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200-901 Practice Question: Which THREE are characteristics of OSPF? (Choose…
Which THREE are characteristics of OSPF? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between OSPF (link-state, cost metric) and RIP (distance-vector, hop count metric), so the trap here is confusing OSPF's cost with RIP's hop count or assuming OSPF is distance-vector due to its routing behavior.
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
✓
It uses cost as the metric
OSPF uses cost as its metric, which is derived from the bandwidth of the interface (calculated as 10^8 / bandwidth in bps by default). This allows OSPF to select the most efficient path based on link speed rather than a simple hop count, making it suitable for larger, more complex networks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It is a distance-vector routing protocol
Why it's wrong here
OSPF is link-state.
- ✓
It uses cost as the metric
Why this is correct
Cost is derived from bandwidth.
- ✗
It uses hop count as the metric
Why it's wrong here
OSPF uses cost based on bandwidth.
- ✓
It is a link-state routing protocol
Why this is correct
OSPF is link-state.
- ✓
It supports Variable-Length Subnet Mask (VLSM)
Why this is correct
OSPF includes subnet mask in LSAs.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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