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A Detailed Guide to Pass the Network+
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A Detailed Guide on Steps to Passing the Network+
Passed Net+ with a 783. Below is a guide I wish I had when studying for my Net+. This guide will give you my best studying tips, resources, and inside exam-specific tips to help pass.
Step 1: To start, the Net+ Exam Objectives will become your bible, Professor Messer is your preacher. I started by watching Messer Net+ playthrough once with no notes, just listening and mentally understanding while referencing the Exam Objectives with each video. From this alone, I estimate you should know and retain ~50-60% of the material. This gets you familiar with the material. Watch on 1.5-2x speed. This will take about a week.
Step 2: Take all ExamCompass Net+ quizzes. Asses what you got wrong in each quiz and understand why. This will take 1-3 days.
Step 3: Watch Prof Messer+Exam Objectives playlist a second time, taking detailed notes on things that require memorization and/or things you need to brush up on. Cables, 802 standards, Fiber speeds, Port numbers, routing protocols, CLI tools, complicated concepts, etc. I took about 20 pages of notes from this go around. This takes about 1-2 weeks.
Step 4: Start doing practice questions. A LOT of them. I did about 2000+ before I took my exam. Here are the resources I used to do practice questions.
YT: DeanCyber, Vincent Humble, Burning Ice Tech, CyberJames, Certblaster, Prof Messer Net+ Study Group playlist, Powercert Animated
App: Network+ by Thanh Hung
Questions took about 2 weeks to get through them all.
Step 5: Watch Prof Messer Net+ playlist a THIRD time. By this go around, you’ll have done hundreds to thousands of questions and really know what areas you’re strong in and weak in and things you overlooked. Take even more notes again. This takes 2-3 days on 2x speed. Be able to look at the exam obj at this point and verbally say 1-2 things about every single line on that list. I also used Anki/Quizlet flash cards for things that had to purely be memorized.
Step 6: Buy Dion’s 6 practice exams. They always go on sale; I got it for like $15-20.
Step 7: Do all 6 Dion exams. Take notes after each exam on things you should’ve known or are new. Skip things you got wrong because they were out of scope. His exam is a little tougher then the real thing; if you score between 70-80% you’re good to go for the real exam. My scores ranged between 74%-88% first time around.
Step 8: You’re ready for the exam! If you did everything above, I’d estimate you have at least a 90% chance of passing.
My exam experience: Since I did so many practice questions, everything felt familiar to me on the exam except the PBQ’s. I flew through the MC. PBQ’s were tougher, but honestly if you have mastered the material then you can figure it out.
MC: Heaviest on section 1 of Exam Objectives. I did have subnetting questions, like 2-3. I can honestly say there was a question from each subsection in the Exam Objectives though, so don’t skimp on anything. Know your acronyms as well, or you’ll be sorry.
PBQ: Heavy on Section 5. I got 4 PBQ’s. They highly resemble the CertMaster PBQ practice questions. Actually, they present almost identically. Certblaster, Vincent Humble, and Dion practice exams have PBQ’s that were nearly identical to my real exam, especially with ACL’s and interpreting CLI outputs for switches and workstations. If you really know your stuff, you’ll be able to figure out the PBQ’s so don’t sweat this too much. Still, save it for last.
Cheap Vouchers: I bought mine from https://getcertified4less.com for $280; just get one that’s about to expire and time it so you are about ready to take your exam when you buy it.
Subnetting: I got 2-3 questions on subnetting. I can do any subnet calculations mentally in about 30 seconds or less. I used Prof Messer to learn the Magic Number method, then https://www.subnetting.net/Start.aspx subnetting game to practice until it was effortless. Not only should you be able to calculate anything regarding subnetting, but interpret why computers can’t connect to each other or to a network based on misconfigured IP/subnetting (and make appropriate changes)
What I would’ve studied more if I retook it: Definetly reading CLI outputs regarding switches. It’s a short part in Messer’s videos, but played a significant role in the real test. Thankfully I sorta knew it enough to get by from all the practice questions/YT videos but it caught me by surprise. I would’ve also used ChatGPT to walk me through example scenarios where it used CLI tools relating to switches/routers to resolve network issues. I also should’ve studied Network Security a lot harder. They drill into minute distinctions and scenario based questions where only the BEST answer is chosen, though technically all are right.
What I’m glad I knew well: Anything to do with Section 1. So many MC question from that area. Also routing protocols showed up enough to note about in this post which I had dialed down. Memorizing all of the 802 standards, you really do need to know ALL of them, even the minor ones. Trust me, they showed up. I also used ChatGPT to walk me through example network troubleshooting scenarios where it used each CLI tool, interpreted the results, and explained how the results are useful to resolving the problem. This was super key to being familiar with anything CLI based in the PBQs.
Exam Setting: Took it online, followed the rules, had absolutely zero trouble. This is my second Comptia online exam and I never had problems. Don’t be afraid to take it online as long as you follow the rules.
Whats next: I have Net+ and Sec+, now I’m going straight into the CCNA and aiming to grab that by EOY. Drop any questions you have below not mentioned in the post. Thanks!
EDIT: I removed PBQ question detailed info that may infringe upon the NDA for Comptia. However, I can give you a little more info if you shoot me a DM.
