The accomplishment of signing up for and actually taking the Network+ exam is no small feat. Many network engineers have avoided certification exams for years. The following sections discuss your options after exam day.
If you passed the exam, you will receive your official CompTIA certificate in about six weeks (eight weeks internationally) after exam day. Your certificate will be mailed to the address you provided when you registered for the exam.
When you receive your certificate, you may want to frame it and put it on a wall. A certificate hanging on a wall is much harder to lose than a certificate in a filing cabinet or random folder. You never know when an employer or academic institution could request a copy.
Your Network+ certification is valid for three years. To keep your certificate valid, you must either pass the Network+ exam again, pass a higher-level CompTIA certification, or complete 30 continuing education units (CEUs). You can track all your CompTIA certifications and register for CEUs at the following website:
https://www.certmetrics.com/comptia/login.aspx
After passing the Network+ exam, you may wish to pursue a higher-level CompTIA certification. The hierarchy of exams, from high to low, are as follows:
1. CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)
2. Security+
3. Network+
4. A+
However, if you wish to pursue a career in networking, why not consider a vendor-specific certification? Cisco Systems is the leader in the networking field and their certification exams are among the most highly regarded in the industry.
Cisco has many certifications, but the starting place is definitely the routing and switching Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices 1 (ICND1) exam. Successfully passing this exam gets you the right to call yourself a Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT). After that, you can choose several paths, including Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching, Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA Security), Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA), and several others.
Although passing one of the many CCNA exams is not an easy task, it is the starting point for more advanced Cisco certifications such as the Cisco Certified Network Professional exams. To learn more about Cisco certifications, visit The Cisco Learning Network at https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications.
If you fail your first attempt at the Network+ exam, you must wait at least 5 calendar days after the day of the exam to retest. Stay motivated and sign up to take the exam again within a 30-day period of your first attempt. The score report outlines your weaknesses. Find a study group, use online resources, and obtain additional study materials to help you with those difficult topics.
If you are familiar with the general concepts, focus on taking practice exams and memorizing the small details that make the exam so difficult. Consider your first attempt as a formal practice exam and excellent preparation to pass the second attempt.
Whether you display your certificate and update your resume or prepare to conquer the exam on your second attempt, remember to marvel at the innovation and creativity behind each concept you learn. The ability of our society to continually improve communication will keep you learning, discovering, and employed for a lifetime.