, and up to $2,000 in exam reimbursement through GI Bill Chapter 33
→ Master I.T. offers real discounts for active duty, veterans, and military spouses, and I personally help students figure out which funding path fits their specific situation before they spend a dollar of their own money
→ A certification earned while you’re still serving does double duty: it can support promotion points and better assignments now, and it walks out the door with you as a civilian-recognized credential the day you separate
Network+ is usually the next funded step after A+ for service members using CA or COOL, and it’s often the credential that best translates communications or IT military occupational experience into a civilian job title.
Picture someone like Michael.
Michael passed A+ a few months back and came into Network+ confident, maybe too confident.
He knew the OSI model.
He could recite port numbers in his sleep.
His first practice exam came back lower than he expected, and almost every miss was in the troubleshooting scenarios, not the vocabulary questions.
He knew the pieces.
He hadn’t practiced putting them together under exam conditions.
He shifted the back half of his study plan to scenario-based troubleshooting practice instead of more flashcards.
Passed on his next attempt, that time the troubleshooting section felt like the easiest part of the exam.
What You Need To Do Right Now
If troubleshooting is the part of this list that feels the least concrete right now, that’s normal, and it’s exactly the gap a structured program is built to close.
The way to get a spot is to join the waitlist for our network+ accelerator program.
Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s inside the Network+ Accelerator Program:
→ 100% online training covering all five domains
→ Scenario-based troubleshooting practice from day one, not just terminology review
→ A step-by-step roadmap stacking directly on top of your A+ foundation
→ Practice exams, exam voucher support, and a pay-if-you-fail guarantee
Your Mission This Week
Take one practice troubleshooting scenario this week, start to finish, before you review another flashcard set.
If you don’t have one yet, that’s the gap to close first.
Have a good week. I’m rooting for you.
Rob
Founder, Master I.T. · Army Veteran · 20+ Years in IT · 15,000+ Students Certified
P.S. Quick question: What’s stopping you from getting certified?