- Which ITS-N This Article Covers
- Formal Eligibility: What Is (and Isn't) Required
- The Real Prerequisite: The Readiness Baseline
- Using the Official Objective Document as Your Entry Checklist
- Registration, Vouchers and Delivery Channels
- Identity, Proctoring and Exam-Day Conditions
- Exam Format You Must Be Ready For
- Passing Score, Validity and Renewal
- How Entry Requirements Compare with Neighboring Credentials
- A Domain-Sequenced Qualification Plan
- Career and Salary Context
- Frequently Asked Questions
- There is no bachelor's degree requirement; the real entry bar is roughly 150 hours of networking instruction or hands-on experience.
- The US retail IT Specialist voucher with retake is USD 133; proctoring at a testing center may cost extra.
- Expect 35-45 questions in 50 minutes, with a passing score of 700 on a 1-1000 scale.
- Awards earned on or after June 18, 2025 expire after 5 years and are renewed by passing the current exam.
Which ITS-N This Article Covers
On this site, ITS-N refers to one credential only: Information Technology Specialist - Networking, titled "IT Specialist - Networking" in Pearson's catalog. Pearson governs the program, and Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, administers the exam and issues the credential. If you are new to the name, our primer What Is ITS-N? and the explainer What Does ITS-N Stand For? cover the basics.
This distinction matters when you research requirements. The IT Specialist Networking exam is a different product from Cisco's CCST Networking, from CCNA, from CompTIA Network+ and from the retired Microsoft MTA 98-366. Eligibility rules, fees and objectives from those programs do not carry over. Everything below applies to the Pearson Networking credential.
Formal Eligibility: What Is (and Isn't) Required
The formal gate is low. There is no bachelor's degree requirement, and no mandatory course, apprenticeship or prior certification is listed as a condition for sitting the exam. In practice, anyone who can purchase a voucher, schedule an appointment and pass identity verification can attempt it.
That said, "no formal prerequisite" does not mean "no preparation needed." The credential is designed around a candidate profile, and the exam content assumes you meet it. If you are weighing the effort, read How Hard Is the ITS-N Exam? alongside this guide.
The Real Prerequisite: The Readiness Baseline
The candidate profile in the official materials describes someone with:
- Knowledge of networking in a small-to-medium business setting
- Hands-on experience with Windows and Linux
- Working understanding of TCP/IP and name resolution
- Familiarity with network services, topologies and wired and wireless troubleshooting
- At least 150 hours of instruction or hands-on networking experience
Note what the 150 hours represent: a preparation guideline, not a test duration and not a formal requirement checked at registration. Those hours can come from a classroom course, a lab-based program, a help-desk job, a home lab or a mix of all four.
What counts as qualifying hours
- Instructor-led or self-paced networking coursework that includes labs
- Configuring and troubleshooting a small office or home network, including wireless
- Working with both Windows and Linux command-line tools on a real or virtual network
- Time spent in a virtualized lab where you assign addresses, configure DHCP and resolve DNS records
Reading alone is the weakest way to accumulate hours, because the exam tests applied recognition: given a symptom or an output, what is happening and what do you do next?
Using the Official Objective Document as Your Entry Checklist
The best single qualification tool is Pearson's three-page IT Specialist Exam Objectives - Networking document (copyright 2025). These are the official exam objectives, not a curriculum outline, so use them as a self-assessment: if you cannot explain or demonstrate an item, it is a gap. The five objective headings are:
Domain 1: Networking Fundamentals
The vocabulary and models everything else rests on.
- Core concepts of how networks move data between devices
- IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, including IPv6 notation conventions
- The purpose of subnetting and how it shapes address planning
Domain 2: Network Infrastructures
Note the plural heading: the objective covers multiple infrastructure types.
- Topologies and how they affect reliability and troubleshooting
- Wired and wireless infrastructure choices
- Virtualization concepts as they relate to networks
Domain 3: Network Hardware
Recognizing what each device does and where it sits.
- Common networking devices and their roles
- Cabling and connectivity considerations
- Matching a hardware component to a symptom
Domain 4: Protocols and Services
A combined heading covering both protocols and the services built on them.
- DNS and its record types
- DHCP and NAT behavior
- Common protocols and the services they support
Domain 5: Troubleshooting
Applying diagnostic reasoning and tools.
- Windows and Linux diagnostic tools, and reading their output
- Wired and wireless problem isolation
- Choosing the next sensible step from a described symptom
The count of subtopics under each heading does not tell you how heavily it is weighted on the exam, and no percentage weights are published in the document. For deeper coverage of each area, see ITS-N Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas.
Registration, Vouchers and Delivery Channels
Qualifying also means getting the administrative pieces right. The exam is delivered through Certiport Authorized Testing Centers (CATCs), and Pearson VUE also offers test-center and OnVUE (online) delivery. The key rule: match your voucher to the delivery channel you select. A voucher bought for one path may not be accepted on another, so confirm before you pay.
