It’s one of the most common questions people ask when they start working toward a CompTIA certification: Do I need Network+ before Security+, or can I go straight to Security+?
There’s no single right answer for everyone. But there is a right answer for you, and it comes down to how comfortable you are with networking right now. This post breaks down what each exam covers and gives you a quick self-check to help you decide.
What Network+ Covers
CompTIA Network+ is all about how networks work: how they’re designed, configured, managed, and fixed when something breaks. The current exam (N10-009) has five domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Networking Concepts | 23% |
| Network Implementation | 20% |
| Network Operations | 19% |
| Network Security | 14% |
| Network Troubleshooting | 24% |
You’ll face up to 90 questions in 90 minutes and need a 720 (on a 100–900 scale) to pass.
If you’re newer to IT, Network+ gives you the vocabulary and mental models everything else builds on: IP addressing and subnetting, what common protocols actually do, how switches and routers move traffic, and how to troubleshoot step by step.
What Security+ Covers
Security+ assumes you already understand how networks and systems talk to each other, then adds the security layer on top. It covers threats and attacks, secure architecture, security operations, and governance and risk.
CompTIA recommends (but doesn’t require) that Security+ candidates have Network+ and some hands-on IT experience first. That recommendation exists for a reason: a lot of security questions only make sense if you understand the network behavior underneath them. A question about a suspicious connection on port 445 is hard to answer if you don’t know what normally uses port 445.
One timing note: Security+ is moving to a new version (SY0-801), expected to launch in mid-November 2026, with the current SY0-701 available into mid-2027. Either version earns you the same certification. Just make sure your study materials match the exam you book.
The 60-Second Self-Check
Answer these honestly:
- Can I explain what an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway each do?
- Do I know roughly what DNS, DHCP, HTTP/HTTPS, SSH, and RDP are used for, and which ports they use?
- Could I describe what happens, step by step, when I type a website address into a browser?
- Do I understand the difference between a switch, a router, and a firewall?
- When I read a security article that mentions “lateral movement” or “port scanning,” does the network part make sense?
Mostly “not really”? Start with Network+. You’ll spend less total time and get less frustrated than if you jump into Security+ with gaps in your foundation.
Mostly “yes”? Go straight to Security+. You can fill the occasional networking gap while you study.
When Network+ First Makes Sense
- You’re new to IT or changing careers from a non-technical field
- Subnetting, ports, and protocols still feel fuzzy
- You’re also open to networking, systems, or infrastructure roles, not only security
- You learn best by building a solid foundation before specializing
When to Go Straight to Security+
- You’ve worked help desk, desktop support, or systems administration and use networking concepts every day
- You’ve already studied networking on your own or in a course
- Your goal is a security role, and you want to get there as efficiently as possible
- You’re disciplined enough to pause and fill networking gaps as they come up
Plenty of successful security professionals took this route. They treated networking as a supporting skill rather than a separate certification.
How the Two Work Together
Network+ and Security+ aren’t competitors. They’re layers. Network+ teaches how the system works. Security+ teaches how to protect it. Some people earn both, and that combination is common on resumes for SOC analyst and junior security roles. Others earn Security+ and build networking knowledge on the job. Both paths work.
What doesn’t work is skipping the networking knowledge entirely. Whether or not you get the certification, you’ll need to understand it.
The Final Byte
The right order depends on where you’re starting, not on a fixed rule. If networking concepts still feel fuzzy, Network+ first will make Security+ easier and your foundation stronger. If you already understand how networks work, go straight to Security+ and save yourself the time. Take the self-check, be honest with yourself, and pick the path that closes your biggest gap first.
Not sure where you fit? Kingsland University’s accredited online Cybersecurity Program starts with cyber and network security foundations before moving into defensive and offensive security, so you build the base and the specialty together. Talk to an enrollment advisor about your background and goals.