30-day Network Administrator exam study plan

Updated 15 September 2026 · 2 min read

This plan spreads a month of preparation across the areas a network administrator works with, giving the most days to networking and routing. It assumes you have a job or other commitments and can study for about an hour on weekdays, with more time at the weekend. Shift the day numbers to fit your exam date, but keep the review and mock days where they are.

How this guide was made

Written for this site with AI assistance, then checked automatically before publishing. The topic table, sample questions, worked examples and study plan are generated from this site’s question bank: each worked example is recalculated by separate code, and each sample answer says where it came from.

The guide deliberately states no salaries, grades, pass marks or exam dates. Those change, and they could not be checked here, so take them from the advert itself.

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The 30-day plan

Day	Focus	What to do
Week 1
1	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
2	Routing and switching	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
3	Ports and protocols	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
4	Cybersecurity	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
5	Hardware and operating systems	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
6	Linux command line	Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
7	Review the week	Redo every question you got wrong this week, without looking at the explanations first.
Week 2
8	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
9	Routing and switching	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
10	Ports and protocols	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
11	Cybersecurity	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
12	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
13	Routing and switching	Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
14	Timed mock 1	50 questions in 60 minutes, in one sitting. Mark it, then list the areas you lost marks in.
Week 3
15	Ports and protocols	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
16	Cybersecurity	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
17	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
18	Routing and switching	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
19	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
20	Networking fundamentals	Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right.
21	Review the week	Redo every question you got wrong this week, without looking at the explanations first.
Final stretch
22	Revise: Networking fundamentals	40 mixed questions on networking fundamentals, timed at about a minute each.
23	Revise: Routing and switching	40 mixed questions on routing and switching, timed at about a minute each.
24	Revise: Ports and protocols	40 mixed questions on ports and protocols, timed at about a minute each.
25	Revise: Cybersecurity	40 mixed questions on cybersecurity, timed at about a minute each.
26	Revise: Hardware and operating systems	40 mixed questions on hardware and operating systems, timed at about a minute each.
27	Revise: Linux command line	40 mixed questions on linux command line, timed at about a minute each.
28	Timed mock 2	50 questions in 60 minutes, in one sitting. Mark it, then list the areas you lost marks in.
29	Mock mistakes	Work through every wrong answer from both mocks until you can explain why the right option is right.
30	Light review	Skim your notes and formulas for an hour, then stop. Sleep matters more than one more set tonight.

How the plan is weighted

The table allocates learning days in proportion to the suggested emphasis for this position. Networking fundamentals and routing and switching get the largest share, followed by ports and protocols, security, hardware and Linux. The final stretch then adds revision days for the heaviest areas, because most questions draw on them.

Where to spend your study time

The suggested emphasis reflects what this position works with day to day. It is a study guide, not a published exam blueprint.

Area	Suggested emphasis	Questions in the bank	Practise
Networking fundamentals	31%	2,636	Networking
Routing and switching	23%	247	Routing & Switching
Ports and protocols	15%	264	Networking
Cybersecurity	15%	541	Security
Hardware and operating systems	8%	961	Hardware & OS
Linux command line	8%	360	In the full bank

Fitting it around a working week

An hour a day beats a long session once a week. Split the hour if you need to: read and make notes for half an hour at lunch or on the bus, then answer questions in the evening. Most of the plan works on a phone. Save the mock exams for days when you can sit uninterrupted for the full time, because practising concentration is part of the point.

When you fall behind

You will miss a day at some point. Do not try to catch up by doubling the next day's work, which usually ends with both days done badly. Move the missed topic onto the next review day instead, and protect the two mock exam days above everything else.

Common questions

What if my exam is in less than 30 days?

Keep the structure and compress it. Cut the learning days per area, but keep one review day a week and at least one full timed mock, because those are what turn knowledge into marks.

What if I already know networking well?

Take the first mock on day one instead of day fourteen. Use the result to decide which learning days to skip, and spend the time saved on the areas where you actually lost marks.