- Which Credential This Cheat Sheet Covers
- Exam Snapshot: Fees, Format, Timer and Score
- The Five Objective Headings at a Glance
- IPv4, IPv6 and Addressing Quick Facts
- DNS Records, DHCP and NAT Essentials
- Port Numbers Worth Memorizing
- Windows and Linux Diagnostic Commands, Paired
- A Troubleshooting Flow You Can Recite
- Not to Be Confused With: Lookalike Credentials
- Validity, Renewal and Career Context
- One Week-by-Week Plan Built Around the Objectives
- Frequently Asked Questions
- This is the Pearson/Certiport IT Specialist - Networking exam: 35-45 questions, 50 minutes, passing score 700 on a 1-1000 scale.
- The US retail voucher with retake is USD 133; the original voucher expires after one year and the retake code within 60 days.
- Five objective headings drive the exam: Networking Fundamentals, Network Infrastructures, Network Hardware, Protocols and Services, and Troubleshooting.
- Know Windows and Linux diagnostic commands as pairs, because the objectives cover both toolsets.
Which Credential This Cheat Sheet Covers
"ITS-N" on this page means one thing: the Information Technology Specialist - Networking exam, delivered under Pearson's IT Specialist program and administered through Certiport, a Pearson VUE business. The provider title is "IT Specialist - Networking." It is not Network Security, not Cisco CCST Networking, not CCNA, not CompTIA Network+, and not the legacy Microsoft MTA 98-366. If you want the plain-language background first, start with What Is ITS-N? or What Does ITS-N Stand For?.
Everything below is built from the official Pearson exam-objectives document (copyright 2025, three pages) and Certiport's published program policies. Where the official sources do not give a number, this cheat sheet does not invent one.
Exam Snapshot: Fees, Format, Timer and Score
Keep this table as your one-glance reference for logistics. Details on each item live in the dedicated articles on certification cost, passing score and exam dates and scheduling.
| Item | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Credential | IT Specialist - Networking (Pearson; issued via Certiport) |
| Questions | Published range of 35-45 per exam form; no fixed total or scored/unscored split is published |
| Exam time | 50 minutes standard, excluding administrative appointment activities |
| Format | Computer-based and proctored; tutorial shows multiple-choice items plus review/navigation and answer changes before submission |
| Passing score | 700 on a 1-1000 scaled score (not a raw 70% requirement) |
| US retail fee | USD 133 for the IT Specialist Exam Voucher + Retake (individual retail; CATC proctoring may cost extra) |
| Voucher validity | Original voucher expires 1 year after purchase; retake code must be used within 60 days of a failed attempt |
| Delivery | Certiport Authorized Testing Centers (CATCs); Pearson VUE also offers test-center and OnVUE delivery |
| Prerequisites | No bachelor's degree requirement; objectives document is the preparation baseline |
One more timing note: the "at least 150 hours" figure in the candidate profile describes the instruction or hands-on experience that Pearson suggests as preparation. It has nothing to do with how long the exam lasts. For the full eligibility picture see ITS-N Requirements.
The Five Objective Headings at a Glance
The official objectives list five headings. The editorial priorities below are study suggestions only; Pearson does not publish percentage weights for these headings, and the number of subtopics under a heading is not a weighting signal. For a deeper walk-through, read the complete guide to all five content areas.
Domain 1: Networking Fundamentals
The vocabulary and models everything else sits on.
- Topologies and network types, and how wired and wireless links differ
- IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, including notation rules
- Why subnetting exists and how a mask separates network from host
- The role of protocols and layered communication
Domain 2: Network Infrastructures
Note the plural: this heading is about infrastructures, meaning the environments networks run in.
- Small-to-medium business network design concepts
- Virtualization and how virtual machines attach to physical networks
- How wired and wireless infrastructure fit together
Domain 3: Network Hardware
What each device does and where it belongs.
- Switches, routers, access points and their different forwarding roles
- Cabling and connectors, and matching media to the situation
- Choosing the right device for a described scenario
Domain 4: Protocols and Services
This is a combined heading, so expect protocols and the services built on them to appear together.
- TCP/IP and name resolution
- DNS records, DHCP and NAT
- Common network services and the ports they use
Domain 5: Troubleshooting
Where Windows and Linux tool knowledge pays off.
