CompTIA Network+ N10-008 – Exam Foundations (Overview)

1. Introduction to the Network+ (N10-007) Course

Welcome to the network, plus N ten seven complete course. In this course, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know to take and pass the CompTIA Network+ exam. We’re going to COVID all five domains, including networking concepts, infrastructure, network operations, network security, and network troubleshooting, and tools. We’re going to take you from zero knowledge to passing knowledge across all of these domains. As you progress through the course, we’re going to build upon each section to give you more and more knowledge as we move through the domains. We’ll take it slowly at first, then pick up the pace as we go.

I recommend having a pen and paper with you so you can take down some notes. There are a lot of times in the video where I’m going to say, “I recommend you write this down.” This is going to be important. Take note of this. And when I say those things, you should be adding them to your notes. By the time you’re done with this course, your notes should only be about five or six pages long with all of those things that I’ve told you, and those are the key critical pieces that you really need to know to pass the exam come test day.

And that’s the stuff you definitely need to commit to memory. Now, in addition to those notes, I’ve put checkpoints along the way with different quizzes along the way and a final practice exam at the end. When you take that practice exam and you score 85% or higher, you’re ready to sit for the real Network Plus exam. So with that said, let’s go to the next video and start learning. What exactly is the Network Plus exam, and how is it going to look on test day?

2. Exam Foundations

Network Plus Exam Foundations. The Network+ exam in the current version is the n ten seven. Now, Network Plus is a vendor-neutral networking certification that has been trusted around the world. It validates your essential knowledge and skills that you’ll need to confidently design, configure, manage, and troubleshoot any wired or wireless device. CompTIA Network Plus is certifying individuals that are in demand worldwide, according to CompTIA.org.

Now, what does all this mean? Well, it’s a vendor-neutral certification, which means we’re not going to focus on how you configure a Cisco router, a Juniper switch, a Brocade switch, or any of those types of devices. Instead, we’re going to talk about networking from a vendor-neutral perspective where we cover all devices. We’re going to learn all the concepts and fundamentals, which build the foundation for you to then learn any specific manufacturer that you may find inside your workplace. Now, the exam itself is going to cover the configuration, management, and troubleshooting of common wired and wireless networking devices. So this will include things like your desktop and your laptop, but also wireless devices like smartphones and tablets. It will also cover things like the Internet of Things, including your thermostat, your TV, and other smart devices.

We’re going to COVID it all. If it has a network connection, we’re going to talk about it in this class. This is going to ensure that you have a good understanding of network documentation, network standards, network security, cloud technologies, and virtualization technologies because all of this is covered on the Network Plus exam. The Network Plus exam is now divided into five domains, with the percentages shown on the screen. Now, they’re roughly one fifth each, plus or minus a little bit. So you’ll have to study everything pretty equally if you’re going to pass the exam. This includes things like networking concepts, infrastructure, network operations, network security, network troubleshooting, and tool sets. But don’t worry; throughout this video series, I’m going to cover each and every one of these domains as we go through all of our videos and teach you everything you need to know to pass the Network Plus exam. Now, the exam itself is made up of 90 questions, or up to 90 questions in 90 minutes. Now, what does that mean?

Well, on the exam, you’re going to get a mixture of multiple choice and performance-based or simulation questions. Now, depending on how many simulation questions you get, you’re going to get fewer multiple-choice questions. So the maximum number of questions you’re going to get is 90, which is one question per minute, which is a pretty fast pace. But in reality, you’re probably going to see somewhere around 70 to 80 questions because you’re going to get somewhere between three and five simulation- or performance-based questions. Now, the multiple-choice questions, I find those to be much easier because you don’t have to memorise things; you just have to be able to recognise things. So if I give you four choices, A, B,  C, and D, you just have to recognise the right answer, not come up with it from scratch, because there are no fill-in-the-blank questions. But there are simulations.

