New Version of CompTIA Network+ Exam Now Available

We haven't quite gotten to the point at which you can't roll out of bed in the morning without the mattress alerting the hot water heater to begin preparing your shower, while the coffeemaker fires up in the kitchen and the toaster pings the breadbox for a couple of slices of whole wheat. The world is trending in that direction, however, and skill at networking is becoming a more valuable commodity every day.

With the rapidly advancing Internet of Things calling for more connectivity than ever before, the field of network technology is racing to stay abreast of new development. The pace of change is one reason behind the announcement, earlier this week, of CompTIA's latest revision to its popular Network+ exam. The new exam, N10-006, has been in the works for months, with information about its content popping up here and there, in recent weeks.

According to CompTIA media materials, the new exam hews to changes in the field of networking technology by emphasizing the rapidly emerging discipline of software defined networking and giving increased attention to the all-important field of network security. The new exam has many of the same parameters as its immediate predecessor, N10-005, but is notably 10 questions shorter (90 total questions, as opposed N10-005's 100). The same time limit (90 minutes) and required passing score (720 out of 900) apply.

In addition to dialing up new content about software defined networking and security, N10-006 has patched in info from other networking hotspots. Revisions to the exam content also address the impact of cloud and virtualization technology, advances in wireless and mobile technology, digital forensics, network segmentation, troubleshooting, and the continuing gradual switchover to IPv6 addressing.

Network+ is a fairly venerable credential: It's been on the market since 2000, and more than 400,000 IT pros have added it to their resume since its debut. Even before the conversation about the Internet of Things heated up, networking was seen as a growth field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that the number of jobs in the field would grow by 12 percent between 2012 and 2022.

CompTIA typically refreshes its exams every three years, but Network+ has taken a little longer than the norm to turn over a new leaf: The previous version, N10-005, was released in December 2011. If you're already deep into a regimen of study for N10-005, don't despair. The option to take the old exam will remain in place through the end of August. Additional information about Network+ is available online.