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Scenario-based practice

Troubleshooting Scenario Questions

Practise CCNA 200-301 v2 practice questions — original exam-style scenarios covering every exam domain, with detailed explanations, wrong-answer analysis, and common exam traps.

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15
scenario questions
200-301
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Cisco
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Scenario guide

How to approach troubleshooting scenario questions

These questions describe a network symptom and ask you to identify the root cause or the correct fix. They appear across all certification exams and reward systematic thinking over memorisation. The best candidates follow a consistent troubleshooting framework even under time pressure.

Quick answer

Troubleshooting Scenario Questions questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.

How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.

Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.

How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.

How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.

Related practice questions

Related 200-301 topic practice pages

Scenario questions usually connect to one or more exam topics. Use these links to review the underlying concepts behind the scenario.

Network Infrastructure and Connectivity practice questions

Practise 200-301 questions linked to Network Infrastructure and Connectivity.

Switching and Network Access practice questions

Practise 200-301 questions linked to Switching and Network Access.

IP Routing practice questions

Practise 200-301 questions linked to IP Routing.

Network Services and Security practice questions

Practise 200-301 questions linked to Network Services and Security.

AI and Network Operations practice questions

Practise 200-301 questions linked to AI and Network Operations.

CCNA subnetting practice questions

Practise IPv4 subnetting, CIDR, masks, host ranges and subnet selection.

CCNA OSPF practice questions

Practise OSPF neighbours, router IDs, metrics, areas and routing-table interpretation.

CCNA VLAN practice questions

Practise VLANs, access ports, trunks, allowed VLANs and switching scenarios.

CCNA STP practice questions

Practise spanning tree, root bridge election, port roles and STP troubleshooting.

CCNA EtherChannel practice questions

Practise LACP, PAgP, port-channel behaviour and bundle requirements.

CCNA ACL practice questions

Practise standard and extended ACLs, permit/deny logic and traffic filtering.

CCNA NAT practice questions

Practise static NAT, dynamic NAT, PAT and inside/outside address translation.

Practice set

Practice scenarios

Question 1hardmultiple choice
Review the full OSPF breakdown →

A network engineer is troubleshooting OSPFv3 adjacency between two directly connected Cisco routers, R1 and R2, both running IOS-XE. The engineer configures OSPFv3 on both routers but notices that the adjacency does not form. The engineer runs 'show ospfv3 neighbor' on R1 and sees no neighbors. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Exhibit

R1# show ospfv3 neighbor

          OSPFv3 1 address-family ipv6 (router-id 1.1.1.1)

Neighbor ID     Pri   State           Dead Time   Interface ID    Interface

R1# show ipv6 interface brief
GigabitEthernet0/0   [up/up]
    FE80::1
GigabitEthernet0/1   [up/up]
    FE80::2

R1# show running-config | section router ospfv3
router ospfv3 1
 address-family ipv6
  router-id 1.1.1.1
  area 0
  interface GigabitEthernet0/0
  interface GigabitEthernet0/1

R1# show running-config interface GigabitEthernet0/0
interface GigabitEthernet0/0
 ipv6 address FE80::1 link-local
 ipv6 ospfv3 1 ipv6 area 0
!
Question 2mediummultiple choice
Review the full subnetting walkthrough →

A network administrator receives a call from a user who cannot access any external websites from their wired workstation. The user can ping the default gateway successfully, but fails to ping 8.8.8.8. The administrator runs ipconfig /all on the workstation and sees an IP address of 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, and default gateway 192.168.1.1. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Question 3mediumdrag order
Full question →

Drag and drop the following troubleshooting steps into the correct order to diagnose a client connectivity issue using the OSI bottom-up method. The client cannot access a web server by its FQDN.

Question 4hardmultiple choice
Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

A network administrator is troubleshooting a connectivity issue between two remote sites connected via a WAN link. Hosts on VLAN 10 at Site A (192.168.10.0/24) cannot ping the server at Site B (10.10.20.100). The router at Site A has a default route configured with the next-hop IP address 10.10.10.2. The administrator checks the routing table on Router A and notices that the default route is not installed. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

Exhibit

RouterA# show ip route
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route, H - NHRP, l - LISP
       a - application route
       + - replicated route, % - next hop override, p - overrides from PfR

Gateway of last resort is 10.10.10.2 to network 0.0.0.0

S*    0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 10.10.10.2, GigabitEthernet0/0
      10.0.0.0/8 is variably subnetted, 3 subnets, 2 masks
C        10.10.10.0/30 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
L        10.10.10.1/32 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
S        10.10.20.0/24 [1/0] via 10.10.10.2, GigabitEthernet0/0
      192.168.10.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C        192.168.10.0/24 is directly connected, Vlan10
L        192.168.10.1/32 is directly connected, Vlan10
Question 5hardmultiple choice
Review the full OSPF breakdown →

A junior network engineer configured a floating static route on Router R1 to provide backup connectivity to a remote network 10.10.10.0/24. The primary connection uses OSPF. However, after the primary link fails, hosts on R1 cannot reach the remote network. The OSPF adjacency is down, and the floating static route is not appearing in the routing table. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause of the issue?

