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Exam Review

Key Facts: Network Specialist Examination Exam

7,500 JPY

Exam fee (tax included)

IPA スケジュール、手数料など

60/100 each subject

Pass cutoff for A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2

IPA 試験要綱 Ver.5.6

30 + 25 MCQ

Official A-1 and A-2 item counts

IPA ネットワークスペシャリスト試験

Level 4

IT Skill Standards (ITSS) ranking

IPA ネットワークスペシャリスト試験シラバス（レベル4）

Japan's national ITSS Level 4 network-specialist exam, run by IPA for METI. Fee 7,500 JPY (tax included); Japanese CBT with MCQ and descriptive papers. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not an official translation.

Sample Network Specialist Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Network Specialist Examination exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the OSI basic reference model, which layer is responsible for end-to-end, host-to-host transport of segments, including reliability and port multiplexing when TCP is used?
A.Network layer (Layer 3)
B.Transport layer (Layer 4)
C.Data link layer (Layer 2)
D.Session layer (Layer 5)
Explanation: The transport layer provides end-to-end communication between processes. TCP adds reliability, ordered delivery, and port multiplexing on top of IP. The network layer forwards packets hop by hop, and the data link layer moves frames on a single link.
2Compared with RAID 1 (mirroring), what is a defining characteristic of RAID 5?
A.It stores a complete duplicate of every block on a second disk and therefore needs no parity calculation
B.It stripes data and distributed parity across at least three disks so a single disk failure can be reconstructed
C.It concatenates disks with no redundancy, so any disk failure loses the volume
D.It requires an even number of disks and can survive failure of any two disks without parity
Explanation: RAID 5 stripes user data and parity across three or more disks. After one disk fails, missing blocks are rebuilt from the remaining data plus parity. RAID 1 copies entire volumes; RAID 0 has no redundancy; two-disk-failure protection is RAID 6 (dual parity), not RAID 5.
3Which statement correctly contrasts TCP and UDP as used on the Internet?
A.UDP establishes a three-way handshake before every datagram, while TCP never retransmits
B.TCP provides a connection-oriented byte stream with acknowledgements and retransmission; UDP provides connectionless datagrams without guaranteed delivery
C.Both protocols guarantee ordered delivery; only UDP adds congestion control
D.UDP is limited to local subnets, while TCP is the only protocol that can cross routers
Explanation: TCP is connection-oriented and uses sequence numbers, acknowledgements, and retransmission for a reliable byte stream. UDP is connectionless and does not guarantee delivery, ordering, or duplicate suppression. Both can be routed across the Internet.
4In information security, which attribute is primarily lost when an attacker encrypts production files with ransomware and withholds the decryption key?
A.Availability of the encrypted information to authorized users
B.Non-repudiation of prior digital signatures
C.Physical tamper evidence of the server chassis
D.Uniqueness of MAC addresses on the LAN
Explanation: Confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) are the core security properties. Ransomware that denies access to data primarily attacks availability. Integrity may also be at risk, but the immediate operational loss is that authorized users cannot use the information.
5In server virtualization, what does a Type 1 (bare-metal) hypervisor do?
A.It runs as an application on a general-purpose host OS and cannot schedule CPU time for guests
B.It runs directly on the hardware and hosts guest virtual machines, mediating access to CPU, memory, and devices
C.It replaces Ethernet with a non-IP overlay that guests must use exclusively
D.It is only a backup agent and never isolates guest address spaces
Explanation: A Type 1 hypervisor executes on the hardware and presents virtual machines with virtual CPU, memory, and I/O. A Type 2 hypervisor runs as software on top of a host operating system. Virtualization does not require abandoning IP.
6Under Japan's Copyright Act (著作権法), when does copyright in an original program generally arise?
A.Only after the author files the work with the Patent Office and pays an annual maintenance fee
B.Automatically upon creation of the work, without a constitutive registration requirement
C.Only if the source code is published in the Official Gazette within 30 days
D.Only after JIS certification of the programming language used
Explanation: Japanese copyright is a creation-based right: protection arises when an original work is created. Registration can serve evidentiary or other procedural purposes but is not required to constitute the right. Patents and JIS certification are separate regimes.
7In public-key cryptography, which statement is correct?
A.The same secret key must be pre-shared with every peer before any ciphertext can be produced
B.A public key may be distributed openly; data encrypted with that public key is decryptable with the matching private key
C.Hash functions are invertible encryption algorithms that recover the original message from the digest
D.AES is a public-key algorithm that uses a public/private key pair for every block
Explanation: Asymmetric algorithms use a public/private key pair. Encrypting with the public key (or verifying with the public key) is paired with the private key for decryption (or signing). AES is a symmetric cipher; cryptographic hashes are one-way.
8Which statement best distinguishes a process from a thread in a typical OS?
A.Threads never share memory; processes always share a single address space
B.A process is an execution environment with its own address space; threads in the same process typically share that address space
C.A thread is a complete virtual machine, while a process is only a TCP port
D.Processes cannot be scheduled; only hardware interrupts run code
Explanation: A process owns resources such as an address space and open files. Multiple threads in that process share the address space and can communicate via shared memory, while remaining separately schedulable. Processes do not all share one address space.
9In a relational database, what does a PRIMARY KEY constraint guarantee for a table?
A.Every column must contain only numeric types
B.Each row is uniquely identified, and the key columns cannot contain NULL
C.Joins across tables become illegal
D.The table is stored only in memory and is never durable
Explanation: A primary key uniquely identifies each tuple and, in SQL, rejects NULL in the key columns. It does not force all columns to be numeric, forbid joins, or imply a purely in-memory store.
10Steady-state availability of a repairable component is MTTF / (MTTF + MTTR). If MTTF is 1,998 hours and MTTR is 2 hours, what is the availability?
A.0.500
B.0.900
C.0.999
D.1.002
Explanation: Availability A = MTTF / (MTTF + MTTR) = 1998 / (1998 + 2) = 1998 / 2000 = 0.999. Values above 1 are impossible for this ratio, and 0.500 would require MTTF equal to MTTR.