- Diagnostic commands on both operating systems
- Wired and wireless problem isolation
- Interpreting output to pick the next step
IPv4, IPv6 and Addressing Quick Facts
The objectives explicitly include both IPv4 and IPv6, so treat them as a pair rather than studying IPv4 and "skimming" IPv6.
IPv4 reminders
- An IPv4 address is 32 bits, written as four decimal octets separated by dots.
- The subnet mask marks which bits identify the network and which identify the host. Subnetting's purpose is to divide one address space into smaller, manageable networks; scenario questions usually ask why or what happens, not for marathon calculations.
- Private ranges (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16) are not routable on the public internet, which is exactly why NAT exists.
- An address in the 169.254.x.x block usually means a client failed to reach a DHCP server and self-assigned a link-local address.
IPv6 reminders
- An IPv6 address is 128 bits, written as eight groups of hexadecimal separated by colons.
- Leading zeros within a group may be dropped, and one run of consecutive all-zero groups may be replaced with a double colon. Only one double colon is allowed per address.
- The loopback address is ::1, and link-local addresses begin with fe80.
DNS Records, DHCP and NAT Essentials
Name resolution and address assignment are the services most likely to be woven into troubleshooting scenarios, so know what each record or process does and what its failure looks like.
| Item | Purpose | Symptom When Broken |
|---|---|---|
| A record | Maps a name to an IPv4 address | Name fails to resolve even though the IP works directly |
| AAAA record | Maps a name to an IPv6 address | Name resolves for IPv4 clients only |
| CNAME record | Alias pointing one name to another name | Alias fails while the canonical name works |
| MX record | Identifies mail servers for a domain | Mail delivery problems with web access unaffected |
| PTR record | Reverse lookup, address to name | Reverse lookups fail or return the wrong name |
| NS / SOA records | Identify authoritative servers and zone authority data | Delegation or zone problems |
| DHCP | Automatically leases address, mask, gateway and DNS server settings | Clients show 169.254.x.x or have no connectivity on a new network |
| NAT | Translates private addresses to a public address at the network edge | Internal hosts reach the internet unpredictably or inbound access fails |
The DHCP sequence is a favorite memory item: Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge (often remembered as DORA). A client that cannot get past Discover usually has a server, relay or connectivity problem, not a DNS problem.
Port Numbers Worth Memorizing
Port knowledge ties Protocols and Services to Troubleshooting. These well-established defaults are the ones to have cold:
| Service | Port(s) |
|---|---|
| FTP | 20/21 (TCP) |
| SSH | 22 (TCP) |
| Telnet | 23 (TCP) |
| SMTP | 25 (TCP) |
| DNS | 53 (UDP, and TCP for larger transfers) |
| DHCP | 67/68 (UDP) |
| HTTP | 80 (TCP) |
| POP3 | 110 (TCP) |
| IMAP | 143 (TCP) |
| HTTPS | 443 (TCP) |
| RDP | 3389 (TCP) |
Key Takeaway
Learn each port together with its secure-versus-insecure partner (Telnet versus SSH, HTTP versus HTTPS). Questions often ask which protocol to choose, not just which number it uses.
Windows and Linux Diagnostic Commands, Paired
Because the objectives cover both Windows and Linux tools, memorize commands as side-by-side pairs. A question may show output from one platform and ask what it means, or ask for the equivalent command on the other.
| Task | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| View IP configuration | ipconfig /all | ip addr (older: ifconfig) |
| Test reachability | ping (sends 4 by default) | ping (runs until stopped unless limited) |
| Trace the route | tracert | traceroute |
| Query DNS | nslookup | nslookup or dig |
| Show connections and listening ports | netstat | ss (older: netstat) |
| View the routing table | route print | ip route |
| View the ARP cache | arp -a | ip neigh (older: arp -n) |
| Renew a DHCP lease | ipconfig /release then /renew | Depends on the distribution's DHCP client |
| Flush the DNS cache | ipconfig /flushdns | Depends on the local resolver service |
A good exercise: run each Windows command, run its Linux counterpart on a lab VM, and compare the output field by field. Spotting the gateway, DNS server and mask in both formats is exactly the skill the Troubleshooting heading rewards. The ITS-N study guide lays out lab ideas you can reuse here.
A Troubleshooting Flow You Can Recite
When a scenario describes "the user cannot reach X," work from the inside out. This sequence also helps you eliminate wrong answers quickly:
- Check the local link. Is the cable seated, the Wi-Fi associated, the adapter enabled?