Now, the simulations will have you do things like set up a wireless router or reset an IP address, among other things. We’ll talk about those throughout this class as well. Now, the exam is out of 900 points, and you have to score 720 on that, which equates roughly to 80%. The exam itself expects you to have about nine months of hands-on networking experience. So if you’ve never touched a router or switch before, you’re kind of coming at this at a disadvantage. But don’t worry; I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to pass the exam. And the exam does recommend that you already have your A Plus certification. Now, it is not a requirement. You don’t have to have A Plus to sit for the Network Plus exam, but you should have reviewed at least the materials from A Plus and be familiar with them because A Plus focuses very much on the endpoint devices, those tablets and smartphones, laptops, desktops, and servers, network plus.

We’re going to focus on the interconnection of all of those devices. So having that background will be very helpful in this course. If at any point you start finding yourself lost because you don’t have that information in your back pocket, I would recommend checking here on the platform for an A+ course and watching through that, just to bring yourself up to speed and get to a level playing field. Now, the exam is brand new as of March 2018. When I’m recording this video, everything I’m going to teach you is for the current exam, N Seven, which takes everything that was in the old N Six and adds more to it.

So as the exams progress, we add more information, and they get a little bit more difficult. But don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to pass the N-Seven version of the exam. Now, are you ready to sit for the certification exam? This is a big question you have to ask yourself at the end of this course. And the reason why is that these exams are not cheap. It will cost you around $300 to $ 350 to sit down and take the Network+ exam and earn that certification. So when you go in there, you want to make sure you’re ready to pass. The way I recommend figuring that out is by taking practise exams. You want to take practise exams, and if you’re scoring at least 85% or more, you’re ready to take the real exam. Now, if you’re not scoring 85% or higher, I want you to take more practise exams, and there are practise exams everywhere for you to take. You can find them on Udemy.

You can find them on my own website. You can find them in the back of textbooks that you can get from the library, Safari Books, or many other places. Take a lot of practise exams, though, because nothing prepares you better for test day than a lot of practise questions. Now, once you’ve taken these practise exams and you’ve gone off to take the certification exam, I want you to tell me when you pass. Come back here and post in the Q and A. Let me and your classmates know how you did. Did you pass? What was helpful, and what wasn’t helpful? What should we really focus on in our studies? All of this helps each other improve so that we can celebrate with you and your victory. Now, once you’ve got that certification, what does that entitle you to do? Well, the biggest question I get is, “What kind of job can I get with a Network+ certification?” Well, like I said, Network Plus is a foundational certification, so it’s used by a lot of different jobs, including help desk technicians, network support specialists, network administrators, network field technicians, network engineers, and network analysts.

With a Network Plus certification, it is an entry-level certification and an entry-level to intermediate-level position. So you’re going to be able to get jobs that require about one year of networking experience. Now, you’re going to have to start at the entry level, just like everyone else did, but you’ll be able to move up through those ranks pretty quickly if you have a good, firm handle on the concepts. So go out there, get that job, and start building up to the next certification like Security Plusor or CYSA or Ethical Hacker or CISSP. Network Plus is just the beginning of your journey, and it’s really going to set you up for success as we move down the road.

3. Which Version of the Exam Should I Take?

Hi. I just wanted to take a quick second and answer this question because I know it’s probably going through your head. If you’ve been looking around, you’ll notice that there are currently two versions of the Network+ exam out there. There are two numbers: N 100 0 6 and N 100 0 7. Now, you may be asking, “Which one should I take?” Well, this course will prepare you fully for either exam. The N 100 zero seven is being released in Marchof 2018, and essentially they took everything that was in the old version six exam and added about ten to15% more material, digging a little bit deeper into cloudland virtualization, as well as a few other topics.

Now, this course has been built to fully support both exams, so whether you’re taking the N-6 or the N-7, you will be ready come test day. Now, if you’re going to take the exam prior to July of 2018, you have the option of taking either exam. If you’re not going to be ready until after July of 2018, you are going to have to take the N seven. The version seven exam will now be available for the first time in March of 2018, and it will be valid until March of 2021. So, depending on where you are in your studies already, you may want to take Version 6 or Version version seven. But either way, this course will prepare you for both.