- A
Configure priority 150 on one router and priority 50 on the other.
Why wrong: This would force the router with priority 150 to be active, regardless of IP address, which contradicts the requirement to use the highest IPv4 address for election.
- B
Configure the preempt command on both routers.
With equal priority, HSRP elects the active router based on the highest IP address. The preempt command ensures that if a router with a higher IP address (and equal priority) recovers after a failure, it will preempt the current active router and reclaim the active role, as required.
- C
Configure the standby 1 priority 100 command on both routers.
Why wrong: This is already implied by setting priority 100; it does not address the need for preemption. Both routers would remain in standby state without an active router because HSRP requires a priority difference or preempt to determine roles when priorities are equal.
- D
Configure the standby 1 priority 100 on one router and standby 1 priority 50 on the other.
Why wrong: This changes the priorities, which would bypass the IP address-based election. The requirement explicitly states the router with the highest IPv4 address should become active, so priorities must remain equal.
Quick Answer
The answer is to configure the preempt command on both routers. This is required because HSRP uses priority to determine the active router, but without the preempt command, a router with a higher priority—or, in this case, a higher IPv4 address when priorities are equal—will not automatically reclaim the active role after it recovers from a failure. Since both routers have priority 100, the router with the highest IPv4 address becomes active initially, but preempt ensures it can take over again after an outage. On the CCNA 200-301 v2 exam, this tests your understanding that preempt is the mechanism for role reclamation, not just initial election; a common trap is assuming a higher IP alone guarantees takeover without preempt enabled. Remember the mnemonic: "Preempt prevents passivity"—without it, the recovered router stays passive, even if it has the higher IP.
CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
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. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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 network engineer is configuring HSRP on a pair of Cisco routers to provide first-hop redundancy for a subnet. The goal is to ensure that the router with the highest IPv4 address always becomes the active router, and that it automatically reclaims the active role after a failure. The engineer configures priority 100 on both routers. Which additional configuration is required to meet these objectives?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
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
Configure the preempt command on both routers.
Option B is correct because HSRP uses priority to determine the active router, but without the preempt command, a router with a higher priority will not take over the active role if it comes online after a failure. Since both routers have the same priority (100), the router with the highest IPv4 address will become active initially, but to ensure it automatically reclaims the active role after a failure, preempt must be enabled on both routers. This allows the router with the higher IP address (and equal priority) to preempt the current active router when it recovers.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure priority 150 on one router and priority 50 on the other.
Why it's wrong here
This would force the router with priority 150 to be active, regardless of IP address, which contradicts the requirement to use the highest IPv4 address for election.
- ✓
Configure the preempt command on both routers.
Why this is correct
With equal priority, HSRP elects the active router based on the highest IP address. The preempt command ensures that if a router with a higher IP address (and equal priority) recovers after a failure, it will preempt the current active router and reclaim the active role, as required.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure the standby 1 priority 100 command on both routers.
Why it's wrong here
This is already implied by setting priority 100; it does not address the need for preemption. Both routers would remain in standby state without an active router because HSRP requires a priority difference or preempt to determine roles when priorities are equal.
- ✗
Configure the standby 1 priority 100 on one router and standby 1 priority 50 on the other.
Why it's wrong here
This changes the priorities, which would bypass the IP address-based election. The requirement explicitly states the router with the highest IPv4 address should become active, so priorities must remain equal.
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.
✓Configure the preempt command on both routers.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
With equal priority, HSRP elects the active router based on the highest IP address. The preempt command ensures that if a router with a higher IP address (and equal priority) recovers after a failure, it will preempt the current active router and reclaim the active role, as required.
✗Configure priority 150 on one router and priority 50 on the other.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Configuring different priorities (150 and 50) would force the router with priority 150 to become active regardless of IP address, contradicting the requirement to use the highest IPv4 address for election. HSRP uses priority as the primary criterion; only when priorities are equal does the highest IP address break the tie.
Why candidates choose this
Students often think that setting a higher priority on one router is the standard way to control active router selection, but they overlook the specific requirement that the highest IP address must determine the active role. This option seems like a straightforward way to ensure one router is active.
✗Configure the standby 1 priority 100 command on both routers.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The command 'standby 1 priority 100' is already implied by setting priority 100; it does not enable preemption. With equal priority and no preempt, both routers will remain in standby state indefinitely because HSRP cannot determine an active router without a tiebreaker or preemption. The active router election requires either a priority difference or preempt to resolve the tie.
Why candidates choose this
Students might think that explicitly configuring the priority again is necessary or that it somehow enables preemption. They may confuse the priority command with the preempt command, assuming that setting priority automatically includes preemption behavior.
✗Configure the standby 1 priority 100 on one router and standby 1 priority 50 on the other.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Configuring different priorities (100 and 50) would make the router with priority 100 active regardless of IP address, which violates the requirement to use the highest IPv4 address for election. The requirement explicitly states that priorities must remain equal so that the highest IP address determines the active router.
Why candidates choose this
This option appears to be a common HSRP configuration where one router is given higher priority to be active. Students may not read the requirement carefully and assume that setting different priorities is the correct approach, missing the specific condition that the highest IP address should be the deciding factor.
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
Cisco often tests the misconception that priority alone determines active router selection and that preempt is only needed when priorities differ, but the trap here is that without preempt, even with equal priorities, the router with the higher IP address will not reclaim the active role after a failure.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In HSRP, when priorities are equal, the router with the highest IP address becomes the active router, but this election only occurs at initial startup or when the active router fails. The preempt command (standby [group] preempt) enables a router to initiate an election and take over as active if it has a higher priority (or higher IP address when priorities are equal) than the current active router, even after the network has converged. This is critical in scenarios where a router is temporarily offline for maintenance and must reclaim its role upon reboot to maintain deterministic forwarding.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
IP Routing — This question tests IP Routing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the preempt command on both routers. — Option B is correct because HSRP uses priority to determine the active router, but without the preempt command, a router with a higher priority will not take over the active role if it comes online after a failure. Since both routers have the same priority (100), the router with the highest IPv4 address will become active initially, but to ensure it automatically reclaims the active role after a failure, preempt must be enabled on both routers. This allows the router with the higher IP address (and equal priority) to preempt the current active router when it recovers.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first", "always". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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