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CompTIA Network+ N10-009 Exam Objectives: The Five Domains Explained
What each of the five N10-009 domains and 25 objectives covers in plain words, what the weights mean in questions, what changed from N10-008, and why CompTIA's own pages name the domains differently.
Short answer
The CompTIA Network+ N10-009 objectives (version 4.0) list five domains: Networking Concepts 23%, Network Implementation 20%, Network Operations 19%, Network Security 14%, and Network Troubleshooting 24%. Together they hold 25 objectives, numbered 1.1 to 5.5, and CompTIA says the bulleted examples under each one are not a complete list. Multiplying 24% by 90 gives about 22, but this is only an illustration of relative emphasis, not a published item count or an upper limit.
The five N10-009 domains and their weights
CompTIA Network+ N10-009 is built from one document: the exam objectives, version 4.0. As checked on October 18, 2026, it is the current objectives file for the only Network+ version on sale, V9. It lists five domains, and CompTIA's Network+ page shows the same weights.
| Domain | Weight | Objectives | Illustration: weight × 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 Networking Concepts | 23% | 1.1 to 1.8 (8) | about 21 |
| 2.0 Network Implementation | 20% | 2.1 to 2.4 (4) | 18 |
| 3.0 Network Operations | 19% | 3.1 to 3.5 (5) | about 17 |
| 4.0 Network Security | 14% | 4.1 to 4.3 (3) | about 13 |
| 5.0 Network Troubleshooting | 24% | 5.1 to 5.5 (5) | about 22 |
The last column multiplies each weight by 90, the maximum question count. For Troubleshooting, 0.24 × 90 = 21.6, so about 22. These are not ceilings or predictions of your form. Your form may have fewer than 90 questions, and item types and scoring mean that multiplying a weight by the question count does not establish an exact allocation. CompTIA does not publish a per-domain item count on those pages.
The weights also hide a density difference. Domain 1 spreads 23% over eight objectives, about 2.9% each if the share were even. Domain 2 spreads 20% over four, about 5% each. CompTIA does not weight individual objectives, so this is only a rough guide, but it explains why routing, switching and wireless deserve more time per objective than their domain's rank suggests.
All 25 objectives in plain words
Each objective starts with a verb, and the verb tells you the depth. "Explain," "Compare and contrast" and "Summarize" ask you to know and distinguish. "Given a scenario" asks you to apply the topic to a situation. Ten of the 25 objectives use that verb. CompTIA does not say which objectives become performance-based questions, but scenario objectives are the natural place to expect hands-on tasks.
| Objective | Verb | What it covers, in plain words | Review reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Explain | The seven OSI layers and what happens at each | OSI model |
| 1.2 | Compare and contrast | Routers, switches, firewalls, IDS and IPS, load balancers, proxies, storage, APs and controllers, plus CDN, VPN, QoS and TTL | OSI model |
| 1.3 | Summarize | Cloud networking: VPCs, security groups and lists, internet and NAT gateways, connectivity, deployment and service models | Cloud and data center |
| 1.4 | Explain | The port table, IP protocol types and traffic types | Ports and protocols |
| 1.5 | Compare and contrast | Wireless and wired media, fiber types, transceivers and connectors | Cable and interface issues |
| 1.6 | Compare and contrast | Topologies and architectures, from mesh and star to spine-leaf, three-tier and collapsed core, and traffic flows | Cloud and data center |
| 1.7 | Given a scenario | IPv4 addressing: public and private ranges, APIPA, loopback, subnetting with VLSM and CIDR, address classes | Subnetting |
| 1.8 | Summarize | Modern environments: SDN and SD-WAN, VXLAN, zero trust, SASE and SSE, infrastructure as code, IPv6 | IPv6 |
| 2.1 | Explain | Static and dynamic routing, route selection, NAT and PAT, FHRP, virtual IPs, subinterfaces | Routing |
| 2.2 | Given a scenario | VLANs, SVIs, native and voice VLANs, 802.1Q, link aggregation, speed and duplex, spanning tree, MTU | Switching |
| 2.3 | Given a scenario | Wireless channels and bands, SSIDs, network types, WPA2 and WPA3, guest access, authentication, antennas, AP types | official N10-009 objectives |
| 2.4 | Explain | Physical installations: IDF and MDF, racks, airflow, cabling panels, power and environment | Availability and physical installations |
| 3.1 | Explain | Documentation, life-cycle, change and configuration management | Monitoring and documentation |
| 3.2 | Given a scenario | Monitoring with SNMP, flow data, packet capture, baselines, logs and SIEM, port mirroring | Monitoring and documentation |