About the Network Specialist Examination Exam

The Network Specialist Examination (ネットワークスペシャリスト試験, NW) is Japan's national ITSS Level 4 exam for network engineers. IPA administers it for METI. The 2026 fee is 7,500 JPY (tax included). Candidates sit Japanese CBT: 30 common MCQs, 25 specialist MCQs, two of three short descriptive cases, and one longer descriptive paper. A pass requires 60 of 100 on each subject. OpenExamPrep publishes 100 independent English multiple-choice study questions on the published syllabus. This bank is not an official translation, not a 2026 CBT item clone, and not a substitute for Japanese descriptive design practice.

Exam sponsor: 独立行政法人情報処理推進機構 (IPA / Innovation Platform Agency, Japan) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Japanese CBT in the FY2026 first-half (前期) window. Subject A group and Subject B group are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring applies. NW B-2 is descriptive with a 60-of-100 cutoff, not a Rank A essay. Paper sittings are a special measure only.

Time Limit

A-1 50 min; A-2 40 min; B-1 90 min; B-2 120 min, with A group and B group on separate 2026 CBT days.

Passing Score

60 of 100 on A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2. IPA may adjust the cutoff if difficulty requires it.

Exam / Certification Fees

7,500 JPY (tax included).

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25% of this local practice set

Common IT knowledge (Subject A-1)

Shared advanced-exam knowledge. IPA does not publish NW domain percentages.

30% of this local practice set

Protocols, addressing, and switching/routing

TCP/IP, addressing, VLANs, and routing behavior.

25% of this local practice set

Design, performance, and reliability

Logical/physical design, QoS, and redundancy.

20% of this local practice set

Network security and operations

VPN, filtering, wireless security, and operations.

Preparing for the Network Specialist Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 60 of 100 on A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2. IPA may adjust the cutoff if difficulty requires it.
  • Assessment: Japanese CBT in the FY2026 first-half (前期) window. Subject A group and Subject B group are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring applies. NW B-2 is descriptive with a 60-of-100 cutoff, not a Rank A essay. Paper sittings are a special measure only.
  • Time limit: A-1 50 min; A-2 40 min; B-1 90 min; B-2 120 min, with A group and B group on separate 2026 CBT days.
  • Exam / certification fees: 7,500 JPY (tax included). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Network Specialist Examination: Suggested Study Strategy

1Include real calculations: subnetting, bandwidth-delay, spanning-tree, and SLA availability.
2Use this English bank for protocol and design judgment; still work Japanese B papers from IPA past questions.
3Confirm protocol facts from IETF RFCs or IPA syllabus wording; do not invent unofficial timer defaults.
4A-1 is shared with other advanced exams; NW A-2/B decide the specialist result.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the passing score for the NW examination?

IPA requires at least 60 of 100 on Subjects A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2 (試験要綱 Ver.5.6). NW B-2 is descriptive, not a Rank A essay. Multi-stage selection applies.

How is the 2026 examination structured?

Japanese CBT in the spring window: A-1 30 MCQs/50 min, A-2 25 MCQs/40 min, B-1 3 descriptive/90 min (answer 2), B-2 2 descriptive/120 min (answer 1). A group and B group are on separate days.

Does this bank replace descriptive network-design papers?

No. Official B papers are Japanese descriptive design and troubleshooting. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not an official translation or a writing simulation.

Are these OpenExamPrep practice questions official IPA exam questions?

No. IPA administers the official Japanese examination. This bank is independent study on published syllabus topics.

Is the exam changing after 2026?

IPA states that the current examination system ends with the FY2026 (令和8年度) administration and that a new examination system is planned from FY2027, following the METI/IPA review of the exam-division structure. FY2026 is also the year every division moved to CBT, and IPA no longer publishes live CBT questions. This practice set is built from the current published syllabus, so confirm IPA's 試験制度の見直し page before planning a sitting beyond FY2026.