AP Networking Reference
What this is. A personal working reference for a brand-new, still-piloting AP course (the other half of AP Career Kickstart, alongside AP Cybersecurity) — built to understand what it covers, not wired into this site's standards catalog/carrier system. Units and topic titles are the College Board's own; skill descriptions below are an original paraphrase, not quoted framework text. Source: the official AP Networking Course Framework (for use beginning with the 2026-27 school year pilot).
Status: this is a pilot, not a general-availability course. Fall 2026 begins the third and final pilot year. Only schools that already participated in a prior AP Networking or AP Cybersecurity pilot may join this round. The pilot exam runs May 2027; full national launch (and the credential) follows in 2027-28. No prerequisite — aligns with CTE Digital Technology Pathways, built with Cisco and other industry partners, and aligned to the NICE Workforce Framework.
| College course equivalent | One-semester college intro-to-networking course |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | None. Open to any motivated student willing to work individually and in teams. |
| Length | Yearlong, 4 units (the published framework leaves the class-period pacing for each topic as an unfilled placeholder — a sign the document is still mid-draft for this pilot round) |
| 2026-27 pilot exam | Digital, multiple-choice only, administered May 2027. Question count and timing not yet published. |
Course Skills
Four skill categories, spiraled across all four units. Each has four progressively deeper sub-skills (A–D) — the same A-through-D shape AP Cybersecurity uses.
| Skill Category 1 | Skill Category 2 | Skill Category 3 | Skill Category 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect and Configure Get data moving through computer networks. |
Secure Apply protective, detective, and deterrent security controls. |
Troubleshoot Diagnose degraded performance or functionality, and test fixes. |
Collaborate Work with others, and with AI, to get a task done. |
| 1.A Name common device and network components, protocols, and configurations; explain how they relate. | 2.A Name vulnerabilities and their impact on data, devices, and networks; explain how security controls (with or without AI) address and monitor them. | 3.A Name common device and network problems, and explain how tools (including AI) help diagnose their cause. | 4.A Set clear, shared team objectives for a networking task. |
| 1.B Work out, with or without AI help, the right configuration and settings for a device to get connectivity, management, and performance. | 2.B Work out, with or without AI help, strategies to address a device or network vulnerability. | 3.B Work out, with or without AI help, the cause of a device or network problem and a possible fix. | 4.B Assign clear roles and responsibilities across a team. |
| 1.C Implement and document a device/network configuration to establish and keep connectivity. | 2.C Implement and document security controls that address a vulnerability and monitor the network. | 3.C Implement and document a fix for a problem. | 4.C Use AI as a collaboration tool, both solo and as a group. |
| 1.D Verify connectivity and configuration, and troubleshoot anything that's still wrong. | 2.D Verify a control actually mitigates the vulnerability without breaking access or availability, and troubleshoot as needed. | 3.D Verify a fix worked, and keep troubleshooting if it didn't. | 4.D Finish your share of a collaborative networking task. |
Exam Format
The College Board has published very little about exam structure so far — expected, since this course is still in its final pilot year before 2027-28 general availability.
| What's confirmed (official) | |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 pilot exam (May 2027) | Digital, multiple-choice only. Built around “career-connected scenarios” that ask students to make evidence-based, contextually aware decisions. Question count, timing, and skill weighting not disclosed. |
| 2027-28 operational exam | No official format published yet. |
Unverified, from third-party AP test-prep sites (not an official College Board page): the 2027-28 exam is expected to add a free-response section analyzing real networking artifacts and evidence, alongside the multiple-choice section. Also reported: a qualifying score on the 2026-27 pilot exam carries a free CompTIA certification exam voucher, and the course is designed to stack toward CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, and CCST Networking. Treat these as rumor-grade until AP Central confirms them directly.
#Unit 1: Managing My Connections
1.1 Fixing What's Slowing Me Down: Troubleshooting Issues on My Device
Skill: Troubleshoot
1.2 Getting the Most Out of My Network: Connecting and Optimizing My Device
Skill: Connect and Configure
1.3 What Could Go Wrong: Identifying the Security Needs of My Device
Skill: Secure
1.4 Locking It Down: Securing My Device
Skill: Secure
#Unit 2: Managing My Shared Connections
2.1 Missed Connection: Troubleshooting My SOHO Network
Skill: Troubleshoot
2.2 Identification Needed: Documenting My Network
Skill: Connect and Configure
2.3 Smart Moves: Upgrading My Network
Skill: Connect and Configure
2.4 Leveling Up: Advanced Features on My Network
Skill: Connect and Configure
2.5 Guarding My Network: Identifying Security Needs
Skill: Secure
2.6 Applying Defense: Securing My Network
Skill: Secure
#Unit 3: Managing Many Connections
3.1 Planning a Network: Choosing the Right Devices and Connections
Skill: Connect and Configure
3.2 Creating a Network: Switching and Topologies
Skill: Connect and Configure
3.3 Making It Work: Connecting, Configuring, and Verifying Access
Skill: Connect and Configure
3.4 Building the Boundaries: Identifying Segmentation Security
Skill: Secure
3.5 Controlling the Traffic: Firewalls and Filtering
Skill: Secure
3.6 Restored Connections: Documenting, Diagnosing, and Fixing a Segmented LAN
Skill: Troubleshoot
#Unit 4: Managing Our Global Connections
4.1 What Happens When Networks Break or Fail?
Skills: Secure, Troubleshoot
4.2 The Language of the Network: Protocols and the OSI and TCP/IP Models
Skills: Connect and Configure, Troubleshoot
4.3 Tools of Network Analysts: Using the CLI
Skill: Connect and Configure
4.4 How Data Travel the Internet: Routing, Metrics, and Paths
Skill: Connect and Configure
4.5 From the Inside Out: Monitoring and Defending a Large Network
Skill: Secure
4.6 Moving Forward: Designing for Reliability and Growth
Skills: Connect and Configure, Troubleshoot