This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of ip routing. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. A key principle to apply: cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A router learns the same destination prefix from OSPF and from a static route configured with administrative distance 90. Which route is preferred by default?
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 with distance 90
The static route is preferred because its administrative distance of 90 is lower than OSPF’s default administrative distance of 110. In practical terms, when the prefix length is the same, the router compares route-source trust next. The lower administrative distance wins.
This question is important because many learners remember that static routes are often strong choices but forget that administrative distance can be tuned. Here, that tuning explicitly makes the static route more preferred than OSPF.
Key principle: Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.
✗
The OSPF route, because dynamic routes always beat static routes
Why it's wrong here
This is wrong because route preference depends on administrative distance, not a simple dynamic-versus-static rule.
When this WOULD be correct
In a different question setup where OSPF is configured with a lower administrative distance than the static route (e.g., OSPF at 80 and static at 90), the OSPF route would be preferred, making this option correct. The question would need to specify that the OSPF route has a lower administrative distance.
✗
Both routes equally, because the prefix is identical
Why it's wrong here
This is wrong because identical prefix length does not mean equal installation when the administrative distances differ.
When this WOULD be correct
In a different scenario, if a question stated that both routes had the same administrative distance and the router was configured to load balance between equal-cost paths, then this option could be correct as both routes would be considered equally valid for forwarding traffic.
✗
Neither route, because duplicate information is dropped
Why it's wrong here
This is wrong because the router can choose a preferred source for the same prefix.
When this WOULD be correct
In a scenario where a router is configured to drop duplicate routes due to a specific policy or configuration, such as using route filtering or specific routing protocol settings, this option could be correct. For example, if the question states that the router is configured to ignore duplicate routes from OSPF, then neither route would be preferred.
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 static route with distance 90Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is correct because 90 is lower than OSPF’s default administrative distance of 110.
✗The OSPF route, because dynamic routes always beat static routesWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Route preference is determined by administrative distance, not by whether the route is learned dynamically or statically. A static route with a lower AD is preferred over a dynamic route with a higher AD.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a different question setup where OSPF is configured with a lower administrative distance than the static route (e.g., OSPF at 80 and static at 90), the OSPF route would be preferred, making this option correct. The question would need to specify that the OSPF route has a lower administrative distance.
Why candidates choose this
Students may mistakenly believe that dynamic routing protocols are always superior to static routes because they adapt to network changes, but administrative distance overrides this general notion.
✗Both routes equally, because the prefix is identicalWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
When two routes have the same prefix length but different administrative distances, the route with the lower AD is installed in the routing table. Equal prefix length does not imply equal preference.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a different scenario, if a question stated that both routes had the same administrative distance and the router was configured to load balance between equal-cost paths, then this option could be correct as both routes would be considered equally valid for forwarding traffic.
Why candidates choose this
Test-takers might confuse administrative distance with metric or think that identical prefixes lead to load balancing, but AD is the primary tiebreaker for route selection.
✗Neither route, because duplicate information is droppedWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Routers do not drop duplicate prefixes; they select the best route based on administrative distance and install it in the routing table. The other route is kept in the routing information source but not used.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
In a scenario where a router is configured to drop duplicate routes due to a specific policy or configuration, such as using route filtering or specific routing protocol settings, this option could be correct. For example, if the question states that the router is configured to ignore duplicate routes from OSPF, then neither route would be preferred.
Why candidates choose this
Some may think that duplicate information causes confusion or is discarded, but routers are designed to handle multiple sources for the same prefix and choose the most trustworthy one.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A frequent exam trap is believing that dynamic routing protocols like OSPF always take precedence over static routes. Many candidates mistakenly think that dynamic routes inherently override static routes regardless of administrative distance. However, Cisco routers use administrative distance as the primary factor in route selection, not the route source type. Since the static route in this question has an AD of 90, which is lower than OSPF’s default 110, the static route is preferred. Misunderstanding this can lead to incorrect answers and confusion about route installation in the routing table.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Administrative distance (AD) is a Cisco router feature that ranks the trustworthiness of routing information sources. Each routing protocol and route type has a default AD value, with lower values indicating more preferred routes. Static routes have a default AD of 1, but this can be manually adjusted to any value between 0 and 255. OSPF, a dynamic link-state routing protocol, has a default AD of 110. When a router learns the same prefix from multiple sources, it uses AD to decide which route to install in the routing table.
When a router receives identical destination prefixes from OSPF and a static route configured with an AD of 90, it compares the AD values directly. Since 90 is lower than OSPF’s default 110, the router prefers the static route despite OSPF being a dynamic protocol. The router installs the static route in the routing table and forwards traffic accordingly. This behavior highlights that administrative distance, not route type (static vs. dynamic), determines route preference.
A common exam trap is assuming dynamic routing protocols always override static routes. This is incorrect because AD values can be tuned, changing route preference. In practice, network engineers adjust static route ADs to influence routing decisions, such as preferring a static backup route over a dynamic one. Understanding this nuance is critical for CCNA candidates to avoid misinterpreting route selection behavior in Cisco routers.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.
A lower administrative distance value indicates a more preferred route that the router installs in the routing table.
Static routes have a default administrative distance of 1 but can be manually configured to any value between 0 and 255 to influence route preference.
OSPF has a default administrative distance of 110, which is higher than the configured static route AD of 90 in this scenario.
When identical prefixes are learned from OSPF and a static route with AD 90, the router prefers the static route due to its lower administrative distance.
Route preference depends on administrative distance values, not on whether the route is static or dynamic by default.
Cisco routers install only one best route per prefix in the routing table based on the lowest administrative distance.
Adjusting administrative distance on static routes is a common practice to override dynamic routing protocol preferences for specific traffic engineering needs.
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.
Key takeaway
Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 200-301 question in full detail.
Review cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
IP Routing — This question tests IP Routing — Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The static route with distance 90 — The static route is preferred because its administrative distance of 90 is lower than OSPF’s default administrative distance of 110. In practical terms, when the prefix length is the same, the router compares route-source trust next. The lower administrative distance wins.
This question is important because many learners remember that static routes are often strong choices but forget that administrative distance can be tuned. Here, that tuning explicitly makes the static route more preferred than OSPF.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Review cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine the trustworthiness of routing information sources when multiple routes to the same prefix exist.
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