Top Comment: Congrats, but you might want to edit your post and remove all of the details about your exam. Don’t want to see CompTIA strip your new certification from you for violating the NDA you signed. You cannot discuss anything you saw on your exam.
How do you network?
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The majority of answers to the question of 'How to I get SWE job?' tend to be: projects and networking. While I have a very good grasp on the project side, I've never been able to figure out the latter.
I don't know anyone in the field, and have no idea where to start. I've followed all the standard advice of creating a LinkedIn account, ect. But not having used any social media before (except Reddit, if you count that), I'm finding it extremely difficult to navigate.
Is there any other alternatives? If you where in a similar situation, how did you approach it? Any advice would be extremely useful, thanks.
Top Comment: A common misconception is that "networking" means cold messaging recruiters, or messaging strangers on LinkedIn, or talking to someone on Reddit, or going to some tech meetup where you shake hands and exchange business cards with other desperate SWE's. That's not networking. Networking is making friends. The reason meetup is a great way to "network" is because it's a great way to make friends. You're going to an event full of people that you have something in common with, you all enjoy the topic of the meetup. That's how friendships are formed. Common interests. Notably, they don't even need to be technical. You can go to your favorite dive bar, meet a stranger who you hit it off with, and that person is now part of your network. As you are theirs. That dude you met who works in marketing? Guess what his company is hiring? SWE's. They can absolutely refer you. Referrals are sanity checks, and get your foot in the door. They're not full on technical assessments. I've given my non-tech friends referrals several times. A "network" is people that like each other enough that they'd vouch for them to their employer. It's not strangers just jerking each other off. So get out and make friends. There's also no "quick" approach to this. It takes time to form a friendship. If I met you at a meetup and on day 1 you asked if my company had any openings, I'd GTFO. I don't like being used. But if we had been talking regularly for several months, I'd be happy to refer you. Also understand networking is not the only way to get a job.... I've only ever gotten 1 interview from my network, and I didn't even get that job. All my other jobs have been from cold applications online. I could use my network if I was ever in a tough spot after a layoff or something, but I haven't had to do that to date.
What did y’all do to pass the Network + exam???
Main Post: What did y’all do to pass the Network + exam???
Top Comment: 3 attempts, many crying sessions and thinking of quitting 😂😂😂
How do you even “network” without sounding desperate?
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How are you actually supposed to network without feeling like you're just begging for a job? Everyone says, “just network,” but like... what does that even mean in real life?
I’ve been to a few networking events, and it always feels like a weird speed-dating situation. Do you follow up with a coffee invite? Send them a LinkedIn message? I swear there’s a secret formula that no one’s talking about.
How do you guys approach it without feeling awkward or coming off as desperate? What’s worked for you? Or is this just something everyone struggles with?
Top Comment: When people say "just network", what they tend to really mean is "Surely you've met folks in the course of school, work, socializing, and everywhere in between who can get your foot in the door somewhere." In essence, they think it's stubbornness or pride keeping you from asking for help from the people you know who could help you when the reality might well be that your educational pathway, your former places of work, and so on didn't really lend themselves to such relationships. They don't generally mean that you get out and cold message folks you've never met in the hopes that they can help without knowing anything about you. I'm not personally big on cold messaging on LinkedIn myself for that reason. However, you can network using social media. I've made comments about it before: You start one person at a time. Networking isn't just jumping on LinkedIn, throwing out all social graces, and cold-messaging people until some stranger feels pressured to do you a favor. I mean, you can do that, but that's not really the way to go. The first step tends to be picking a field or area of expertise you want to move into, then figuring out how to participate in that particular world somehow. Ideally, it's finding some manner of low-level role that serves as an entry point to the field, even if it's just grunt work of one kind or another. Then, you try to participate in ways outside of the role. Sometimes it's networking events, other times it could be conferences or trade shows that are either nearby or virtual. If you can cut through the noise of marketing BS and other self-help schtick on LinkedIn, you can find little niches of well-meaning people having well-meaning discussions about the dorky details of their work. Whatever the avenue, you can find a way to engage with it by joining those conversations and showing some vulnerability. From there, you meet people and stay in touch, maybe asking for a bit of guidance or foot in the door somewhere when opportunities arise. All the while trying to reciprocate or pay it forward when and where you can. The most important thing about early networking is that you are essentially planting seeds in tough soil - it will take time, attention, and patience before anything grows out of it. It's not really a direct strategy to employment until you've actually gotten established in your industry.
Reddit - The heart of the internet
Main Post: Reddit - The heart of the internet
thoughts on Network (1976)
Main Post: thoughts on Network (1976)
Top Comment: Network is my all-time favorite movie. Exceptional performances, brilliant dialogue, and a glimpse 20 years into the future of broadcast news media. The Hospital (1971) is another great Paddy Chayefsky screenplay worth checking out.
What does a typical network engineer do?
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So, I understand (broadly) what network engineers do but I really want to know the nitty gritty details. Im considering earning the CCNA and while I’m at help desk so I can land a junior network engineer role or admin role, so I’d like some insight as to what I can expect (generally).
Top Comment: Definitely some of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRGljemfwUE