- A
Administrative Distance is a measure of the trustworthiness of a routing information source, such as a routing protocol or a static route.
Administrative Distance (AD) is a numeric value assigned to each route source (e.g., OSPF, EIGRP, static) to indicate its reliability. Lower AD values are preferred. This concept is fundamental for route selection when multiple routing protocols provide routes to the same destination.
- B
Administrative Distance is the metric used by a routing protocol to determine the best path within that protocol.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because Administrative Distance is not a metric; it is a separate concept used to compare routes from different routing sources. Metrics (like hop count, bandwidth, delay) are used within a single routing protocol to select the best path.
- C
Administrative Distance is the time it takes for a routing protocol to converge after a network change.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because Administrative Distance is not related to time or convergence. Convergence time depends on the routing protocol's design (e.g., OSPF converges faster than RIP) and network conditions, not on AD.
- D
Administrative Distance is the number of hops a packet takes to reach its destination.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because the number of hops is a metric used by RIP (Routing Information Protocol), not Administrative Distance. AD is a separate value that indicates the trustworthiness of the route source, not the path length.
CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of ip routing. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.. 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.
Match each routing concept to its most accurate meaning.
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
Administrative Distance is a measure of the trustworthiness of a routing information source, such as a routing protocol or a static route.
Administrative Distance measures route source trustworthiness; Metric determines best path within a protocol; Convergence is the time to reach consistent routing; Route Summarization reduces routing table size; Floating Static Route acts as a backup; ECMP enables load balancing.
Key principle: Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Administrative Distance is a measure of the trustworthiness of a routing information source, such as a routing protocol or a static route.
Why this is correct
Administrative Distance (AD) is a numeric value assigned to each route source (e.g., OSPF, EIGRP, static) to indicate its reliability. Lower AD values are preferred. This concept is fundamental for route selection when multiple routing protocols provide routes to the same destination.
Related concept
Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.
- ✗
Administrative Distance is the metric used by a routing protocol to determine the best path within that protocol.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because Administrative Distance is not a metric; it is a separate concept used to compare routes from different routing sources. Metrics (like hop count, bandwidth, delay) are used within a single routing protocol to select the best path.
- ✗
Administrative Distance is the time it takes for a routing protocol to converge after a network change.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because Administrative Distance is not related to time or convergence. Convergence time depends on the routing protocol's design (e.g., OSPF converges faster than RIP) and network conditions, not on AD.
- ✗
Administrative Distance is the number of hops a packet takes to reach its destination.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because the number of hops is a metric used by RIP (Routing Information Protocol), not Administrative Distance. AD is a separate value that indicates the trustworthiness of the route source, not the path length.
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.
✓Administrative Distance is a measure of the trustworthiness of a routing information source, such as a routing protocol or a static route.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Administrative Distance (AD) is a numeric value assigned to each route source (e.g., OSPF, EIGRP, static) to indicate its reliability. Lower AD values are preferred. This concept is fundamental for route selection when multiple routing protocols provide routes to the same destination.
✗Administrative Distance is the metric used by a routing protocol to determine the best path within that protocol.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is confusing Administrative Distance with a routing protocol's metric. AD is inter-protocol, while metrics are intra-protocol.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often mix up the terms 'metric' and 'administrative distance' because both are numeric values used in route selection. They may think AD is just another type of metric.
✗Administrative Distance is the time it takes for a routing protocol to converge after a network change.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is attributing a temporal characteristic to AD. AD is a static value assigned to route sources, not a dynamic measure of convergence speed.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may associate 'distance' with time or delay, especially if they think of 'distance vector' protocols. They might incorrectly assume AD measures how long it takes for a route to become reliable.
✗Administrative Distance is the number of hops a packet takes to reach its destination.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is equating AD with hop count. Hop count is a metric, while AD is a measure of route source preference.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'distance' with physical or logical distance, and hop count is a common metric. They might think AD is just another name for hop count.
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
The exam often tests your ability to distinguish between Administrative Distance and metric. Remember: AD compares routes from different sources (inter-protocol), while metrics compare routes from the same source (intra-protocol). Also, AD is not a measure of time or hop count.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Administrative distance (AD) is a fundamental routing concept used by Cisco routers to determine the trustworthiness of routing information received from different routing protocols or sources. Each routing protocol has a default AD value, with lower values indicating more trusted sources. For example, directly connected routes have an AD of 0, static routes default to 1, EIGRP has 90, OSPF 110, and RIP 120. When multiple routing protocols provide routes to the same destination, the router uses AD to select which route to install in the routing table. The metric is a value calculated within a single routing protocol to compare multiple candidate paths to the same destination network. Metrics vary by protocol: OSPF uses cost based on bandwidth, EIGRP uses a composite metric including bandwidth and delay, and RIP uses hop count. The route with the lowest metric is preferred within that protocol. After the best route per protocol is determined, administrative distance is used to compare routes from different protocols. Prefix length defines the specificity of a route by indicating how many bits of the network address are fixed in the subnet mask. Longer prefix lengths (more bits fixed) mean more specific routes. When multiple routes to the same destination exist, the router prefers the route with the longest prefix match. The default route (0.0.0.0/0) has the shortest prefix length and is used only when no more specific route matches the destination IP address. This layered decision process—prefix length, metric, then administrative distance—ensures efficient and predictable routing behavior in Cisco networks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.
- Metric compares candidate paths within a single routing protocol and selects the best path based on protocol-specific criteria like bandwidth or hop count.
- Prefix length determines route specificity by indicating how many bits of the network address are fixed, with longer prefixes preferred.
- The default route acts as a fallback route and is used only when no more specific route matches the destination address.
- Cisco routers first select routes based on the longest prefix match before considering metric or administrative distance.
- Administrative distance values are fixed per routing protocol and cannot be changed by the metric calculation within the protocol.
- Routing decisions follow a hierarchy: longest prefix match, then lowest metric within the protocol, then lowest administrative distance across protocols.
- A route with a longer prefix length but higher administrative distance can be preferred over a less specific route with a lower administrative distance.
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
Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
IP Routing — This question tests IP Routing — Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Administrative Distance is a measure of the trustworthiness of a routing information source, such as a routing protocol or a static route. — Administrative Distance measures route source trustworthiness; Metric determines best path within a protocol; Convergence is the time to reach consistent routing; Route Summarization reduces routing table size; Floating Static Route acts as a backup; ECMP enables load balancing.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Review administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Administrative distance compares routing sources and selects the most trustworthy route when multiple protocols provide routes to the same destination.
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Last reviewed: Apr 12, 2026
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