This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of bgp. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
In BGP best path selection, which of the following is compared first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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.
Highest weight
Correct. Weight is the first attribute compared in BGP best path selection.
Highest local preference
Why wrong: Incorrect. Local preference is compared after weight.
Shortest AS-path
Why wrong: Incorrect. AS-path length is compared after local preference.
Lowest MED
Why wrong: Incorrect. MED is compared later in the process.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Highest weight
BGP best path selection begins by comparing the weight attribute, which is Cisco-proprietary and local to the router. The path with the highest weight is preferred first, making option A correct. Weight is evaluated before any other BGP attribute, including local preference, AS-path length, and MED.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Highest weight
Why this is correct
Correct. Weight is the first attribute compared in BGP best path selection.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Highest local preference
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Local preference is compared after weight.
Shortest AS-path
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. AS-path length is compared after local preference.
Lowest MED
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. MED is compared later in the process.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the exact order of BGP path selection attributes, and the trap here is that candidates mistakenly think local preference or AS-path length is the first comparison, because those are more commonly discussed in multi-AS designs, but weight always comes first in Cisco's implementation.
Detailed technical explanation
The BGP best path selection algorithm follows a strict order of attribute comparison, as defined in RFC 4271 and Cisco's implementation. Weight is set per-neighbor using the 'set weight' route-map command or the 'neighbor weight' command, and it is never advertised to peers, making it a purely local tiebreaker. In a real-world scenario, an administrator might use weight to prefer a specific path from a single router without affecting the rest of the AS.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
BGP — This question tests BGP — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Highest weight — BGP best path selection begins by comparing the weight attribute, which is Cisco-proprietary and local to the router. The path with the highest weight is preferred first, making option A correct. Weight is evaluated before any other BGP attribute, including local preference, AS-path length, and MED.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "best", "first". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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