200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
A network engineer is analyzing traffic patterns and wants to identify characteristics of UDP that affect real-time applications such as VoIP and video streaming. Which two characteristics of UDP make it suitable for these applications? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that UDP provides reliability features like guaranteed delivery or ordered delivery, which it does not; those are TCP characteristics.
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
✓
Low overhead due to a minimal header
UDP is suitable for real-time applications because it has low overhead from a minimal header and is connectionless, which reduces latency. These characteristics allow VoIP and video streaming to prioritize speed over reliability, as retransmissions would cause unacceptable delays.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ordered delivery of packets
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not guarantee ordered delivery. Packets may arrive out of order, and the application must handle reordering if necessary. Real-time applications often prioritize timeliness over order, and they can tolerate some out-of-order packets. Ordered delivery is a feature of TCP, not UDP.
- ✗
Guaranteed delivery of packets
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not guarantee delivery; it is a best-effort protocol. Packets may be lost, duplicated, or arrive out of order. Real-time applications often tolerate some packet loss because retransmissions would introduce unacceptable delay. Guaranteed delivery is a feature of TCP, not UDP.
- ✓
Low overhead due to a minimal header
Why this is correct
UDP has a fixed 8-byte header, which is much smaller than TCP's minimum 20-byte header. This reduces overhead and processing time, making it ideal for real-time applications where speed is critical and small delays are unacceptable. The minimal header contributes to lower latency and higher throughput.
- ✓
Connectionless communication
Why this is correct
UDP is connectionless, meaning it does not establish a connection before sending data. This eliminates the overhead of the three-way handshake and allows data to be sent immediately. For real-time applications, this reduces initial latency and simplifies the protocol, making it suitable for streaming and VoIP.
- ✗
Built-in congestion control
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not have built-in congestion control. It sends data at a constant rate regardless of network conditions, which can lead to congestion and packet loss. Congestion control is a feature of TCP, which adjusts the sending rate based on network feedback. Real-time applications may implement their own congestion control at the application layer.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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.