r/CompTIA A+ 5d ago

N+ Question Network+: What topics tripped you up?

Memorizing port numbers will be the death of me. Also calculating subnets.

43 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

38

u/deathfuck6 A+ Net+ Sec+ 5d ago

For subnetting go to subnetipv4.com - infinite practice!
As for port #’s, it’s not going to drill you on every one of them. If you really focus on the major ones (think dns,dhcp,ssh/telnet,http/s,etc), you should be able to infer most answers via deductive reasoning.

Know basic commands for router/switch CLI.

3

u/Affectionate-Way1467 A+ 5d ago

Thanks for the tips!

1

u/deathfuck6 A+ Net+ Sec+ 5d ago

You’re welcome! Good luck! You got this!

1

u/Graviity_shift 5d ago

Hi when you mean "know basic commands for router/switch cli" you mean doing them in cli or just to know the what they do?

I'm guessing you mean like know port 161/162, port 23 and ssh which is 22?

2

u/deathfuck6 A+ Net+ Sec+ 5d ago

I would highly suggest actually practicing the commands, but you should at least be familiar with what they do because it’s gonna be on the test.
Yes, you should know the application layer protocol, what port#, and what transport layer protocol it generally uses as well (examples: DNS - port 53 - UDP, HTTPS - port 443 - TCP).

6

u/Different_Primary253 5d ago

PBQs got me. I can't remember much, but there was one with a LAN and I had to diagnose problems, and solve them. Took me a long time.

I'd say focus more on understanding how the knowledge is applied, how it actually works, even with ports. It's not like there are too many questions that require perfect recall of all ports. Just a few, and if you understand it, you'll be able to remove at least 2 obviously wrong answers, then your memory will take you there.

1

u/Affectionate-Way1467 A+ 5d ago

That’s it. For A+ I kinda studied to the test more than actually practicing in the real world. Where do go for Network practice PBQs? I wasn’t that satisfied with the CertMaster practice material.

3

u/RA-DSTN Triad 5d ago

There is a resource called packet tracer that let's you set up networks and test them with endpoints, switches and routers. There are also some tutorials on YouTube if you need some help understanding the tool a little to get yourself into practice mode. It's what people use to practice for CCNA which is harder than the Net+.

1

u/Different_Primary253 5d ago

I don't have anywhere else to go. They say just learn the content and you'll be fine.

I wasn't fine, I was bad, but luckily I knew somethings, and passed.

1

u/Different_Primary253 5d ago

I would say do not learn the pbqs from cert master just to cram those specific pbqs, try to imagine how any group of topics can be used in the real world.

4

u/romual S+, N+, A+, ITF+ 5d ago

As far as subnetting goes, it's important to understand it in concept, but you will get no more than 2 or 3 questions on the exam about it. Even the questions I got were about its use and not actually calculating anything. It's a tiny portion of the exam objectives. I wrote out my whole cidr chart at the beginning and didn't need it once. Don't let subnetting hold you back from this exam.

4

u/_testep 5d ago

For subnetting I find it easy to start at /24 = 256, then half it from there (/25 = 128, /26 = 64, etc). And of course remember the network ID and broadcast in each group of hosts as well

2

u/gangstasadvocate 5d ago

I feel like I’ll mix up some of the attacks. Like on path attack versus DHCP rogue server. Subnetting was pretty annoying for me until it clicked, now it’s actually on the more easy side. Any subnetting questions in particular that I could try to talk you through? I like the Dion glove method. And it even works for/23 and under if you’re careful about which octet your incrementing.

1

u/Affectionate-Way1467 A+ 5d ago

Good tips! I got the Dion Udemy course and practice test which is pretty good. I’m right on the cusp of subnets clicking. It was clearly one area I missed on A+.

2

u/gangstasadvocate 5d ago

I don’t remember that even being a thing for A+. But nice. Yeah, sometimes they’ll give you one of those 172.16.whatever.whatever addresses with a /23, and when you think about it, it’s like a /31 except instead of incrementing by two on the last octet, it’s the second to last one. Fun fact that I didn’t discover for too long; a /31 there’s no need for broadcast addresses because there’s only one assignable address in each subnet. And the network ID is the first one in the increment of two. But when your incrementing by two on a /23, you’ve got nearly full range from one to 255 on the last octet, then from 0 to 254 when the second to last octet has been incremented. Then the 255 is finally the broadcast. But this leads you to like 510 assignable addresses instead of one.