- Check the IP configuration. A 169.254.x.x address points to DHCP failure; a wrong mask or gateway points to misconfiguration.
- Ping the loopback, then the gateway, then a remote IP. Each success moves the fault boundary outward.
- Ping by name. If the IP works but the name does not, suspect DNS and use nslookup or dig.
- Trace the route. Where does the path stop or slow down?
- Check the service and port. Is the right port listening and reachable?
Not to Be Confused With: Lookalike Credentials
Search results mix several networking credentials, and candidates sometimes study the wrong one. This exam has its own objectives, so do not borrow another exam's domains.
| Credential | Relationship to This Exam |
|---|---|
| Cisco CCST Networking | A separate Certiport-delivered Cisco credential with its own objectives; do not reuse its domain list |
| CompTIA Network+ | A different vendor's exam with its own blueprint and policies |
| Microsoft MTA 98-366 | A legacy Microsoft exam, not this program |
| IT Specialist - Network Security | A different IT Specialist exam with its own objectives |
Only the Pearson objectives document titled "IT SPECIALIST EXAM OBJECTIVES - Networking" defines scope for this exam. Download it, print it, and use it as your checklist.
Validity, Renewal and Career Context
How long the award lasts
Awards earned on or after June 18, 2025 expire after 5 years. Awards earned before that date remain non-expiring. To renew, you buy a voucher and pass the current exam. This dated policy takes precedence over older program-page wording about one-time issuance.
What the credential signals
The candidate profile is small-to-medium business networking knowledge, hands-on Windows and Linux experience, and comfort with TCP/IP, name resolution, services, topologies and wired/wireless troubleshooting. That maps naturally to help desk, desktop support and junior network support roles; see ITS-N jobs for the role landscape.
Salary context, handled carefully
The BLS May 2025 U.S. median pay for computer network support specialists was USD 76,220. That is occupation-wide data. It is not a certification-specific salary, not an entry-level offer, and not proof of a pay premium for holding this credential. For a fuller discussion, read the ITS-N salary guide and the ROI analysis.
One Week-by-Week Plan Built Around the Objectives
If you only use one generic planning tool, make it this one: sequence your weeks so each heading builds on the last. Foundations first, then services, then troubleshooting last because it draws on everything else.
Networking Fundamentals
- IPv4 structure, masks and the purpose of subnetting
- IPv6 notation drills, including double-colon compression
Network Infrastructures and Network Hardware
- Switch, router and access point roles
- Virtualization networking concepts in a lab VM
Protocols and Services
- DNS record types, DHCP DORA and NAT behavior
- Port table recall, secure versus insecure pairs
Troubleshooting and Practice
- Paired Windows/Linux command drills
- Timed practice sets, then review every miss
Remember that the exam gives you 50 minutes for 35-45 questions, so timed practice matters. Be careful with practice-bank sizes: official CertPREP by GMetrix practice tests offer training and testing modes, but their question counts and timers are not live-exam specifications. Use them to build skill, not to predict the exact exam length. If you are weighing difficulty, see how hard the exam is, and when you want realistic drills, head to the ITS-N practice tests.
Key Takeaway
The exam rewards applied reasoning over memorized trivia. For every fact on this sheet, practice the "what would I see if this broke?" version of the question.
Frequently Asked Questions
The published range is 35-45 questions with a standard exam time of 50 minutes, excluding administrative appointment activities. No fixed total or scored/unscored split is published, so prepare for the full range.
A scaled score of 700 on a 1-1000 scale. This is not a raw 70% requirement, and it is not a pass-rate statistic. See the passing score guide for more, and note that pass-rate discussions should be treated cautiously since no candidate pass rate is cited here.
The US individual retail price for the IT Specialist Exam Voucher + Retake is USD 133. The original voucher expires one year after purchase, and the retake code issued after a failed attempt must be used within 60 days. CATC proctoring may cost extra.
No bachelor's degree is required. Use the skills described in the official objectives document as your baseline, and aim for roughly 150 hours of instruction or hands-on networking experience as preparation. Identity verification and exam-security rules apply on test day.
Awards earned on or after June 18, 2025 expire after 5 years, while earlier awards remain non-expiring. To renew, purchase a voucher and pass the current exam.