- A
DSCP 46
EF is DSCP 46, used for voice.
- B
DSCP 10
Why wrong: DSCP 10 is AF11.
- C
DSCP 0
Why wrong: DSCP 0 is Best Effort (DF).
- D
DSCP 34
Why wrong: DSCP 34 is not EF; it corresponds to AF41.
Question 926 of 1,000
350-501 Automation and Quality of Services Practice Question
This 350-501 practice question tests your understanding of automation and quality of services. 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.
Which DSCP value is recommended for Expedited Forwarding (EF) per-hop behavior, commonly used for voice traffic?
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
✓
DSCP 46
Expedited Forwarding (EF) per-hop behavior is defined in RFC 3246 and is designed for low-loss, low-latency, and low-jitter services such as voice traffic. The recommended DSCP value for EF is 46 (binary 101110), which corresponds to the PHB that ensures a dedicated forwarding treatment with a minimal queueing delay. This value is widely adopted in Cisco QoS deployments for voice payloads to guarantee strict priority queuing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between DSCP values for voice payload (EF/46) versus voice signaling (CS3/24) or video (AF41/34), and the trap here is that candidates may confuse AF41 (DSCP 34) with EF because both are used for real-time traffic, but only EF provides strict priority queuing.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, DSCP 46 (EF) is marked with the code point 101110, and when configured with a class map in Cisco IOS, it triggers the 'priority' command in a policy map to place traffic into the strict priority queue (LLQ). A subtle behavior is that while EF is recommended for voice payloads, voice signaling (e.g., SIP, H.323) often uses DSCP 24 (CS3) or AF31 to avoid over-subscribing the priority queue, which can cause voice quality issues if the priority queue is starved. In real-world scenarios, misconfiguring EF as DSCP 34 (AF41) can lead to voice traffic competing with video in the same queue, increasing jitter and causing poor Mean Opinion Scores (MOS).
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 350-501 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 350-501 question test?
Automation and Quality of Services — This question tests Automation and Quality of Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: DSCP 46 — Expedited Forwarding (EF) per-hop behavior is defined in RFC 3246 and is designed for low-loss, low-latency, and low-jitter services such as voice traffic. The recommended DSCP value for EF is 46 (binary 101110), which corresponds to the PHB that ensures a dedicated forwarding treatment with a minimal queueing delay. This value is widely adopted in Cisco QoS deployments for voice payloads to guarantee strict priority queuing.
What should I do if I get this 350-501 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 350-501 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-501 exam.
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