This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of eigrp. 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.
What is the default EIGRP hello interval on a point-to-point serial link?
5 seconds
Correct. The default hello interval for point-to-point serial links is 5 seconds.
10 seconds
Why wrong: Incorrect. 10 seconds is the default for OSPF on broadcast links, not EIGRP.
30 seconds
Why wrong: Incorrect. 30 seconds is not a standard EIGRP hello interval.
60 seconds
Why wrong: Incorrect. 60 seconds is the default for low-speed NBMA interfaces, not point-to-point serial.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
5 seconds
The default EIGRP hello interval on a point-to-point serial link is 5 seconds. EIGRP uses different hello intervals depending on the media type: for high-speed broadcast links (e.g., Ethernet) and point-to-point links, the default is 5 seconds; for multipoint non-broadcast links (e.g., Frame Relay), the default is 60 seconds.
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.
5 seconds
Why this is correct
Correct. The default hello interval for point-to-point serial links is 5 seconds.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
10 seconds
30 seconds
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 30 seconds is not a standard EIGRP hello interval.
60 seconds
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. 60 seconds is the default for low-speed NBMA interfaces, not point-to-point serial.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between EIGRP and OSPF hello intervals, so the trap here is that candidates confuse the 10-second OSPF default with EIGRP's 5-second default on point-to-point links.
Detailed technical explanation
EIGRP hello packets are sent using multicast address 224.0.0.10, and the hold time is typically three times the hello interval (default 15 seconds on point-to-point links). On point-to-point serial links, the 5-second hello interval ensures rapid neighbor discovery and convergence, which is critical for WAN links where link flapping can occur. The interface command 'ip hello-interval eigrp <as-number> <seconds>' can override the default, but the default remains 5 seconds for point-to-point serial interfaces.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
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FAQ
EIGRP — This question tests EIGRP — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: 5 seconds — The default EIGRP hello interval on a point-to-point serial link is 5 seconds. EIGRP uses different hello intervals depending on the media type: for high-speed broadcast links (e.g., Ethernet) and point-to-point links, the default is 5 seconds; for multipoint non-broadcast links (e.g., Frame Relay), the default is 60 seconds.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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