| 3.3 | Explain | Disaster recovery metrics, sites, high-availability modes and testing | Availability and physical installations |
| 3.4 | Given a scenario | DHCP, SLAAC, DNS records and zones, DNSSEC, DoH and DoT, time protocols | official N10-009 objectives |
| 3.5 | Compare and contrast | VPN types, SSH, GUI, API and console access, jump boxes, in-band vs out-of-band management | Security concepts |
| 4.1 | Explain | Encryption, certificates, identity and access management, physical security, deception, risk terms, compliance, segmentation | Security concepts |
| 4.2 | Summarize | Attacks such as DoS, VLAN hopping, MAC flooding, ARP and DNS poisoning, rogue devices, evil twin, on-path and social engineering | Network attacks |
| 4.3 | Given a scenario | Defenses: device hardening, NAC, key management, ACLs and filtering, trusted and untrusted zones, screened subnet | Network attacks |
| 5.1 | Explain | The seven-step troubleshooting methodology | Troubleshooting methodology |
| 5.2 | Given a scenario | Cable problems, interface counters, port status, PoE and transceiver issues | Cable and interface issues |
| 5.3 | Given a scenario | Switching, routing and addressing faults, from STP loops to a wrong mask | Service and performance issues |
| 5.4 | Given a scenario | Congestion, latency, loss, jitter and wireless performance | Service and performance issues |
| 5.5 | Given a scenario | Software and hardware tools, command-line utilities and device show commands | Command-line tools |
The descriptions above are short paraphrases. Read the objectives PDF itself for the full bullet lists, and keep one rule from its first pages in mind: CompTIA says the bulleted examples are not exhaustive, and other related technologies, processes or tasks may appear on the exam.
Two small wording issues in the PDF are worth knowing. Objective 1.8 prints SASE as "Secure Access Secure Edge," while the acronym list at the back of the same document and CompTIA's blog posts use "Secure Access Service Edge." Use the second form. The port table in 1.4 also labels port 587 "SMTPS," which the ports guide explains.
Why CompTIA's pages name the domains differently
You will see more than one set of domain names, even on comptia.org. The objectives PDF uses the five names in the table at the top of this page. CompTIA's Q&A blog post of December 18, 2024 calls domain 1 "Networking Fundamentals" and domain 2 "Network Implementations." Its "What is on the exam" post from the same date uses "Network Implementations" and "Network Troubleshooting and Tools," and the FAQ on the Network+ page says "Network troubleshooting and tools."
The Q&A post prints the same five weights, and the topics line up, so these are the same domains under different labels. Use the objectives PDF names when you organize your notes, because that is the document that lists what the exam measures.
What changed from N10-008, briefly
CompTIA's blog of December 18, 2024 says the English N10-008 exam retired in December 2024 and was fully replaced by N10-009. Certifications earned on N10-008 stayed valid for three years from the exam date, and an N10-008 voucher could no longer be used on N10-008 but remained valid for N10-009.
According to CompTIA's two blog posts from that date, V9 added or expanded:
- SD-WAN alongside SDN
- VXLAN for larger deployments
- Infrastructure as code
- IDF and MDF, and more on physical installations
- Zero trust architecture
- SASE and SSE
- Wider coverage of modern network environments
If you have older notes or a question bank written for N10-008, check each topic against the version 4.0 objectives before you rely on it.
CompTIA has also posted draft objectives for V10 (N10-010) with no launch date as of October 18, 2026. That draft changes the weights, and the N10-009 vs N10-010 guide compares it with N10-009. For an N10-009 appointment, study the version 4.0 objectives.
Using the weights when you plan your study
Weights tell you share, not difficulty. Network Troubleshooting is the largest domain, and its five objectives reuse everything from the other four, so it rewards steady practice from the first week rather than a cram at the end. The study guide orders the topics by what they depend on. The seven steps of objective 5.1 are a good early win, and the methodology guide covers them. For question counts, item types and timing, see the N10-009 format guide.
Once you have covered a few objectives in each domain, find out where you actually lose points. The free Passy set spreads 20 original questions across all five N10-009 domains and ends with a breakdown by domain, so you can see which N10-009 domain your misses cluster in before deciding where the next study hours go.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.