Resources that helped me self-study and pass the CompTIA Networ…
Winnie Wanjiku
I sat for the CompTIA Network+ N10-008 certification exam in the 2nd week of February 2024 and was thrilled to pass on my very first attempt!
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The journey to achieving this milestone was both exhilarating and challenging filled with countless hours of dedicated study and exploration of various resources.
I am eager to share the invaluable resources that played a pivotal role in my success.
Whether you’re embarking on your certification journey or seeking to enhance your networking skills, these resources will guide you towards acing the CompTIA Network+ exam.
Overview of the CompTIA Network+ exam
CompTIA Network+ is a vendor-neutral IT certification offered by CompTIA to verify an individual’s essential skills and knowledge in networking.
A person with this certification should be able to troubleshoot, configure and manage wired and wireless networks regardless of the platform.
CompTIA Network Plus Badge
The CompTIA Network+ exam tests on topics and domains in the following 5 areas:
Network fundamentals
Network implementations
Network operations
Network security
Network troubleshooting
As of the writing of this article, the cost of the ComTIA Network+ exam voucher was $207. You can check the current price here.
The exam itself takes 90 minutes and consists of not more than 90 questions. The passing score is 720 out of 900.
You can read more about CompTIA Network+ and download the course objectives from CompTIA’s official website.
Importance of Passing the CompTIA Network+ on your first attempt
Passing the exam on the first attempt saves both time and money. For me, my main motivation was money since I could not afford to sit for the exam more than once this year.
Study Resources
When it comes to the actual preparation, I used a combination of several resources.
These included YouTube videos, websites, practice exams and online forums. Here’s a breakdown of the resources I used.
1. YouTube Videos
Professor Messer N10-008 Network+ Training Videos
Professor Messer Study Groups
Practical Networking Channel (Subnetting Topics)
Jeremy’s IT lab Channel (Subnetting Topics)
Sunny Classroom Channel (Subnetting Videos)
2. Websites
CompTIA Official Website
ProfessorMesser Website
Subnet.ipv4 website – Subnetting practice.
3. Practice Exams
Jason Dion’s 6 CompTIA Network+ practice exams on Udemy (Buy when on offer)
Exam Compass website (Free practice tests)
4. Online Forums
Reddit posts (Find information on how others are studying for the exam)
How I studied
a lady studying
There are different ways to go about studying for the CompTIA Network+ exam. You can enrol in a physical class at your local college, pay an online instructor, purchase study bundles, or self-study.
I chose to go with the self-study route. As a result, I heavily relied on advice from Redditors to come up with a study plan to help me study efficiently.
After much research, here’s what I ended up doing.
Step one: Familiarized myself with the content
The first thing I did was to familiarize myself with the content. For this step, my main resource was Professor Messer’s CompTIA Network+ N10-008 training course playlist on YouTube.
I watched all the videos at 2x speed without writing any notes.
Step Two: Going into more detail and taking notes
After I completed watching all 93 videos (running time: 14 hours 12 minutes) in the playlist, I downloaded and printed out the exam objectives.
I went through each item listed in the exam objectives. For every word I couldn’t explain or understand, I would search for the relevant video on Professor Messer’s playlist and rewatch it.
I also wrote down some notes for revision purposes.
Step Three: Practice Exams
As I was studying, I did a few free practice tests on the Exam Compass website based on the exam topic. In addition, I watched two CompTIA Network+ study group sessions by Professor Messer.
However, I realized I needed a more thorough practice exam. As a result, I ended up purchasing Jason Dion’s CompTIA Network+ practice exams.
This consisted of 6 timed practice exams, each with detailed feedback. I did all 6 exams and went through the feedback keenly. This helped me identify my weak spots and revisit them for clarity.
Sitting for the CompTIA Network+ exam
Once I scored more than 80% on the practice exams, I was ready to sit for my CompTIA Network+ exam. I chose to sit for the exam in person at a Pearson Vue centre.
However, you can take the exam online, provided you have a private space.
The exam took 90 minutes and the results were out immediately after I completed the exam. I had passed on my first attempt!
Study Tips
If you would like to pass your CompTIA Network+ (N10-800) on your first attempt, here are a few tips to help you out.
CompTIA Network+ study tips
1. Create a plan that works for you
I’ve talked about what worked for me as well as a combination of the resources I used. This might not work for you. We all have different learning styles.
It is therefore crucial to create a custom study plan that works for you.
2. Be flexible and adapt
Your initial study plan might not work for some topics. Be flexible and adapt to new scenarios that arise during your studies.
For instance, I ended up spending more time learning subnetting and how to efficiently calculate subnets fast in an exam setting. I used different resources and practised every day until I was comfortable with this topic.
Although this was not part of my initial plan, putting extra effort into this topic was worth it.
3. Time management
Time is important when studying for your exam. Set a realistic timeline and stick to it. You can easily get carried away and spend too much time on one topic.
To avoid losing track of time, I used a Pomodoro timer. In addition, if a topic was taking up too much time, I would take a break and revisit the topic another day.
More often than not, I would find it easier to understand the topic later on instead of wasting time trying to understand everything at once.
4. Practice Exams
I cannot overemphasize the importance of practice exams. They help you see the topics in a whole new light. You can purchase practice exams from various sources or find free resources online.
For example, Exam Compass has free practice questions. There are also many YouTube videos with practice exam questions with explanations.
In my case, I ended up purchasing Jason Dion’s practice exams on offer at $12.
Conclusion
In conclusion, having a good study plan and finding a mix of resources that work for you will go a long way in helping you achieve your goals.
These are the resources that worked for me.
Hopefully, they’ll provide you with a starting point to help you craft an efficient study plan towards passing your CompTIA Network+ exam.
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Posted Jan 5, 2025
The following is a comprehensive guide on the resources that helped me self-study and pass the CompTIA Network+ exam on my first Attempt.
