CompTIA Network+ (N10-004) Cert Guide [Hardcover]

Anytime a certification candidate decides that a book needs to be purchased, the candidate is usually overwhelmed by the number of titles available for studying for the exam. Choosing the right book can make the difference between passing and failing.

With that said, I have had a lot of experience in studying for certification exams, including exams from CompTIA, Microsoft, and Cisco. I have used many books over the past decade or so, and I can honestly say that I think Pearson got it right here.

This book does a good job of covering the content you need to understand to pass the exam. I know...because I have taken and passed the exam. I know how the questions are worded and understand the logic that CompTIA uses for their exam. It helps that I am also a practice test developer for Transcender.

With that said, I love the fact that Mike Harwood does not go into depth when it is not needed for the exam. I remember several years ago, I used a book to study for the old version of the Network+ exam, and I spent time learning about how the Internet was founded (and, no, the book did not mention Al Gore). When I finally took the exam, I realized that all that information was not needed to pass the exam. I was so frustrated!

But this book gets to the nuts and bolts of the Network+ exam. I particularly love a few things about this book:

1. When discussing similar technologies, the author provides comparison type material, such as advantages/disadvantages. Often understanding the subtle differences is the key to answering the questions on the live exam.

2. There are LOTS of pictures, screen shots, and diagrams. This will really help when you see similar pictures and diagrams on the live exam. (And make sure you can identify the different kind of cables, connectors, and so on. This is vital for the Network+ exam.)

3. I love the use of tables and bullet points for review purposes. These are easy to find and can be reviewed right before you walk into the test center.

4. The wireless networking chapter is particularly helpful. While this technology is not new, it is relatively new to the CompTIA certification world. The wireless obstruction table on page 265 was particularly helpful!

5. The Troubleshooting Procedures and Best Practices chapter was arranged in a manner that is easily understood. I have been involved in the development of study guides. Often, the troubleshooting section is the hardest to write because problems can be caused by so many factors.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone preparing for the Network+ exam. It is also a great general reference for those who are just starting in the computer networking industry.

Robin Abernathy
A+, Network+, Server+, Security+, Project+

As someone who used this book to prep for the Network+ exam, I read every word on every page at least twice. The good news: this book sticks to the CompTIA objectives and gives you enough information to pass your exam. The bad news: it is full of layout errors, typographical errors and content errors. It looks like one person wrote most of the text for the book and then a few others took a crack at editing. Unfortunately the final product is full of inconsistently used acronyms, contradictory information, and practice questions that often have the wrong answers listed in the explanation section. Since the Network+ exam can and will quiz you on minor technical details (IEEE specs, ports, layers, cable lengths, etc.), make sure you cross-reference the information in this book with another source. Some of the worst offenders were end-of-chapter summary tables - resources which would have been a useful resource, otherwise. I also thought coverage on some topics was a little light (e.g. routing protocols), and some simplifications can lead the reader to an incorrect conclusion.

But, even with these flaws, this Cert Guide should help you pass your Network+ exam... though with so many other quality titles on the market, it's hard to recommend this as your primary guide. With a little bit of proofreading and fact checking, this could have been a 5-star title.

OH - almost forgot - the included practice exam was great! Very similar to the actual Network+ in terms of difficulty and style.

Let's make this review short and sweet so you can make your final decision and start studying for the exam. That's what you're here for right?

I took this book and started reading it from cover to cover back in August 2010. I started by taking notes and working the quizzes at the end of each chapter. The book was well laid out and was not overly complicated to follow. This is very nice if you are just starting to get familiar with networking concepts.

Keep in mind, you must know the CompTIA Network+ objectives in order to pass the exam. Reading this book will help you understand everything that is needed in order to do so. Between the overall structure of the chapters and the included practice exam on the CD, I felt that Pearson's CompTIA Network+ Cert Guide provided all the information needed in order to take and pass the exam.

After four months of studying with this book I took the CompTIA Network+ N10-004 exam. Thankfully, I passed the exam! I can honestly say that if it wasn't for this book being so thorough, yet easy to follow, I'm not sure I would have passed at all.

Thank you Mike Harwood and Pearson for helping me pass the exam!

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