Network+ exam format: questions, PBQs, and the 720 passing score

Every figure below was read off CompTIA’s own certification, testing policy, and support pages on November 6, 2026, and each is linked to the page it came from.

The exam at a glance

The time math is tight but workable: 90 questions in 90 minutes is about one minute per question on average. CompTIA’s wording is “maximum of 90,” so you may see fewer. The catch is that performance-based questions take far longer than a minute each, which is why the order you answer in matters more than the average suggests.

What the exam covers

CompTIA splits N10-009 into five domains, and the weights are not even. These are the published V9 weights, with a short summary of what CompTIA lists under each.

Troubleshooting (24%) and networking concepts (23%) together make up nearly half the exam. Network security is the smallest domain at 14%, which surprises people who expect a modern networking exam to lean harder on security. If you plan to go on to Security+, that is where the depth comes later. Our Network+ certification page has the full breakdown.

The troubleshooting domain is also the one that rewards hands-on time most. CompTIA lists a troubleshooting methodology, cabling and interface issues, routing and switching issues, performance problems like latency and packet loss, and tools such as protocol analyzers and cable testers. Reading about a TX/RX swap is not the same as having seen one.

Performance-based questions on Network+

CompTIA’s performance-based questions page lists Network+ among the certifications with simulation PBQs, not virtual ones. A simulation is an approximation of an environment or tool, such as a firewall, a network diagram, or a terminal window. From the same page:

• You can skip a simulation PBQ and come back to it. Your work is saved as you go and when you move to another item.
• Simulation PBQs have a reset button if you want to start the item over.
• There can be more than one way to solve it. CompTIA says scoring addresses different possible approaches.
• Partial credit may be given, so a half finished answer beats a blank one.

CompTIA does not say how many PBQs appear on Network+ or how many points each is worth. Numbers you read elsewhere are guesses, so we do not repeat them. The practical approach that follows from the rules above: if a PBQ looks long, skip it, work through the multiple-choice questions, and come back with the time you have left. Because your work is saved, starting a PBQ and leaving it costs you nothing.

What 720 means

720 is a scaled score, not a percentage. CompTIA’s scoring article says it uses a mathematical algorithm to calculate a scaled score derived from what would otherwise be a percentage, and that passing scores are set through statistical analysis. It also says CompTIA does not disclose the number of questions required to pass. So any claim that 720 equals a certain percentage is an estimate, not a CompTIA figure.

Your score report will not list the questions you missed. Per the same article, it lists the exam objectives tied to the questions you answered incorrectly. If you need a second attempt, that list is your study plan.

For comparison, Security+ SY0-701 passes at 750 on the same scale. Our Network+ vs Security+ guide lays the two exams side by side if you are deciding which to take first.

Who can take it

Anyone. CompTIA’s prerequisites article says its exams have no educational, training, or certification prerequisites, and no age restriction, though it recommends candidates be at least 13. The Network+ page recommends CompTIA A+, with 9 to 12 months of hands-on experience in a junior network administrator or network support technician role. That is guidance, not a gate, but it tells you who the questions are written for. Plenty of people take Network+ without A+, especially if they already work around networks.

If you do not pass

CompTIA’s retake policy sets no waiting period between a first and second attempt. Before a third or any later attempt, you wait at least 14 calendar days from your last one. You pay the exam price every time, and CompTIA offers no free retests or retake discounts, so the bundles on the Network+ page that include a voucher with Retake Assurance are the one way to buy a second try up front.

The same policy says that once you pass, you cannot sit the same exam code again without CompTIA’s consent. Recertifying by exam means waiting for a new series, and as of November 6, 2026 CompTIA has published no V9 successor, only an estimated retirement of 2027.

After you pass

Network+ is valid for three years, and you keep it current with CEUs or by earning a higher CompTIA certification such as Security+. The numbers and the shortcuts are in our Network+ renewal guide.

FAQ

Want to see the material before you book? Our A+ and Network+ program includes a full N10-009 course built domain by domain on the V9 weights. The first module, Mobile devices from A+ Core 1, is free to start.