Free CompTIA Network+ N10-009 V9 Certification Exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 V9 Certification Exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A switch forwards a frame to a host on the same LAN using a MAC address. Which OSI layer describes this forwarding function?

   1. A. Physical layer
   2. B. Data link layer
   3. C. Network layer
   4. D. Transport layer

   Answer: B

   Explanation: IBM states, "When the DLL receives a packet from the network layer, it divides the packet into data “frames”" and transmits it using the host's MAC address. This places same-LAN frame forwarding at the data link layer.

   Reference: What Is the OSI Model? | IBM — Layer 2: The data link layer

2. 2A manually configured static route remains in configuration after a topology change, but its next hop is no longer correct. What updates its path?

   1. A. Wait for a routing update to replace the next hop automatically
   2. B. Manually reconfigure the route's next hop
   3. C. Change its administrative distance without changing the next hop
   4. D. Change its metric without changing the next hop

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Cisco states, "static routes are not automatically updated and must be manually reconfigured if the network topology changes." Thus the path needs a manual next-hop change. A routing update cannot alter this static route, and merely changing distance or metric leaves its incorrect next hop in place.

   Reference: Cisco IPv6 Routing: Static Routing — Static Routes

3. 3An administrator needs to document assignable IPv4 ranges by site and VLAN. Which inventory capability directly handles those address pools?

   1. A. IP address management (IPAM)
   2. B. Cable map management
   3. C. Wireless heat map management
   4. D. Rack unit inventory management

   Answer: A

   Explanation: IBM IP address management says, "Prefixes can be marked as pools, which allow the Site Planner to treat them as a range of assignable IP addresses." This tracks assignable address space, including site and VLAN assignments.

   Reference: IBM IP Address Management — Prefixes

4. 4A file is encrypted while stored on a disk and is not being transferred or processed. Which data state does this protect?

   1. A. Data in transit over a link
   2. B. Data at rest on storage
   3. C. Data in use in memory
   4. D. Data in transit during a backup transfer

   Answer: B

   Explanation: IBM describes data at rest as "data in storage, such as sitting in a cloud drive, local hard disk drive or archive." The file is on disk. A and D describe transfer; C describes active processing.

   Reference: IBM: What Is Data Loss Prevention? — Data states, Data at rest

5. 5A user reports intermittent loss of connectivity. Before forming a cause theory, what should the technician do to understand the observed behavior?

   1. A. Question the user about the symptoms
   2. B. Replace the edge switch
   3. C. Declare the router defective
   4. D. Close the ticket after a ping succeeds

   Answer: A

   Explanation: CompTIA places "Question users" and "Identify symptoms" under identifying the problem. Those observations should precede component replacement, a diagnosis, or closure.

   Reference: CompTIA Network+ N10-009 V9 Exam Objectives — Domain 5.1, troubleshooting methodology

6. 6Which OSI layer selects a path for traffic between different IP networks?

   1. A. Data link layer
   2. B. Session layer
   3. C. Network layer
   4. D. Transport layer

   Answer: C

   Explanation: IBM explains, "The network layer determines the best path (routing) for data to travel between nodes." Routing across different networks is therefore a network-layer function.

   Reference: What Is the OSI Model? | IBM — Layer 3: The network layer

7. 7Which routing protocol exchanges routing information between different autonomous systems on the Internet?

   1. A. OSPF
   2. B. EIGRP
   3. C. BGP
   4. D. RIP

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Cisco says, "The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is an exterior gateway protocol" and describes interdomain exchange between autonomous systems. OSPF, EIGRP, and RIP are interior protocols, so they do not identify the interdomain protocol asked for.

   Reference: Cisco: Border Gateway Protocol Information — BGP overview and autonomous systems

8. 8A provider and customer need a written statement of the network service and its expected performance. Which document serves that purpose?

   1. A. Service-level agreement
   2. B. Equipment rack diagram
   3. C. Network cable map
   4. D. IP address allocation table

   Answer: A

   Explanation: IBM defines an SLA as "a contract between a service provider and a customer that defines the service to be provided and the level of performance to be expected." The other records document infrastructure rather than the service commitment.

   Reference: IBM What Is an SLA? — What is an SLA?

9. 9Which security framework issues, maintains, and revokes public key certificates?

   1. A. PKI
   2. B. RADIUS
   3. C. SIEM
   4. D. NAC

   Answer: A

   Explanation: NIST defines PKI as "A framework that is established to issue, maintain and revoke public key certificates." RADIUS handles network authentication, SIEM analyzes security events, and NAC controls device admission.

   Reference: NIST CSRC Glossary: Public Key Infrastructure — Definitions, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

10. 10A failure began just after maintenance. During problem identification, which question directly checks whether the timing points to a change?

    1. A. What changed immediately before the failure?
    2. B. Which users can reproduce the failure?
    3. C. Which symptoms can be observed now?
    4. D. Which device logs contain the failure?

    Answer: A

    Explanation: CompTIA lists "Determine if anything has changed" within Identify the problem. The other questions can gather useful evidence, but only A directly checks whether a recent change preceded this failure.

    Reference: CompTIA Network+ N10-009 V9 Exam Objectives — Domain 5.1, troubleshooting methodology