This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of cisco platforms and development. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
An engineer is troubleshooting a Cisco DNA Center API call that returns a 401 error. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The authentication token has expired
401 indicates missing or invalid authentication credentials.
The network device is unreachable
Why wrong: Device unreachable results in a different error, not a 401.
The request body is invalid
Why wrong: Invalid body results in 400 Bad Request.
The API endpoint is incorrect
Why wrong: Incorrect endpoint returns 404 Not Found.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The authentication token has expired
A 401 Unauthorized error from the Cisco DNA Center API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. The most common cause is that the authentication token (JWT) obtained via the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint has expired. Cisco DNA Center tokens have a default expiry of 60 minutes, after which the API rejects the request with a 401 status.
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.
The authentication token has expired
Why this is correct
401 indicates missing or invalid authentication credentials.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The network device is unreachable
Why it's wrong here
Device unreachable results in a different error, not a 401.
The request body is invalid
Why it's wrong here
Invalid body results in 400 Bad Request.
The API endpoint is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect endpoint returns 404 Not Found.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between HTTP status codes (401 vs 400 vs 404 vs 502) to see if candidates understand that each code maps to a specific failure category in REST API interactions.
Detailed technical explanation
Cisco DNA Center uses OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant for API authentication. The token is a JSON Web Token (JWT) containing claims like 'exp' (expiration time) and 'iat' (issued at). When the token expires, the server's authentication middleware rejects the request before any business logic is executed. In production, you must implement token refresh logic, typically by checking the token's expiry and re-authenticating before it expires.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the 200-901 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
Cisco Platforms and Development — This question tests Cisco Platforms and Development — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The authentication token has expired — A 401 Unauthorized error from the Cisco DNA Center API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. The most common cause is that the authentication token (JWT) obtained via the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint has expired. Cisco DNA Center tokens have a default expiry of 60 minutes, after which the API rejects the request with a 401 status.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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