ExamopotamiaWhy test networking skills before you hire?
Network roles carry a lot of trust. A careless change can cut off an office, and a slow diagnosis keeps it offline. Certifications show that someone studied, but they don't show how well that knowledge has stuck or whether the person can use it during an outage. A focused fundamentals test gives you a consistent baseline for every applicant before a technical interview with your senior engineers.
What this template covers
- Models and protocols: OSI layers, TCP versus UDP, ARP and common ports.
- IP addressing: subnet masks, usable hosts and private address ranges.
- Core services: what DHCP provides and how DNS fits into troubleshooting.
- Switching: VLANs and why inter-VLAN traffic needs routing.
- Troubleshooting: isolating a fault beyond the gateway, reading interface errors and tracing a path.
How to run it well
Twelve questions in 15 minutes is a good first filter. Let candidates use scrap paper for the subnetting questions. Set the pass mark at 70% for network administrators and junior engineers; for senior roles, add routing protocol and firewall questions and expect 80%.
Shuffle questions and options. The mix of single-choice, one select-all, a true/false and a short answer stops people from scoring well through recognition alone. When you review results, look closely at the two troubleshooting scenarios. Strong candidates reason from what already works, which is exactly the skill you need during an incident.
Who this test is for
Use it for network administrators, junior network engineers, infrastructure and systems administrators, NOC technicians and IT support staff moving into networking. Managed service providers can use it to check engineers before placing them on client sites. It also helps when you are hiring for a mixed infrastructure role where networking is one part of a wider job, because it shows quickly whether the candidate can handle network faults alone or will need support from a specialist.
Make it yours
Add questions on the equipment and designs you run, such as your routing protocols, wireless setup, firewall rules or VPN. A scenario written from a real past outage, with details changed, makes an excellent hard question. The AI generator can draft further questions on IPv6, NAT or spanning tree for you to check before use. Questions with a short diagram or a pasted interface status output are also a good way to see whether someone can read real device information rather than recall definitions. Keep each one focused on a single fault so the answer stays clear.