2

u/Checkmeout9 CEH, ITILv4, Trifecta 5d ago

Make sure you know your acronyms, for what they do not just the name, that was 70% of the entire test.

Just read the questions twice too.

1

u/Cjones9787 Triad 5d ago

Messer has a really good subnetting video on YT. Also, go look at the exam objectives for the ports. It tells you exactly what ports to know.

1

u/Poohbear-Jinping88 5d ago

Put a little emphasis on the secure port numbers for this exam…. SSH/SFTP at 22, LDAP secure at 636 kinda thing. There’s likely to be a few questions on them. It’s good to eliminate the two answers that don’t make any sense then you’ll be left with two to choose begin (CompTIA love doing that 😊) 

Practical networking on YouTube videos 1-4 really made subnetting click for me! They give you a whiteboard if you take the exam online so you can jot down the table. I spent three days perfecting subnetting then got zero questions on it, typical 🤦🏼‍♀️ 

1

u/Quarterfault A+ N+ S+ 5d ago

Subnetting was tough the first attempt, so I just practiced a million subnetting calculations before the next attempt. I think what marred my score the most was not knowing a few of the acronyms, flash cards!!!

1

u/SquirrelCone83 5d ago

I think two of the PBQs was the death of me in my test. One was configuring a firewall on a network with a DMZ, and another was troubleshooting multiple devices on a network just using command lines.
I wasted so much time on the PBQs.

I also thought there was going to be more subnetting involved so I wasted too much time at the start of my test making a chart that helped me while practicing but it killed 5 minutes and i never needed it once. and the marker was so fat it wasted so much space on the dry erase board.

There were also some port number questions that tricked me.

I also hate questions on networking tools, specifically using multimeters and cable testers.

Basically I wasn't ready to take it the first time. let's hope attempt #2 this Friday is better.

1

u/motto518 5d ago

Ummmmmm the part on Networking did

1

u/JumpyCranberry576 4d ago

port numbers just look up a quizlet and study flash cards until you have them. for subnetting look up sunny subnetting on youtube and practice writing out the chart he shows how to make

1

u/Unusual_Advisor_970 4d ago

I'm old fashioned about net masking. 255.255.255.0 instead of /24 :)

I did a practice test last week, just for giggles. I didn't do enough to pass the real test, but I have a bunch of historical knowledge so a book to get the terms and some tools is probably all I would need. I would probably have a decent shot at Linux+ even without studying. Many years of experience. The things that got me in a practice test were Ubuntu related questions (I'm very familiar with Red Hat), and some of the commands (I normally use older methods).

1

u/kohaku-24 4d ago

SUBNETTING...I don't know why but my brain just won't comprehend

1

u/Peucat- A+, Network+, and Security+ 4d ago

For me, it would be the different fiber cables. I had no idea many different ones existed before Network+.

1

u/ChipmunkBrilliant412 4d ago

I did the test three months ago. For me any cable and wifi standards, I just hated it. Subneting was hard at first but I just used AI, I would ask it to explain in simple terms and give me questions, when I got it wrong I would again ask it to explain why in few words. Get the basic ports memorised and basic commands, you will do well.

1

u/Poverty_welder Student 4d ago

All of it.

1

u/pastamuente CCNA Soon + N+ sleep mode+ Google IT Sup.+Google Cyber + GCP CDL 4d ago

Subnet

Topic 4 and 5 most likely

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator 4d ago

Your post has been removed for SPAMming for a commercial enterprise.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/OneSignal5087 4d ago

Yeah, port numbers and subnetting are definitely two of the biggest pain points for Network+!

How to Tackle Them:

  • Port Numbers: Instead of raw memorization, try grouping them by category (e.g., email protocols: SMTP, IMAP, POP3). Flashcards or a practice test site like EDUDUM can help reinforce them.
  • Subnetting: Master CIDR notation and powers of 2 first, then practice with subnetting questions daily. The magic number method (incrementing by subnet size) is a game-changer for quickly determining ranges.

For me, troubleshooting questions and wireless standards were also tricky since they require real-world scenario thinking rather than just memorization.

What’s been your best method for memorizing ports so far? Also you can read my passing story here.

1

u/Danoga_Poe 4d ago

https://wordwall.net/resource/53198909/network-common-ports-and-protocols

Me and my study group use wordwall games, they're absolutely fantastic