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CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to configure and verify HSRP active/standby election, including priority, preempt, virtual IP, and failover verification.
⚠ Common exam trap
Do not configure the virtual IP before setting priority and preempt, as the router may become active with default priority and then preempt later, causing unnecessary flapping. Always configure the interface first, then priority/preempt, then virtual IP.
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
✓
1. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 2. Set HSRP priority and preempt 3. Configure HSRP virtual IP 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'
The order ensures the interface is ready, then priority and preempt are set to influence the election, followed by the virtual IP and verification of failover behavior.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
1. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 2. Set HSRP priority and preempt 3. Configure HSRP virtual IP 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'
Why this is correct
This is the correct order because the interface must be operational before HSRP can function. Priority and preempt are set to influence the active/standby election, then the virtual IP is configured. Finally, verification with 'show standby' confirms the state and failover behavior.
- ✗
1. Configure HSRP virtual IP 2. Set HSRP priority and preempt 3. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'
Why it's wrong here
Configuring the HSRP virtual IP before bringing the interface up is invalid because the interface must have an IP address in the same subnet as the virtual IP, and HSRP hello packets cannot be sourced from an administratively down interface. Without an operational interface, the standby process cannot initialize or exchange hellos, so the virtual IP assignment is ignored or rejected. Even if the interface is later brought up, the HSRP election would occur with default priority and preempt settings, leading to an unintended active/standby decision until preempt is configured.
- ✗
1. Set HSRP priority and preempt 2. Configure HSRP virtual IP 3. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'
Why it's wrong here
Setting HSRP priority and preempt before the interface has an IP address and is no shutdown is premature, as these commands only take effect when HSRP begins running on an active interface. The virtual IP cannot be configured at this point either, because the interface lacks a real IP in the same subnet, causing the 'standby ip' command to fail. Additionally, bringing the interface up after configuring the virtual IP would force HSRP to start immediately, potentially using the correct priority/preempt, but the configuration order violates the prerequisite that the interface be ready before any HSRP parameters are applied.
- ✗
1. Configure HSRP virtual IP 2. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 3. Set HSRP priority and preempt 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'
Why it's wrong here
Placing the HSRP virtual IP configuration before the interface is operational is the fundamental error here, but this option also delays priority and preempt until after the virtual IP is set. When the virtual IP is configured, HSRP starts the election process immediately; if priority/preempt are not yet in place, the router participates with a default priority of 100 and no preempt capability. Later, after the interface is up and priority/preempt are added, preempt can force a new election, but this creates an avoidable state change and potential service disruption, which is why the virtual IP should be configured last among HSRP parameters.
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.
✓1. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 2. Set HSRP priority and preempt 3. Configure HSRP virtual IP 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is the correct order because the interface must be operational before HSRP can function. Priority and preempt are set to influence the active/standby election, then the virtual IP is configured. Finally, verification with 'show standby' confirms the state and failover behavior.
✗1. Configure HSRP virtual IP 2. Set HSRP priority and preempt 3. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is that HSRP configuration requires the interface to be up and have an IP address before HSRP commands take effect.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think the virtual IP is the most important and should be configured first, but the interface must be ready first.
✗1. Set HSRP priority and preempt 2. Configure HSRP virtual IP 3. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is that HSRP commands are applied to an interface, so the interface must be configured first.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think priority and preempt are the first steps because they influence the election, but the interface must be ready first.
✗1. Configure HSRP virtual IP 2. Configure interface with IP address and no shutdown 3. Set HSRP priority and preempt 4. Verify HSRP state and failover with 'show standby'Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is that priority and preempt should be configured before the virtual IP to influence the election immediately when the virtual IP is added.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think the virtual IP is the core of HSRP and should come right after the interface, but priority/preempt should come before to avoid a brief election with default values.
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?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Interpreting HSRP and VRRP Operational Status
Key term
Virtual IP
A Virtual IP (VIP) is a floating IP address shared among multiple servers or network devices to provide high availability and fault tolerance without being tied to a single physical interface.
Key term
Failover
Failover is the automatic switching to a backup system when the primary system fails, ensuring continuous operation and minimal downtime.
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JA
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.