The real 350-401exam is heavy on scenario-based questions — exhibits, command outputs, troubleshooting cases, and multi-step configuration scenarios. Practice the exact question types you'll see before exam day.
Practise exhibit-style questions that ask you to read a topology, table, command output or diagram before choosing the best answer.
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Practise switch scenarios involving SW1, SW2, VLANs, trunk links, allowed VLAN lists and show interfaces trunk output.
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Practise routing and connectivity troubleshooting scenarios involving R1, R2, R3, static routes, OSPF, next hops and routing tables.
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Practise interpreting routing-table output, route selection, administrative distance, metrics, next hops and longest-prefix match.
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Practise command-choice questions where the task is to identify the correct verification, configuration or troubleshooting command.
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Drag-and-drop ordering questions ask you to arrange steps, commands, or events into the correct sequence. They test procedural knowledge — can you execute a Cisco IOS configuration task in the right order? These appear across Cisco, CompTIA, AWS, and Microsoft exams.
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Matching questions give you two columns — concepts, commands, or protocols on the left, and their definitions or use-cases on the right. You drag each left item to its correct match. These appear on most certification exams and punish superficial memorisation.
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Multi-select questions tell you to 'Choose TWO' or 'Choose THREE'. Getting partial credit is not a thing — you must select all correct answers with no incorrect ones. The stem always states how many to choose, so trust it. These questions require precision, not best-guess elimination.
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Performance-based questions drop you into a simulated CLI or lab environment and ask you to complete a real configuration task. On Cisco exams this means IOS commands in a terminal with a live topology. PBQs are worth more marks and appear first in the exam — get these right.
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These are the questions most candidates get wrong. They require connecting multiple concepts, reading tricky output, or knowing edge-case behaviour that isn't on most study cards. Practising them trains you to operate under uncertainty — a necessary skill on the real exam.
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These questions describe a network symptom and ask you to identify the root cause or the correct fix. They appear across all certification exams and reward systematic thinking over memorisation. The best candidates follow a consistent troubleshooting framework even under time pressure.
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These questions present the output of IOS show commands — show ip route, show interfaces, show ip ospf neighbor, show vlan brief — and ask you to interpret what they reveal about the network state. Reading IOS output accurately is one of the highest-value skills on the CCNA.
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OSPF neighbour adjacencies, route advertisements, and DR/BDR elections appear consistently on the CCNA. These questions test whether you can read OSPF state from show commands and identify why two routers fail to reach FULL adjacency or why a route isn't being learned.
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VLAN misconfiguration is one of the top sources of connectivity failures in real networks and one of the most tested areas on the CCNA. These questions cover VLAN access ports, 802.1Q trunks, native VLANs, and router-on-a-stick or layer-3 switch inter-VLAN routing.
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STP and Rapid PVST+ questions test your understanding of root bridge election, port roles, port states, and protection features. These appear in MCQ, multi-select, and drag-and-drop formats on the CCNA because STP behaviour is non-intuitive and frequently misunderstood.
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NAT and PAT questions cover static NAT (one-to-one), dynamic NAT (pool-based), and PAT/overload (many-to-one using port numbers). The CCNA asks you to read NAT table output, fix misconfigured NAT, and match the right NAT type to a scenario.
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ACL questions test your ability to read, write, and place access lists correctly. They appear as configuration tasks, troubleshooting scenarios, and exhibit-based questions showing ACL output. The CCNA covers standard and extended ACLs for both IPv4 and IPv6.
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DHCP questions cover server configuration, relay agents (ip helper-address), DHCP snooping, and the four-step DORA handshake. Common exam scenarios: a host isn't getting an IP, a relay agent isn't forwarding requests, or a rogue DHCP server is handing out wrong addresses.
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EtherChannel bundles multiple physical links into a single logical port-channel. The CCNA tests LACP vs PAgP vs static EtherChannel, the mode combinations that form a channel, and common configuration errors. These appear as configuration tasks and troubleshooting scenarios.
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Wireless questions on the CCNA cover 802.11 standards (ax/ac/n), WPA3, SSID/BSSID concepts, WLC architecture (FlexConnect, local switching), and client connectivity troubleshooting. These are mostly MCQ and multi-select.
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IPv6 questions test address types (global unicast, link-local, multicast, anycast), address assignment (SLAAC, DHCPv6, EUI-64), OSPFv3, and dual-stack. The CCNA often presents an IPv6 address and asks you to identify the prefix, type, or calculate the EUI-64 interface ID.
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Cisco's 350-401 is known for scenario-heavy questions. Unlike simple recall questions, scenarios require you to apply knowledge — read a topology diagram, interpret command output, or troubleshoot a broken configuration — before choosing the best answer.
Exhibit reading
The most common scenario type. You must read a topology or table carefully before answering — not rely on memory.
Command output
Questions that show 'show ip route', 'show interfaces trunk', or similar output. You must interpret exactly what the output says.
Troubleshooting
Two routers or switches aren't communicating. What's wrong? These test your ability to isolate the root cause from a complex scenario.
Best command choice
Given a task, which command achieves it? These test precision — small keyword differences matter.