CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
Exhibit
S* 0.0.0.0/0 via 203.0.113.1 O 192.168.50.0/24 [110/20] via 10.10.10.2
A route table shows both a default route and a more specific route to 192.168.50.0/24. Which two statements describe how packets destined for 192.168.50.25 are handled?
⚠ Common exam trap
A frequent exam trap is assuming that administrative distance is compared before prefix length when selecting a route. Candidates might think that if the default route has a better administrative distance, it will be chosen over a more specific route. However, Cisco routers always apply the longest prefix match rule first, selecting the most specific route regardless of administrative distance. Administrative distance only comes into play when multiple routes have the same prefix length. Misunderstanding this can lead to incorrect answers about how packets are forwarded, especially when both default and specific routes exist in the routing table.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The router prefers the 192.168.50.0/24 route because it is the longest prefix match
Once routes are installed, packet forwarding follows longest prefix match. The /24 route is more specific than the default route, so traffic to 192.168.50.25 uses the /24 entry.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The router prefers the 192.168.50.0/24 route because it is the longest prefix match
Why this is correct
The 192.168.50.0/24 route wins because longest prefix match dictates that the most specific route among all matching entries is used. With a /24 mask, it matches a narrower address range than the /0 default route, making it the superior entry for any destination inside 192.168.50.0/24. Forwarding therefore uses that route's next hop directly.
- ✓
The default route is used only when no more-specific route matches
Why this is correct
The default route, 0.0.0.0/0, has the shortest possible prefix length, so it can match every destination but only acts as a fallback. A destination is forwarded via the default route only when no longer-prefix route matches it in the routing table. Since a /24 match exists, the default route never sees traffic for that subnet.
- ✗
Administrative distance is compared before prefix length for forwarding decisions
Why it's wrong here
Administrative distance (AD) is a tiebreaker between multiple routes that have the same destination prefix and comparable specificity. It never precedes longest prefix match; a lower AD cannot cause a /0 route to override a directly matching /24 route. Prefix length is evaluated first, and only after that does AD influence which source protocol's route is installed for identical prefixes.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a question where two routes to the exact same destination network (e.g., both 192.168.50.0/24) exist from different routing protocols (e.g., OSPF and static), and the router must choose which route to install in the routing table based on administrative distance.
- ✗
The packet is load-balanced across both routes automatically
Why it's wrong here
Load balancing requires two or more equal-cost paths to the same destination prefix. A default route and a 192.168.50.0/24 route have different prefix lengths, so they are not equal-cost candidates for the same packet. The router first performs longest prefix match, selecting only the /24; no per-packet or per-destination load sharing occurs across these two routes.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that both routes have equal prefix length (e.g., both are /24) and equal administrative distance/metric, then the router would load-balance traffic across them using per-packet or per-destination load balancing.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 200-301 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓The router prefers the 192.168.50.0/24 route because it is the longest prefix matchCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
The 192.168.50.0/24 route wins because longest prefix match dictates that the most specific route among all matching entries is used. With a /24 mask, it matches a narrower address range than the /0 default route, making it the superior entry for any destination inside 192.168.50.0/24. Forwarding therefore uses that route's next hop directly.
✗Administrative distance is compared before prefix length for forwarding decisionsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Administrative distance is only compared when there are multiple routes to the same destination network from different routing sources; it is not compared against prefix length. For forwarding decisions, the router always uses the longest prefix match first, regardless of administrative distance.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a question where two routes to the exact same destination network (e.g., both 192.168.50.0/24) exist from different routing protocols (e.g., OSPF and static), and the router must choose which route to install in the routing table based on administrative distance.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often confuse the order of route selection criteria, mistakenly thinking administrative distance is compared before prefix length, especially when they recall that AD is used to choose between routes but forget that prefix length is evaluated first.
✗The packet is load-balanced across both routes automaticallyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Routers do not automatically load-balance across a default route and a more specific route; they use the longest prefix match to select a single best route.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that both routes have equal prefix length (e.g., both are /24) and equal administrative distance/metric, then the router would load-balance traffic across them using per-packet or per-destination load balancing.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse ECMP (equal-cost multipath) load balancing with the behavior of routes of different prefix lengths, assuming the router distributes traffic across all available routes.
Analysis generated from the official 200-301blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Visual reference
Quick reference
IPv4 Address Class Summary
| Class | First Octet Range | Default Mask | Networks | Hosts per Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–126 | /8 (255.0.0.0) | 126 | 16,777,214 |
| B | 128–191 | /16 (255.255.0.0) | 16,384 | 65,534 |
| C | 192–223 | /24 (255.255.255.0) | 2,097,152 | 254 |
| D | 224–239 | N/A | Multicast groups | — |
| E | 240–255 | N/A | Reserved / experimental | — |
127.x.x.x is reserved for loopback. Modern networks use CIDR (classless) rather than classful addressing.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Interpreting HSRP and VRRP Operational Status
Key term
Packet
A packet is a small unit of data that is sent over a network, containing both the actual data and control information for delivery.
Key term
Route
A route is a path that data takes through a network from one device or network to another, determined by routing protocols and configured rules.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-301 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-301 exam.