200-901 Understanding and Using APIs Practice Question
A developer needs to create a Postman collection that uses a variable for the base URL and a token variable for authentication. The token is obtained from a login request and must be reused across requests. Where should the token variable be defined to persist across all requests in the collection?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between variable scopes in Postman, and the trap here is that candidates confuse global variables (which are too broad) with collection variables (which are correctly scoped), or mistakenly think local variables persist beyond the request in which they are defined.
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
✓
As a collection variable
Collection variables in Postman are scoped to the entire collection, meaning they persist across all requests within that collection. By storing the token as a collection variable after the login request, it can be reused in subsequent requests without re-authentication. This is the recommended approach for sharing authentication tokens across requests in a Postman collection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
As a data variable from a CSV file
Why it's wrong here
Data variables are read from CSV or JSON files during Collection Runner iterations, so the token is only available while a run executes and cannot be captured dynamically from a login response. Data files suit per-iteration test inputs, not runtime-obtained credentials.
- ✗
As a global variable
Why it's wrong here
Global variables persist across every collection in the workspace, not just this one, so the token leaks scope beyond the intended collection and can collide with other collections' values. Globals suit values shared workspace-wide, such as a common API host used by many collections.
- ✓
As a collection variable
Why this is correct
Collection variables persist across every request in the collection, so a token captured from the login response remains accessible to all subsequent requests. This satisfies the requirement to reuse the token collection-wide rather than per-request.
- ✗
As a local variable in the login request
Why it's wrong here
A local variable exists only for the request that sets it, so the token is discarded before subsequent requests run and authentication fails. Locals suit values needed solely within one request's script or URL, not credentials reused across a collection.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-901 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 200-901 exam.