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| US individual retail price | USD 133 for the IT Specialist Exam Voucher + Retake (not an exam-only or universal-channel price) |
| CATC proctoring | May cost extra, depending on the center |
| Original voucher validity | Expires 1 year after purchase |
| Retake code | Issued after a failed attempt; must be used within 60 days of failure |
| Delivery options | CATC, Pearson VUE test center, OnVUE (match voucher to channel) |
Plan your timeline around the two clocks: the one-year voucher window and the 60-day retake window. Buying a voucher months before you are ready wastes flexibility, and a rushed retake inside 60 days is only useful if you have identified what went wrong. Full pricing context is in ITS-N Certification Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and scheduling considerations are in ITS-N Exam Dates: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Identity, Proctoring and Exam-Day Conditions
Every candidate faces the same baseline conditions: identity verification, a proctor, and exam-security and NDA rules. You will be asked to confirm who you are before starting and to agree not to disclose exam content. Review Certiport's test candidate policy before your appointment so nothing about check-in surprises you.
A practical point worth stating plainly: the 50-minute exam timer excludes administrative appointment activities such as check-in and agreeing to terms. Those steps take additional time on top of the exam itself, so do not confuse appointment length with testing time.
Exam Format You Must Be Ready For
Qualifying is partly knowing what you are walking into:
- Question range: 35-45 questions per exam form (the published range, not a fixed total)
- Time: 50 minutes, excluding administrative appointment activities
- Format: computer-based and proctored
- Question style: the official tutorial illustrates multiple-choice questions, with review and navigation features and the ability to change answers before submission
Practice products such as CertPREP powered by GMetrix offer training and testing modes, and some third-party banks are considerably larger than a real exam form. Their practice-bank sizes and timers are not live-exam specifications, so do not calibrate your pacing to them. Use the official 35-45 question and 50-minute figures instead.
Key Takeaway
Do your pacing math from the official range, not from a practice bank. With 35-45 questions in 50 minutes, you have a bit over a minute per question at the high end. Practice reading a command output or a symptom description and committing to an answer quickly.
Passing Score, Validity and Renewal
The passing score is 700 on a 1-1000 scaled score. This is a scaled score, not a raw 70 percent requirement, and it is not a candidate pass-rate statistic. We explain the nuance in ITS-N Passing Score: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and our ITS-N Pass Rate page discusses why no reliable pass-rate figure should be assumed.
Validity follows a dated policy. Awards earned on or after June 18, 2025 expire after 5 years; awards earned before that date remain non-expiring. To renew, you purchase a voucher and pass the current exam. This dated expiration policy takes precedence over older program-page wording that described one-time issuance, so if you see conflicting statements, trust the expiration policy.
How Entry Requirements Compare with Neighboring Credentials
Candidates often cross-shop before committing. The table below contrasts only what is established for the Pearson credential and clarifies identity; verify details for other credentials at their own official sources.
| Credential | Issuer | Relationship to this exam |
|---|---|---|
| IT Specialist - Networking (ITS-N) | Pearson / Certiport | The subject of this article; no degree requirement, ~150-hour readiness profile |
| Cisco CCST Networking | Cisco (delivered via Certiport) | A separate Cisco credential with its own objectives |
| CCNA | Cisco | Different program and level; do not reuse its domains |
| CompTIA Network+ | CompTIA | Different issuer and objectives |
| Microsoft MTA 98-366 | Microsoft (legacy) | Legacy credential, not the current Pearson exam |
If you are deciding whether this is the right first networking credential, Is the ITS-N Certification Worth It? walks through the trade-offs.
A Domain-Sequenced Qualification Plan
Because the five domains build on each other, sequence your preparation in that order rather than jumping to practice questions. This is an editorial plan, not an official weighting; adjust the pace to your 150-hour baseline.
Networking Fundamentals
- Practice writing IPv6 addresses in shortened notation
- Explain in your own words why subnetting exists
Network Infrastructures and Network Hardware
- Sketch each topology and note its failure behavior
- Match devices to roles and wired versus wireless use
Protocols and Services
- Work through DNS record scenarios
- Walk a client through DHCP and NAT step by step
Troubleshooting and Review
- Run paired Windows and Linux diagnostic commands and compare output
- Take timed practice at the official 50-minute pace
Protocols and Services and Troubleshooting reward the most hands-on repetition, since both rely on recognizing patterns in output. For a fuller roadmap, see ITS-N Study Guide: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and when you are ready to test your readiness, try the timed questions on our ITS-N practice test site.
Career and Salary Context
Holding the credential signals foundational networking skills; it does not guarantee a role or a pay premium. For context only, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 median of USD 76,220 for computer network support specialists. That figure describes the occupation as a whole, not this certification, not entry-level offers and not any demonstrated premium for credential holders. Our ITS-N Salary Guide and ITS-N Jobs page discuss the kinds of support and junior network roles where these skills apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no bachelor's degree requirement. The program instead describes a candidate profile built around roughly 150 hours of networking instruction or hands-on experience, which serves as a preparation guideline rather than a checked prerequisite.
It describes preparation, not a registration gate and not the length of the exam. You can sit the exam without documenting hours, but the content assumes the knowledge those hours typically build.
The US individual retail price for the IT Specialist Exam Voucher + Retake is USD 133. Proctoring at a CATC may cost extra, and the original voucher expires one year after purchase. See our pricing breakdown for details.
The voucher bundle includes a retake code, which must be used within 60 days of the failure. Use that window to target the domains where you struggled rather than simply repeating the same preparation.
Awards earned on or after June 18, 2025 expire after 5 years, and you renew by buying a voucher and passing the current exam. Earlier awards remain non-expiring under the dated expiration policy.