CCNA IP Routing Practice Question

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 OSPF /24 route

  Why it's wrong here

  The OSPF /24 route is not used because it is less specific than the static /25. When a destination IP matches both prefixes, the router always prefers the longer prefix, regardless of OSPF's preference or metric. The administrative distance of OSPF (110) would only be considered if both routes had the same prefix length, but here the /25 is more specific, so the /24 route is ignored for addresses inside the /25. The /24 route remains active only for other addresses in its range not covered by the /25.

  When this WOULD be correct

  If the question stated that the OSPF /24 route had a higher administrative distance than the static route, or if the static route was removed from the routing table, then the OSPF /24 route would be the correct choice for traffic to 203.0.113.10.

• ✓

  The static /25 route

  Why this is correct

  The static /25 route is selected because forwarding decisions use longest-prefix match, not administrative distance. Even though OSPF has a higher administrative distance (110) compared to static's 1, that comparison applies only when two routes have identical prefix lengths. Since 203.0.113.0/25 is more specific than the /24 and also matches the destination address, the router installs and uses this route for all traffic within that /25 range. This is why the static /25 correctly wins.

• ✗

  Both routes equally

  Why it's wrong here

  Equal-cost load balancing cannot occur between a /24 and a /25 because they have different prefix lengths, which means they are not considered equal-cost paths to the same destination. For load balancing, routes must share the same prefix length and the same metric, and the destination must be identical. Here, the /25 is more specific, so the router uses it exclusively for matches within that range, rather than splitting traffic between the two routes. Thus, 'both routes equally' is inaccurate.

  When this WOULD be correct

  In a different scenario where both routes had the same administrative distance, such as when comparing two static routes, a question might ask which route would be used if both were equally preferred. In that case, both routes could be considered equally valid for traffic destined to the same IP.

• ✗

  Neither route because the prefixes overlap

  Why it's wrong here

  Overlapping prefixes are not an error; routers are designed to handle them using the longest-prefix match algorithm. The presence of both a /24 and a /25 in the routing table does not cause a conflict or make both routes unusable. Instead, each route is evaluated based on prefix length, and the most specific match determines the forwarding path. Therefore, it is incorrect to assume that overlap forces the router to reject or ignore both routes.

  When this WOULD be correct

  In a scenario where a question specifies that both routes are equally preferred due to equal administrative distances or if the router is configured to treat overlapping routes differently, this option could be correct. For example, if the question states that the router uses a round-robin method for load balancing between equal-cost paths, then both routes would be used.

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.

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?”

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