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CompTIA Network+ PBQs: Simulation Tasks and How to Prepare
What CompTIA confirms about CompTIA Network+ performance-based questions, the N10-009 scenario objectives that suit hands-on tasks, how to handle a simulation on exam day, and a free lab to build the skills.
Short answer
Performance-based questions (PBQs) on CompTIA Network+ N10-009 are simulations: approximations of a tool or environment, such as a network diagram, a firewall or a terminal window, where you complete a task instead of choosing one option. CompTIA says simulations have a reset button, can be skipped and revisited with your work saved, can be solved more than one way, and may earn partial credit. CompTIA's Network+ and PBQ pages give no PBQ count. Prepare by doing the ten "Given a scenario" objectives by hand, such as subnetting, VLAN assignment and choosing the right tool.
What CompTIA confirms about N10-009 PBQs
CompTIA Network+ N10-009 has a maximum of 90 questions, a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, per the Network+ page and the objectives, as checked on October 18, 2026. CompTIA's page on performance-based questions describes two kinds:
- Simulations approximate a tool or environment, such as a firewall, a network diagram, a terminal window or an operating system. Their functions are limited, but they are built to accept more than one response or path.
- Virtual environments are full virtual machines running real software.
Network+ is on CompTIA's list of certifications with simulation PBQs. For simulations, the same page says:
- the simulation fills the testing area and has a reset button
- you can skip it and come back later, and your work is saved as you go
- there can be more than one way to solve it, and scoring allows for different approaches
- partial credit may be given
CompTIA's blog post "What Is on the CompTIA Network+ Exam?" (December 18, 2024) adds two points about timing: most performance-based items appear at the beginning of the exam, and you cannot see a clock while you work on them.
Two things CompTIA does not give you. Its Network+ and PBQ pages give no number of PBQs per exam, so treat any exact count elsewhere as unofficial. And the sample PBQs on CompTIA's site are, in CompTIA's words, not from any CompTIA exam. They show the experience, not the content.
Ten "Given a scenario" objectives and the tasks they suggest
The N10-009 objectives use the verb "Given a scenario" for ten of the 25 objectives. Those ask you to apply a skill, which is what a simulation tests. The task forms below are Passy's reading of the objectives. They are not taken from any exam, CompTIA has not said which objectives become PBQs, and the objectives themselves say their bulleted examples are not exhaustive.
| Objective | Skill | A task form that would test it | Practice it with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 IPv4 addressing | Size and assign subnets | Given an address block and host counts per segment, fill in each network, mask and gateway | Subnetting |
| 2.2 Switching | VLANs, trunks, native and voice VLANs | On a two-switch diagram, assign access VLANs to ports, mark the trunk and set its native VLAN | Switching |
| 2.3 Wireless | Channels, security, AP type | On a floor plan, pick channels that do not overlap, choose Enterprise authentication for staff and a captive portal for guests | official N10-009 objectives |
| 3.2 Monitoring | Read monitoring output | From SNMP, syslog or flow output, identify the failing device or the event behind an alert | Monitoring |
| 3.4 Network services | DHCP and DNS settings | Complete a DHCP scope with exclusions and a gateway option, or match DNS records to what they do | official N10-009 objectives |
| 4.3 Security features | Zones and rules | Place servers in trusted, untrusted and screened-subnet zones, then pick the traffic each rule allows | Security concepts |
| 5.2 Cabling and interfaces | Read counters and port status | From interface output, decide between a cable fault, an err-disabled port and an administrative shutdown | Cable and interface issues |
| 5.3 Network services issues | Find the misconfiguration | Spot the wrong mask, gateway or VLAN in a set of host and switch settings | Service and performance issues |
| 5.4 Performance | Name the cause | From ping or monitoring results, separate latency, loss, jitter and congestion | Service and performance issues |
| 5.5 Tools | Choose the tool and read its output | Pick the command that answers each question, then read what it returns | Command-line tools |
The other 15 objectives use "Explain," "Compare and contrast" or "Summarize." They still feed simulations, because you cannot assign VLANs without knowing what a trunk is. But the ten above are where practice by hand pays off most directly.
Working a Network+ simulation when the exam opens
Because most PBQs come first and no clock is visible while you work on them, the opening minutes of the exam need a plan you can follow without watching time. One approach:
- Read the whole task before touching anything. Open every tab, device or panel the simulation offers, and note exactly what it asks you to produce. It is easy to configure the right setting on the wrong device.
- Do the parts you are sure of first. CompTIA says partial credit may be given and that your work is saved, so completing the parts you understand may help even if you return to the rest later; partial credit is not guaranteed for every task.
- Set a limit by effort, not minutes. One careful read and one solid attempt. If it still is not coming together, use Next and return after the multiple-choice questions.
- Reset only when you have lost track. If your changes have tangled the configuration and you cannot tell what you altered, reset and redo it cleanly rather than patching on top.
- Do not hunt for one "expected" answer. CompTIA says there can be several ways to solve a PBQ and scoring allows for different approaches. A configuration that meets the requirements is the goal.
The N10-009 format guide turns this into a pacing plan with clock checkpoints once the simulations are behind you.
A free home lab for N10-009 hands-on skills
The back of the N10-009 objectives includes CompTIA's proposed hardware and software list for labs. Among other items, it names a protocol analyzer, terminal emulation software, Linux and Windows operating systems, a software firewall, hypervisor software, a virtual network environment, a Wi-Fi analyzer and a TFTP server. You can cover a lot of that list with free software on one computer:
| Week focus | What to do | Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Addressing by hand | Subnet five addresses a day on paper, then check them with a calculator | 1.7 |
| Your own command line | Run ping, traceroute or tracert, nslookup, dig, netstat, arp and ipconfig or ip, and explain each output line | 5.5 |
| A small virtual network | In a hypervisor, put two virtual machines on separate virtual networks and route between them through a third machine running free routing or firewall software | 2.1, 4.3 |
| Packet capture | Capture your own traffic while a laptop renews its DHCP lease and looks up a name, and find each message | 3.4, 5.5 |
| Logs | Read your operating system's logs and sort entries by syslog severity, 0 (Emergency) to 7 (Debug), as RFC 5424 numbers them | 3.2 |
| Wireless survey | Use a Wi-Fi analyzer to see which channels nearby networks use, and which would overlap | 2.3 |
Capture, scan and survey only networks you own or have permission to test.
Where single-answer practice fits
Multiple-choice questions test much of the same judgment a simulation does: which setting, which tool, which cause. The free Passy set is single-answer only and has no PBQs or simulations, so it cannot rehearse the hands-on part. What it can do is show whether your reasoning holds up, so check the reasoning behind N10-009 scenario answers and read why each wrong option fails.
Stay away from anyone selling "real" PBQs or recalled exam content. The N10-009 objectives say candidates who use brain dump material will have their certifications revoked and be suspended from future testing.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.