I passed my Network+ exam today, but I felt pretty nervous while taking it. I had only studied for about a month, juggling my day job and some classes on the side. Normally, I’d give myself more time to prepare, but I knew I’d be busy next week, so I decided to take a shot at it before putting it off for another six months. I’m proud I managed to pass.
As for tips, I’d say this exam was harder than Security+ and definitely more challenging than A+, so if you’re aiming for the trifecta, this might give you a tough time. My biggest tip for anyone taking this exam soon is to make good use of the help command in certain labs. Some labs won’t let you use certain commands, and if you’re unsure about what commands are available, the help command will show you your options. This was particularly useful for me when I had some typos early in the exam. I was typing commands wrong due to small errors, but once I started using the help command, it saved me a lot of trouble. I wish I’d known about this earlier, even before taking A+, as it would’ve been helpful then too.
For resources, I mostly used Professor Messer’s videos, watching them at least three or four times. I also studied with Anki a lot. You might need to do even more because I found this exam to be harder than Security+. There are far fewer “common sense” questions compared to Security+, where you could often eliminate wrong answers just by knowing basic security fundamentals. With Network+, I had to use every minute of the exam, and my background didn’t allow me to rely on common sense as much.
Overall, Network+ was a tough exam for me, but I managed to pass it on the first try, which felt great. Even though Network+ isn’t as sought after as A+ or Security+, it’s still good to have, and I’m happy to have earned the trifecta. I feel like I have a solid base of knowledge now. I still think a lot of the material in Network+ is worth learning, especially if you’re just getting into IT.
However, I’m not entirely sure about the value of the cert given the cost. Since I’m a student, I got a discount, but if you’re aiming to go into networking, the CCNA might be a better certification to pursue. So keep that in mind. If you took the Network+ and didn’t pass, I wouldn’t stress about retaking it unless you’re really set on fixing your score or didn’t do well. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!