N10-009 exam format: questions, score and cost
Here is what CompTIA publishes about Network+ N10-009.
| Exam code | N10-009 |
| Certification | CompTIA Network+ (V9) |
| Number of questions | Maximum 90 |
| Question types | Multiple choice and performance-based |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 720 on a scale of 100–900 |
| Launched | June 20, 2024 |
| Estimated retirement | Around 2027 |
| Languages | English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish |
| Recommended | A+ plus 9–12 months hands-on experience |
| Price | Not listed on CompTIA’s certification page; check at booking |
One minute per question
Ninety questions in ninety minutes, and performance-based items take far longer than multiple choice. That is the defining constraint of this exam.
The standard approach: do the performance-based questions last. Most testing interfaces let you flag and return. Clear the multiple choice first at speed, bank those marks, then spend what remains on the simulations. Candidates who start with a PBQ and sink fifteen minutes into it routinely run out of time with easy questions unanswered.
Performance-based questions
PBQs ask you to do something rather than pick something: configure a device, match terms to definitions, place components in a topology, order troubleshooting steps, or interpret command output.
Two rules:
- Read the whole task before touching anything. PBQs often have two or three parts and candidates answer only the first.
- Partial credit generally exists. An incomplete answer beats an empty one, so never leave a simulation blank.
The scale is 100–900
720 out of 900 is roughly 80% of the scale — but the scale does not start at zero, so it does not mean 80% of questions correct. CompTIA scales scores and weights questions differently. Aim for comfortable margin rather than calculating how many you can miss.
Domain weighting
| Domain | Weight | Rough questions |
|---|---|---|
| Network troubleshooting | 24% | ~22 |
| Networking concepts | 23% | ~21 |
| Network implementation | 20% | ~18 |
| Network operations | 19% | ~17 |
| Network security | 14% | ~13 |
Counts are approximate — CompTIA publishes percentages, not counts, and the exam holds a maximum of 90 items.
Troubleshooting is the largest domain. That is unusual and worth planning around: Network+ rewards diagnostic reasoning over memorisation. The performance-based questions cluster here too.
Concepts is a close second and underpins everything. Subnetting, the OSI model, protocols and ports appear throughout the other four domains, so weakness here is expensive beyond its 23%.
Recommended experience
CompTIA recommends A+ certification plus 9 to 12 months in a junior network administrator or network support technician role. None of this is enforced — there is no gate at booking — but the questions assume familiarity with real networks rather than diagrams alone.
Shelf life
Launched June 2024 with an estimated retirement around 2027. Network+ carries continuing-education renewal requirements, so confirm the current terms with CompTIA before certifying.
Booking
Book through CompTIA, at a Pearson VUE test centre or online proctored. If testing online, run the system check a day in advance on the machine and network you will actually use.