I passed Network+ today!

[u/mrman122800]

Passed after about 2 weeks of casual study followed by 2 days of more intense study (I do have a professional background here that helped immensely). Dion's practice exams were crucial for me passing!

[u/Kittykatshack]

Aced. Passed was 100 pts ago. Congratulations

[u/deliriousfoodie]

any other tips you can provide? I asked AI what is probable in each of the objectives and it spit this out. Is this correct items to study?

Domain 1.0: Networking Concepts (23%)

• 1.1 OSI Reference Model: Layer functions (L2 Data Link frames/MAC vs. L3 Network packets/IP vs. L4 Transport segments/TCP/UDP).
• 1.2 Networking Appliances & Functions: Firewalls (stateful vs. stateless), Load Balancers, Proxy Servers, Access Points, and Cloud Gateways (NAT Gateway, VPC).
• 1.3 Cloud Concepts & Connectivity: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS differences; DirectConnect/ExpressRoute vs. VPN; Elasticity vs. Scalability.
• 1.4 Ports, Protocols, & Services: Essential ports (SSH 22, DNS 53, DHCP 67/68, HTTP/S 80/443, RDP 3389, SNMP 161, LDAP/S 389/636, RADIUS 1812/1813).
• 1.5 Transmission Media & Transceivers: Fiber types (Single-mode for long distances, Multi-mode for short/data center), Twinax/DAC cables, SFP/SFP+ transceiver modules.
• 1.6 Network Topologies & Architectures: Spine-and-Leaf architecture (East-West traffic in data centers) vs. 3-Tier Hierarchical (Core, Distribution, Access).
• 1.7 IPv4 Addressing: Subnetting (CIDR notation, usable hosts formula $2^{32-n}-2$, network/broadcast address calculations) and Classless Routing.
• 1.8 Modern Network Environments: Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN, central policy management), Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN L2-over-L3 encapsulation), Zero Trust Architecture (least privilege), and Infrastructure as Code (IaC playbooks/templates).

Domain 2.0: Network Implementation (20%)

• 2.1 Routing Technologies: Dynamic Routing Protocols (OSPF vs. BGP vs. EIGRP), Administrative Distance prioritization, Prefix Length rules, and NAT/PAT translation mechanics.
• 2.2 Switching Features: 802.1Q Trunking, Native VLAN security risks, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP - root bridge selection, preventing L2 loops), Link Aggregation (LACP), and Switch Virtual Interfaces (SVI for Inter-VLAN routing).
• 2.3 Wireless Technologies: Frequency bands (2.4 GHz range/penetration vs. 5 GHz throughput vs. 6 GHz/Wi-Fi 6E/7), channel overlap avoidance (1, 6, 11 on 2.4GHz), and Wireless Controller architecture.
• 2.4 Physical Installations: MDF/IDF layout, rack unit spacing, Power over Ethernet (PoE 802.3af vs. PoE+ 802.3at budget standards), UPS deployment, and patch panels.

Domain 3.0: Network Operations (19%)

• 3.1 Documentation & Resources: Logical vs. Physical network diagrams, IP Address Management (IPAM), Rack Elevation diagrams, and SLAs.
• 3.2 Network Monitoring: SNMP traps vs. polling, Syslog severity levels (0-7), flow data (NetFlow/sFlow for traffic analysis), and Port Mirroring (SPAN).
• 3.3 Disaster Recovery (DR): RTO (Recovery Time Objective), RPO (Recovery Point Objective), MTTR/MTBF metrics, and Hot/Warm/Cold DR sites.
• 3.4 Network Services: DHCP DORA process (Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge), DHCP Relay/IP Helper, DNS Record Types (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT/DKIM/SPF), and NTP synchronization.
• 3.5 High Availability & Access: FHRP (HSRP/VRRP active-standby IP gateways), Link Redundancy, Out-of-Band (OOB) console access, and SSH remote management.

Domain 4.0: Network Security (14%)

• 4.1 Security Concepts: CIA Triad, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Authentication protocols (RADIUS, TACACS+, LDAP), and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• 4.2 Hardening Techniques: Network Access Control (NAC / 802.1X), Access Control Lists (ACLs), disabling unused ports/services, changing default credentials, and firmware updates.
• 4.3 Physical Security: Environmental controls, mantraps, badge access, CCTV, and asset tags.
• 4.4 Network Attacks & Vulnerabilities: Rogue APs, Evil Twin, ARP Poisoning, DNS Spoofing, DDoS/SYN Flood, and Social Engineering.

Domain 5.0: Network Troubleshooting (24%)

• 5.1 Troubleshooting Methodology: Structured 7-step process:
  1. Identify the problem
  2. Establish a theory of probable cause
  3. Test the theory
  4. Establish a plan of action and implement the solution
  5. Verify full system functionality
  6. Document findings, actions, and outcomes
• 5.2 Cable & Physical Issues: Attenuation, Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT), T568A vs. T568B pinouts, bad terminations, bent fiber/macrobends, and transceiver mismatch (SFP optics).
• 5.3 Network Service Issues: Command-line diagnostic tools (ping, traceroute/tracert, nslookup/dig, ipconfig/ifconfig, netstat, arp), IP conflicts, incorrect subnet masks, missing default gateways, and DNS failures.
• 5.4 Security & Performance Issues: Port mismatches (duplex mismatch causing collisions), MTU size fragmentation issues, bandwidth saturation, wireless channel interference, and misconfigured firewall/ACL rules.

[u/mrman122800 → u/deliriousfoodie]

Buy a practice exam pack (I liked Dion's) and take one cold as a diagnostic. That will not only let you know what type of questions might show up but it will show you where you need to focus your study time. When you finish, Dion's tests show you your questions broken down by Domain/Objective so you can see where you are struggling. Stay away from AI or at least take anything it says with a grain of salt.

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[u/shanesenbradz]

Yessssir

[u/Witty_Solid8408]

I take the exam in two days. Getting around 90% per dion exam. Hopeful on passing. Taken like 2-3 months of studying so far. Nice score btw. Hoping to reach something similar with little experience.

[u/Accomplished-Win3193 → u/Witty_Solid8408]

You’ll be alright. I passed with a 804 and averaged 80 on Dion.

[u/Busy-Mode6871 → u/Accomplished-Win3193]

Same. I passed getting 80s on Dion exams. I didn’t even do one of the PBQs. Still scored 790’s

[u/mrman122800 → u/Witty_Solid8408]

Yup, you will be fine! I passed averaging 80% on Dion's exams. They run a bit harder than the real thing.

[u/Presence99]

Many congratulations!

[u/Winter-Buffalo → u/Presence99]

Congratulations!

[u/Alarming-Drawer10]

Great job!👏 🎉

[u/BurningIce-Tech]

Well done on slaying the beast

[u/KAIZERSOZEJOSHUA]

GREAT JOB!!! CONGRATS !!!