300-410 Infrastructure Services Practice Question
A network administrator is configuring a Cisco IOS router to provide first-hop redundancy for a group of hosts on VLAN 10. The design requires that the virtual IP address be 10.1.10.1 and that the router with the highest priority become the active gateway. The administrator has configured the interface with 'standby 10 ip 10.1.10.1' and 'standby 10 priority 150'. Which additional command is required to ensure that the router preempts and becomes the active gateway if it reboots?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a higher priority automatically causes a router to take over as active, when in fact preemption must be configured.
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
✓
standby 10 preempt
In HSRP, preemption must be explicitly enabled with the 'standby preempt' command. Without it, a router with a higher priority that comes online after the active router is already elected will not become active. The priority alone does not trigger preemption. Therefore, to ensure the router becomes active after a reboot, the preempt command is necessary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
standby 10 authentication md5 key-string cisco
Why it's wrong here
This command enables MD5 authentication for HSRP messages, which is a security feature. It does not affect the election process or preemption. Authentication must match on all HSRP routers, but it is not required for the router to become active upon reboot. The question is about preemption, not authentication.
- ✗
standby 10 timers 1 3
Why it's wrong here
This command adjusts the HSRP hello and hold timers, which can speed up failover detection. However, it does not enable preemption. Timers affect how quickly a failure is detected, but without preempt, the router will not take over the active role solely based on priority. The requirement is specifically for preemption.
- ✓
standby 10 preempt
Why this is correct
The 'standby 10 preempt' command enables the router to take over as the active gateway if it has a higher priority than the current active router. Without preemption, a router that reboots and comes back online will not become active even if its priority is higher; it will remain in standby. This command ensures the intended active router assumes the role.
- ✗
standby 10 track 1 decrement 20
Why it's wrong here
This command configures object tracking to decrement the priority if a tracked object fails. While useful for failover, it does not enable preemption. It only adjusts priority based on interface or object state. The scenario requires preemption to ensure the router becomes active after reboot, not tracking.
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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 300-410 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 300-410 exam.