Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A branch router learns a route to 10.20.30.0/24 from OSPF with metric 30 and also has a static route to the same prefix with an administrative distance of 5. Which route will appear in the routing table?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
The OSPF route because metric 30 is lower than the static route metric
Distractor.
B
Best answer
The static route because its administrative distance is lower
Correct choice.
C
Distractor review
Both routes with equal preference because they point to the same prefix
Distractor.
D
Distractor review
Neither route until the router performs a full SPF recalculation
Distractor.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common exam trap is to confuse the OSPF metric with administrative distance and assume the route with the lower metric is preferred. Since OSPF’s metric is 30 and the static route’s metric is not applicable or higher, candidates may incorrectly select the OSPF route. However, Cisco routers first compare administrative distance, which is a measure of route trustworthiness across different routing sources. Because the static route has a lower administrative distance (5) than OSPF (110), the static route is preferred and installed in the routing table. Misunderstanding this leads to incorrect route selection and exam errors.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Administrative distance (AD) is a Cisco router feature that ranks the trustworthiness of routing information received from different routing protocols or sources. Lower AD values indicate more reliable routes, so the router prefers routes with the lowest AD when multiple sources advertise the same destination prefix. Metrics, such as OSPF cost or EIGRP metric, are used to select the best route among multiple routes learned from the same routing protocol but do not influence route selection across different routing protocols. When a router learns a route to the same prefix from multiple sources, it first compares the administrative distance of each route. The route with the lowest AD is installed in the routing table regardless of the metric values associated with the routes. In this question, the static route has an AD of 5, which is lower than OSPF's default AD of 110, so the static route is preferred and installed. The OSPF metric of 30 is irrelevant in this cross-protocol comparison because metrics are only compared among routes learned from the same routing protocol. A common exam trap is confusing metric values with administrative distance and assuming the route with the lower metric always wins. This mistake leads to selecting the OSPF route because its metric (30) is numerically lower than the static route's metric (which is not applicable). In practice, Cisco routers always prioritize administrative distance first, so the static route with AD 5 overrides the OSPF route with AD 110. Understanding this distinction is critical for correct route selection and troubleshooting in Cisco networks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- A Cisco router compares administrative distance before metric when selecting a route from different routing sources for the same prefix.
- Static routes have a default administrative distance of 1 or 5 if configured with an AD value, making them more trusted than OSPF routes with AD 110.
- OSPF uses metric (cost) to select the best path only among routes learned from OSPF, not against routes from other protocols or static routes.
- The routing table installs the route with the lowest administrative distance regardless of the metric values from other routing protocols.
- Administrative distance is a value assigned to routing protocols to indicate route trustworthiness, with lower values preferred over higher ones.
- Static routes can override dynamic routing protocol routes if their administrative distance is lower, even if the dynamic route metric is better.
- Cisco routers do not install multiple routes to the same prefix from different routing protocols unless they have equal administrative distance.
- Understanding the difference between administrative distance and metric prevents common routing selection mistakes in Cisco networks.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A router learns the same prefix from both OSPF and EIGRP. Which route is installed by default?
Question 2
A router shows this output: R1#show ip ospf neighbor Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface 10.1.1.2 1 FULL/DR 00:00:34 192.168.12.2 GigabitEthernet0/0 10.1.1.3 1 2WAY/DROTHER 00:00:39 192.168.12.3 GigabitEthernet0/0 Which statement is correct?
Question 3
What is the OSPF metric called?
Question 4
A non-root switch has two uplinks toward the root bridge. One path has a lower total STP cost than the other. What role will the lower-cost uplink have?
Question 5
A router interface applies this ACL inbound: 10 deny tcp any any eq 80 20 permit ip any any A user reports that web browsing to a server by IP address fails, but ping works. Which statement best explains the behavior?
Question 6
A router learns route 198.51.100.0/24 from OSPF with AD 110 and also has a static route to the same prefix configured with AD 150. Which route is installed?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
A Cisco router compares administrative distance before metric when selecting a route from different routing sources for the same prefix.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The static route because its administrative distance is lower — The router installs the static route because administrative distance is compared before metric when two different routing sources advertise the same prefix. OSPF metric matters only against other OSPF choices, not against a lower-AD static route.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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