ROLE-SPECIFIC SKILLS

Computer Networking Fundamentals test for hiring

See how candidates reason through everyday network settings and connection problems.

10 minutes
15 questions
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in English
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The Computer Networking Fundamentals test is an intermediate, timed check of practical networking knowledge for IT support specialists, help desk and desktop support staff, and junior network technicians. Multiple-choice questions assess devices and cabling, LANs, IP addressing, routing, protocols, basic security, and diagnosis of simple connection faults, including reasoning from small settings or routing tables.

What it measures

Practical knowledge of network hardware, addressing, routing, protocols and security, and the ability to diagnose simple network faults.

Network hardware, media and LANs

Questions cover network devices, cabling and local networks.

IP addressing and routing

Candidates reason about IP addressing and how network traffic is routed.

Transport and application protocols

Questions assess knowledge of common transport and application protocols.

Network security

Candidates answer practical questions about basic network security.

Troubleshooting

Questions ask candidates to diagnose simple, everyday connection problems.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

15 questions in 10 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

IT support specialists, help desk and desktop support staff, junior network technicians and assistants to network engineers, system administrators, database administrators and early-career security analysts.

What this test can show

Reasoning from network settings
Small tables, including routing tables and device settings, let you review how candidates interpret information rather than rely only on a resume.
Vendor-neutral knowledge
Questions use standard protocol names and generic commands, so responses do not depend on experience with one vendor's equipment or command syntax.
Practical fault diagnosis
Questions on everyday connection problems provide evidence of how candidates approach simple network faults.
A fair chance to work through addressing
Addressing arithmetic is kept small enough for scratch paper, which every candidate may use.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Computer Networking Fundamentals

79%Percentile 64. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 882

Network hardware, media and LANs64%

IP addressing and routing73%

Transport and application protocols86%

Network security87%

Troubleshooting84%

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

Test integrity signals

Each candidate receives a different question set from large pools. Question order and answer options are shuffled, and the browser shows one question at a time while answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server; reloading restores the same question with only the remaining time. Candidates cannot go back to earlier questions. Question text cannot be copied or selected, and blocked copy attempts are recorded. HireValid also records signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers and unusually fast answers. The employer reviews an Integrity Score and evidence timeline; the score does not decide on its own. With candidate consent, an employer can add webcam photos at random moments.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the score as one source of evidence

Review the score alongside a work sample and a structured interview, not on its own. For example, ask the candidate to explain their approach to a simple connection problem and compare that reasoning with their answers about device settings, routing or protocols. Consider related skills separately with the Linux, Active Directory or Microsoft Windows tests when they fit the role. For more on the approach, see how we build our tests.

Structured interview questions

A user reports that a device cannot connect to a local network. How would you investigate?
Listen for a clear sequence of checks, attention to the device and connection, and how they narrow down the fault.
How would you use a routing table to investigate where network traffic is being sent?
Listen for careful reading of the available entries and an explanation grounded in the information shown.
Tell me about a time you had to explain a network problem to someone who needed help.
Listen for a relevant example, the steps they took to understand the problem, and a clear explanation of their actions.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Questions describe vendor-neutral networks and use standard protocol names and generic commands, so no single vendor's equipment or command syntax is needed. The wording is plain US English with no idioms, names in scenarios come from many backgrounds, and any addressing arithmetic is kept small enough to do on scratch paper, which every candidate may use. Every question has the same 35-second limit.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A short, timed check of working networking knowledge at an intermediate level. Candidates answer practical questions on network devices and cabling, local networks, IP addressing and routing, common protocols, basic security and fixing everyday connection problems. Many questions show a small table, such as a routing table or a device's settings, to read and reason from.

Questions are in English.
Aids allowed: Scratch paper.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Computer Networking Fundamentals test for?+

It is an intermediate test for IT support specialists, help desk and desktop support staff, and junior network technicians. It can also support hiring for assistants to network engineers, system administrators, database administrators and early-career security analysts.

How does the Computer Networking Fundamentals test handle fairness?+

Questions describe vendor-neutral networks and use standard protocol names and generic commands. Plain US English, names from many backgrounds and small addressing calculations help keep the questions accessible without relying on one vendor's equipment.

Can candidates use scratch paper on the Computer Networking Fundamentals test?+

Yes. Every candidate may use scratch paper, including for the small addressing calculations. Questions are multiple choice and have the same 35-second limit; candidates cannot return to earlier questions.

What practice is available for the Computer Networking Fundamentals test?+

Candidates can try a practice set with 4 questions and a 4-minute time limit. The hiring test itself has 15 questions and a 10-minute limit, covering topics such as routing, protocols and basic network security.