Exhibit

R1# show ip route static
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route

Gateway of last resort is not set

S*   0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 192.168.1.2
S    10.10.10.0/24 [200/0] via 192.168.2.2

R1# show running-config | include ip route
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.2
ip route 10.10.10.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.2.2 200
Question 6mediumdrag order
Full question →

Drag and drop the following troubleshooting steps into the correct order to isolate CRC errors, duplex mismatches, and flapping on a Cisco IOS-XE interface.

Question 7hardmultiple choice
Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

A client can join a secure employee SSID, but traffic is consistently placed into a guest-style restricted path. Which area should be investigated first?

Question 8hardmultiple choice
Full question →

A network administrator has configured 802.1X port-based authentication on a Cisco IOS-XE switch for a new access port connected to a user workstation. The workstation is failing to gain network access. The switch port is in the 'authorized' state, but the workstation cannot ping the default gateway. The administrator checks the running configuration and the authentication session details. What is the most likely cause of the issue?

Exhibit

Switch# show running-config interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1
Building configuration...

Current configuration : 250 bytes
!
interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1
 switchport mode access
 switchport access vlan 10
 authentication port-control auto
 authentication periodic
 authentication timer reauthenticate 3600
 dot1x pae authenticator
 dot1x timeout tx-period 3
 spanning-tree portfast
end

Switch# show authentication sessions interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1 details
            Interface:  GigabitEthernet1/0/1
          MAC Address:  aaaa.bbbb.cccc
           IP Address:  192.168.10.25
            User-Name:  host/workstation
               Status:  Authz Success
               Domain:  DATA
       Oper host mode:  single-host
     Oper control dir:  both
        Session timeout:  3600s
    Common Session ID:  0A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J0K
      Acct Session ID:  0x00000001
               Handle:  0x00000001
Runnable methods list:
       Method   State
       dot1x    Authz Success

Switch# show dot1x all details
Sysauthcontrol                 ENABLED
Dot1x Protocol Version                3

Supplicant aaaa.bbbb.cccc, GigabitEthernet1/0/1
  PAE = AUTHENTICATOR
  quietPeriod = 60
  serverTimeout = 30
  maxReq = 2
  reAuthMax = 2
  allowAuthOn = [all]
  startPeriod = 30
  handshakePeriod = 15
  txPeriod = 3
  guestVlan = 999
  authVlan = 100
  criticalVlan = 200
  hostMode = SINGLE_HOST
  port-control = AUTO
  control-direction = BOTH
  host-auth = [success]
  re-authentication = ENABLED
  re-authperiod = 3600
  server-timeout = 30
  supp-timeout = 30
  server-retries = 2
  supp-retries = 2
  max-reauth-req = 2
  lastrx = 0
  cap = 0
  status = AUTHORIZED
  state = HELD
  backend-state = HELD
  method = dot1x
  timeout = 30
Question 9hardmultiple choice
Read the full DHCP explanation →

A client connects to an employee WLAN using 802.1X authentication. The authentication process completes successfully, but the client fails to obtain an IP address via DHCP. What is the most likely cause?

Exhibit

Client observations:
- Joined SSID: Corp-Employee
- Authentication: success
- Assigned IP: 10.90.200.44/24
Expected employee subnet: 10.90.10.0/24
Observed guest subnet: 10.90.200.0/24
Question 10hardmultiple choice
Review the full OSPF breakdown →

An OSPF-enabled router R1 fails to advertise the 192.168.50.0/24 network to neighbor R2, even though the neighbor relationship is up. Which misconfiguration on R1 would cause this?

Exhibit

R1 interface to LAN: 192.168.50.1/24 on G0/1
R1 OSPF config:
 router ospf 1
  network 192.168.5.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
  network 10.0.12.0 0.0.0.3 area 0
Question 11mediumdrag order
Full question →

A network troubleshooter is using Cisco IOS-XE's embedded packet capture feature to capture traffic on an interface and then analyze it in Wireshark to isolate a Layer 2 or Layer 3 fault. Which of the following sequences represents the correct order of steps?

Question 12hardmultiple choice
Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

Users in VLAN 60 on switch SW2 cannot reach the default gateway located on switch SW1. The trunk between SW1 and SW2 is operational and allows VLAN 60. What is the most likely reason for this issue?

