Quick Answer
The answer is the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED). MED is the correct BGP attribute for inbound traffic engineering because it allows a multihomed customer to influence which path their upstream AS uses to return traffic. When the same prefix is advertised to two PE routers within the same AS, setting a lower MED value on one PE makes that path more preferred for incoming traffic, effectively steering ingress to the desired router without altering any outbound routing policies. On the Cisco SPCOR 350-501 exam, this scenario often appears in questions about suboptimal routing for multihomed customers, testing your ability to distinguish MED from attributes like Local Preference or AS-Path. A common trap is confusing MED (which is sent to a neighbor AS) with Local Preference (which is used within an AS). Remember the memory tip: MED is “My Exit Decides” — it tells your neighbor which exit to use for inbound traffic.
This 350-501 practice question tests your understanding of networking. 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.
A service provider's network is experiencing suboptimal routing for BGP prefixes received from a customer. The customer is multihomed to two different PE routers in the same AS. Which BGP feature can ensure that traffic ingresses via the correct PE?
MED
MED is used to influence inbound traffic by advertising different metrics to different peers.
Local Preference
Why wrong: Local Preference is used for outbound path selection within an AS.
AS-path prepend
Why wrong: AS-path prepend makes a path less preferred for outbound selection.
Weight
Why wrong: Weight is a Cisco proprietary attribute that affects path selection for routes from the same router.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
MED
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator) is the correct BGP attribute for influencing inbound traffic from a multihomed customer. When the customer advertises the same prefix to two PE routers in the same AS, setting a lower MED value on one PE will cause the customer's upstream AS to prefer that path for returning traffic. This allows the service provider to control which PE receives the ingress traffic without altering any outbound routing policies.
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.
MED
Why this is correct
MED is used to influence inbound traffic by advertising different metrics to different peers.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Local Preference
Why it's wrong here
Local Preference is used for outbound path selection within an AS.
AS-path prepend
Why it's wrong here
AS-path prepend makes a path less preferred for outbound selection.
Weight
Why it's wrong here
Weight is a Cisco proprietary attribute that affects path selection for routes from the same router.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between attributes that influence inbound vs. outbound traffic, and the trap here is confusing Local Preference (outbound) with MED (inbound) when both are used for path selection within an AS.
Detailed technical explanation
MED is an optional non-transitive BGP attribute defined in RFC 4271, exchanged between neighboring ASes to suggest a preferred entry point. When a customer is multihomed to two PE routers in the same AS, the MED value is compared only if the paths come from the same neighboring AS (by default). In a real-world scenario, the customer would set a lower MED on the PE they want to be the primary ingress point, and the service provider's upstream routers will prefer that path, assuming all other path attributes are equal.
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
Networking — This question tests Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: MED — MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator) is the correct BGP attribute for influencing inbound traffic from a multihomed customer. When the customer advertises the same prefix to two PE routers in the same AS, setting a lower MED value on one PE will cause the customer's upstream AS to prefer that path for returning traffic. This allows the service provider to control which PE receives the ingress traffic without altering any outbound routing policies.
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 25, 2026
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