Detailed Exam Domain Coverage

The CompTIA Network+ N10-009 certification exam requires a thorough understanding of modern networking ecosystems. To ensure complete preparation, the practice tests in this course comprehensively cover every single official domain:

Networking Concepts (23%): Deep dive into the OSI model layers, essential network protocols, port mappings, topologies, cabling standards, and precise IP addressing/subnetting mechanics.
Network Implementation (20%): Practical scenarios covering routing, switching, firewall configurations, virtualization deployment, storage area networks (SAN/NAS), and WAN infrastructure design.
Network Operations (19%): Core strategies for network performance monitoring, configuration documentation, business continuity, disaster recovery, and the basics of network automation.
Network Security (14%): Security architecture fundamentals, cryptographic protocols, wireless security standards (WPA2/WPA3), threat mitigation infrastructure, and organizational security policies.
Network Troubleshooting (24%): Systematic troubleshooting methodologies to diagnose hardware, software, wireless, and general connectivity issues using key terminal tools.

Course Description

Earning a core networking credential requires more than just memorizing definitions. You need to understand how configurations impact a live environment and how to isolate faults systematically. I designed these practice tests to match the structural depth and balancing of the official CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam. This question bank functions as a diagnostic tool to evaluate your strong suits and uncover any hidden knowledge gaps before you sit for the actual exam.

Every scenario presented here mimics real-world infrastructure challenges, forcing you to apply the OSI model, subnetting logic, and security hardening principles practically. Instead of superficial question variants, I have built comprehensive explanations for every single option. This ensures you understand exactly why a specific configuration or protocol is correct, and why the alternative options fail to meet the scenario requirements. This methodology transforms practice testing into an active learning process, reinforcing technical concepts and building the mental stamina needed for exam day.

Practice Questions Preview

Question 1

A network administrator needs to securely transfer a backup configuration file from an on-premises workstation to a remote, cloud-hosted router. The transmission must ensure that both the authentication credentials and the actual data payload are fully encrypted using Secure Shell (SSH). Which protocol and default port should be utilized for this task?

Options:
- A. FTP over SSL (FTPS) on TCP port 990
- B. SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) on TCP port 22
- C. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) on UDP port 69
- D. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) on TCP port 21
- E. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) on TCP port 443
- F. Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) on UDP port 22
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
- Overall Explanation: The scenario explicitly mandates an SSH-based file transfer mechanism to protect credentials and data. SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) runs natively inside an SSH session over TCP port 22, satisfying all conditions.
- Option Breakdown:
  - A. FTP over SSL (FTPS) on TCP port 990: Incorrect. While FTPS provides robust encryption, it utilizes Transport Layer Security (TLS/SSL) rather than SSH as the underlying transport architecture.
  - B. SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) on TCP port 22: Correct. SFTP provides secure file management and transfer capabilities completely wrapped inside a Secure Shell (SSH) protocol session over TCP port 22.
  - C. Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) on UDP port 69: Incorrect. TFTP is a simple, connectionless protocol that sends data in cleartext without any form of authentication or encryption, making it highly insecure.
  - D. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) on TCP port 21: Incorrect. Legacy FTP transmits both user credentials and data blocks in cleartext, exposing the network to credential theft via packet sniffing.
  - E. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) on TCP port 443: Incorrect. HTTPS uses TLS/SSL to secure web traffic, not SSH, and is not the primary standard choice for native router configuration file backups.
  - F. Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) on UDP port 22: Incorrect. Although SCP relies on SSH for security, it operates over TCP port 22, not UDP.

Question 2

A company is upgrading its wireless infrastructure to support WPA3 Enterprise across the campus. Which authentication framework must be deployed on the backend network to validate individual user credentials against the corporate directory before granting wireless access?

Options:
- A. Pre-Shared Key (PSK)
- B. Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)
- C. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) direct bind
- D. Network Address Translation (NAT)
- E. Simple Network Management Protocol version 3 (SNMPv3)
- F. Captive Portal configuration
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
- Overall Explanation: WPA3 Enterprise relies on the 802.1X framework to pass authentication data between clients and a centralized authentication server. A RADIUS server acts as this central broker, validating the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) transactions against the backend directory.
- Option Breakdown:
  - A. Pre-Shared Key (PSK): Incorrect. PSK is used in WPA3 Personal (SAE) configurations where a single passphrase is shared among users, rather than individualized enterprise authentication.
  - B. Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS): Correct. RADIUS provides the AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) platform required to handle 802.1X/EAP authentication requests for enterprise wireless networks.
  - C. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) direct bind: Incorrect. Wireless access points cannot directly bind via LDAP to validate 802.1X wireless clients; an intermediary AAA server like RADIUS is structurally required.
  - D. Network Address Translation (NAT): Incorrect. NAT is a routing functionality used to remap one IP address space into another, having no role in identity authentication.
  - E. Simple Network Management Protocol version 3 (SNMPv3): Incorrect. SNMPv3 is designed for secure network device management, monitoring, and alerts, not user access authentication.
  - F. Captive Portal configuration: Incorrect. Captive portals are web pages used primarily for guest networks to gather basic acceptance or web authentication, distinct from native 802.1X WPA3 Enterprise validation.

Question 3

Users on a specific local subnet report that they can access internal servers by typing their exact IP addresses, but they cannot open any internal web tools or external websites using domain names. A technician verifies that the workstation network configurations are applied correctly. Which diagnostic command-line tool should the technician use first to isolate this issue, and what is the likely structural point of failure?

Options:
- A. ping to test ICMP reachability to the default gateway
- B. traceroute to isolate where packets are dropped along the external path
- C. nslookup to query the designated Domain Name System (DNS) server
- D. netstat to check active TCP connections on the client machine
- E. ipconfig /all to verify the local MAC address alignment
- F. arp -a to inspect the local address resolution cache
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
- Overall Explanation: The ability to connect via IP combined with the inability to connect via domain names points directly to a failure in name resolution. The nslookup tool allows the technician to query the DNS server manually to check if it is responding to name resolution requests.
- Option Breakdown:
  - A. ping to test ICMP reachability to the default gateway: Incorrect. Network layer reachability is already proven because users can access internal assets via their IP addresses.
  - B. traceroute to isolate where packets are dropped along the external path: Incorrect. This tool isolates physical routing path drops, which is premature since name resolution is failing before the connection attempt even occurs.
  - C. nslookup to query the designated Domain Name System (DNS) server: Correct. nslookup directly tests the DNS subsystem, allowing the technician to verify if the local DNS server is down, misconfigured, or blocking port 53 traffic.
  - D. netstat to check active TCP connections on the client machine: Incorrect. netstat shows active network sockets and statistics, which will not explain why a domain name cannot be converted into an IP address.
  - E. ipconfig /all to verify the local MAC address alignment: Incorrect. ipconfig displays local IP configuration values, and it does not display or align MAC addresses for external resolution path validation.
  - F. arp -a to inspect the local address resolution cache: Incorrect. ARP maps IP addresses to local hardware MAC addresses, whereas this issue involves mapping application-layer domain names to network-layer IP addresses.

Welcome to the Mock Exam Practice Tests Academy to help you prepare for your CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam.
You can retake the exams as many times as you want
This is a huge original question bank
You get support from instructors if you have questions
Each question has a detailed explanation
Mobile-compatible with the Udemy app

I hope that by now you're convinced! And there are a lot more questions inside the course.