Exhibit

SW1# show vlan brief
60  Users-60     active

SW2# show vlan brief
10  Users-10     active
20  Users-20     active

SW2# show interfaces trunk
Port        Mode         Encapsulation  Status        Native vlan
Gi0/1       on           802.1q         trunking      1

Port        Vlans allowed on trunk
Gi0/1       10,20,60
Question 13hardScenario
Open the full VLAN trunking answer →

You are connected to R1. The network uses a router-on-a-stick design with a single switch (SW1) and two VLANs (10 and 20). Currently, hosts in VLAN 10 cannot ping hosts in VLAN 20, and the trunk between R1 and SW1 shows a native VLAN mismatch. Examine the provided configuration and output, then apply the necessary corrections to R1 so that inter-VLAN routing works correctly.

Exhibit

R1#show running-config | section interface GigabitEthernet0/0
interface GigabitEthernet0/0
 no ip address
 duplex auto
 speed auto
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/0.10
 encapsulation dot1Q 10
 ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/0.20
 encapsulation dot1Q 10
 ip address 192.168.20.1 255.255.255.0
!
R1#show interfaces trunk
Port        Mode         Encapsulation  Status        Native vlan
Gig0/0      on           802.1q         trunking      1

Port        Vlans allowed on trunk
Gig0/0      1-1005

Port        Vlans allowed and active in management domain
Gig0/0      1,10,20

Port        Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned
Gig0/0      1,10,20

R1#show ip route
Codes: C - connected, S - static, I - IGRP, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route

Gateway of last resort is not set

     192.168.10.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C       192.168.10.0/24 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0.10
     192.168.20.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C       192.168.20.0/24 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0.20
Question 14hardmultiple choice
Read the full DNS explanation →

A network administrator is troubleshooting an issue where internal hosts can ping the company's web server by IP address (192.0.2.10) but cannot access it using the fully qualified domain name www.example.com. The DNS server (192.0.2.5) is reachable and responds to queries. The administrator runs nslookup www.example.com from a host and receives the following output:

C:\> nslookup www.example.com

Server: UnKnown Address: 192.0.2.5

Name: www.example.com Address: 192.0.2.20

Based on the output, what is the most likely cause of the problem?

Exhibit

C:\Users\admin> nslookup www.example.com
Server:  dns.example.com
Address:  192.0.2.5

Name:    www.example.com
Address:  198.51.100.1

C:\Users\admin> ping 198.51.100.1
Pinging 198.51.100.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.0.2.10: Destination host unreachable.

C:\Users\admin> ping 192.0.2.10
Pinging 192.0.2.10 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.0.2.10: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Question 15hardmultiple choice
Full question →

A network administrator is troubleshooting connectivity issues between two switches. Hosts connected to Switch A cannot ping hosts on Switch B. The link between the switches shows as up/up on both ends, but interface error counters (CRC, runts) are increasing rapidly. What should the administrator do to resolve the issue?

Exhibit

SwitchA# show interfaces gigabitethernet0/1
GigabitEthernet0/1 is up, line protocol is up (connected)
  Hardware is Gigabit Ethernet, address is 0011.2233.4401 (bia 0011.2233.4401)
  Description: Link to SwitchB
  Internet address is 192.168.1.1/30
  MTU 1500 bytes, BW 1000000 Kbit/sec, DLY 10 usec,
     reliability 255/255, txload 1/255, rxload 1/255
  Encapsulation ARPA, loopback not set
  Keepalive set (10 sec)
  Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s, media type is 10/100/1000BaseTX
  input flow-control is off, output flow-control is unsupported
  ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00
  Last input 00:00:00, output 00:00:00, output hang never
  Last clearing of "show interface" counters never
  Input queue: 0/75/0/0 (size/max/drops/flushes); Total output drops: 0
  Queueing strategy: fifo
  Output queue: 0/40 (size/max)
  5 minute input rate 0 bits/sec, 0 packets/sec
  5 minute output rate 0 bits/sec, 0 packets/sec
     1123 packets input, 123456 bytes, 0 no buffer
     Received 0 broadcasts (0 IP multicasts)
     0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles
     0 input errors, 0 CRC, 0 frame, 0 overrun, 0 ignored
     0 watchdog, 0 multicast, 0 pause input
     1123 packets output, 123456 bytes, 0 underruns
     0 output errors, 0 collisions, 0 interface resets
     0 unknown protocol drops
     0 babbles, 0 late collision, 0 deferred
     0 lost carrier, 0 no carrier, 0 pause output
     0 output buffer failures, 0 output buffers swapped out
SwitchA# show interfaces gigabitethernet0/1 counters errors
Port        Align-Err    FCS-Err   Xmit-Err    Rcv-Err  UnderSize  OutDiscards
Gi0/1               0           0          0          0          0           0

Port        Single-Col  Multi-Col   Late-Col  Excess-Col  Carri-Sen     Runts     Giants
Gi0/1               0          0          0           0          0         0         0

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