CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
A router has the following routes in its routing table: a static route to 10.1.1.0/24 with administrative distance 1, an OSPF route to 10.1.1.0/24 with administrative distance 110, and an EIGRP route to 10.1.1.0/24 with administrative distance 90. A packet arrives destined for 10.1.1.50. Which route will the router use to forward the packet?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that the dynamic routing protocol with the lowest administrative distance among dynamic protocols is chosen, forgetting that a static route has an even lower distance.
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 static route
Administrative distance is used to select the best route when multiple routing sources provide a route to the same destination. The static route has the lowest administrative distance (1), so it is preferred over EIGRP (90) and OSPF (110). The packet will be forwarded using the static route.
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 static route
Why this is correct
The static route has an administrative distance of 1, which is lower than both OSPF (110) and EIGRP (90). When multiple routes to the same destination exist from different sources, the router prefers the route with the lowest administrative distance. Therefore, the static route is installed in the routing table and used to forward the packet.
- ✗
The EIGRP route
Why it's wrong here
EIGRP has an administrative distance of 90, which is lower than OSPF but still higher than the static route's distance of 1. The static route is considered more reliable by the router, so the EIGRP route will not be installed in the routing table for this destination and will not be used.
- ✗
The OSPF route
Why it's wrong here
OSPF has an administrative distance of 110, which is higher than the static route's distance of 1. Even though OSPF is a dynamic routing protocol, it is not preferred over a static route to the same destination. The router will not use the OSPF route because a more trustworthy source exists.
- ✗
The router will load-balance between all three routes
Why it's wrong here
Load balancing occurs only when multiple routes to the same destination have the same administrative distance and metric. Here, the administrative distances differ, so only the route with the lowest administrative distance is installed. The router will not load-balance across routes from different sources with different distances.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Exam Trap: EIGRP Metric and Feasibility
Key term
EIGRP
EIGRP is an advanced distance-vector routing protocol that uses bandwidth and delay by default to find the best path for data packets across a computer network.
Key term
OSPF
OSPF is a link-state routing protocol used to find the best path for data packets to travel across IP networks, like a smart GPS that recalculates routes when traffic changes.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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.