Should you take CompTIA Network+ or Security+ first?
Network+ first, unless you already understand networking well. Security+ constantly assumes you know how traffic, segmentation and protocols behave, and does not stop to explain them.
The shared ground
Network+ includes a Network Security domain, and Security+ includes a Security Architecture domain that leans heavily on network design. The overlap sits precisely where most candidates struggle: understanding why a control is placed where it is on the network.
- Security+ assumes networking, not the reverseSecurity+ questions about segmentation, zero trust, secure protocols and traffic inspection only make sense if you already know how the underlying network works. Network+ has no comparable dependency on security knowledge.
- Security+ is the more widely required credentialSecurity+ is the one that appears in job requirements and, in some sectors, in compliance baselines. Network+ is respected but far less often mandated.
- The exams are structurally similarBoth are a single sitting of up to 90 questions in 90 minutes with performance-based questions alongside multiple choice. The pass marks differ — 720 for Network+, 750 for Security+ — so Security+ leaves slightly less room for error.
- Skipping Network+ is possible but costlyIf you already work with networks daily, going straight to Security+ is defensible. If you do not, you will spend the Security+ study period learning networking anyway, without the credential to show for it.
Taking them in sequence
Network+ then Security+ is the standard order, and the reason is dependency rather than difficulty. If your goal is a security role and time is short, study Network+ material without necessarily sitting the exam, then take Security+.
Find out which one you are actually ready for
Start free on either certification — 20 questions on Network+, 20 on Security+ — and let your domain scores decide instead of guessing.
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