CompTIA Lets New Network+ Loose on the World

Ed Tittel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:07:06 +0000

With the organization’s decision to hew to ISO9000 requirements regarding training and certification, it looks like CompTIA will be refreshing and updating its credentials on a rather less leisurely schedule going forward. The latest Network+, released on January 9, is a good case in point. Though the previous version is called Network+ 2007 (it was refreshed in that year) it actually launched in 2005. Expect to see CompTIA on a pretty rigorous 2 to 3 year exam refresh cycle from here on out, though.

What’s new in Network+ 2009? Here are some random factoids:

Exam ID: N10-004 (JK0-016 Education); previous N10-003 (JK0-012 Education)
Number of questions: 100; previous 90
Cut score (minimum passing score): 720 (80%); previous 554 (62%)
A formal “Bridge Exam” for individuals who hold the N10-003/JK0-012 Network+
Substantially revised exam objectives, and a rebalancing among exam domains with new (and welcome) security, devices, and tools domains.
Lots of new/modern networking coverage, including IPv6, APIPA, authentication and encryption, wiring standards, WAN technologies, network performance optimization, and security topics galore.
The Acronym list is up to a full four pages and gives a pretty good idea of what you need to recognize and know.

I’ve always thought Network+ was a pretty good exam and credential, and this one continues solidly in that vein. Highly recommended for entry level IT workers seeking to demonstrate some basic but useful networking chops. Members pay $191 for the exam, non-members $239; the bridge exam costs $135/170 (members/non-members).

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CompTIA Lets New Network+ Loose on the World