300-410 Infrastructure Services Practice Question
A network administrator is implementing policy-based routing (PBR) on a Cisco IOS router. The goal is to route traffic from a specific subnet (192.168.1.0/24) through a next-hop of 10.1.1.2 instead of the default route. The administrator has created a route map named PBR-MAP and configured a match statement for the subnet. Which action must be configured in the route map to set the next-hop?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'set ip next-hop' with 'set ip default next-hop', which only applies when no explicit route exists.
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
✓
set ip next-hop 10.1.1.2
Policy-based routing uses route maps to match traffic and set actions. The 'set ip next-hop' command is the correct action to specify the next-hop IP address for matching packets. It overrides the routing table for those packets. The other options either set a default next-hop (used only when no route exists), discard traffic, or mark packets, none of which achieve the goal.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
set interface Null0
Why it's wrong here
The 'set interface Null0' command would discard matching traffic by routing it to the Null0 interface. This is not the desired action; the goal is to forward traffic to a specific next-hop. This command is used for filtering or blackholing traffic, not for PBR next-hop selection. It does not meet the requirement.
- ✗
set ip default next-hop 10.1.1.2
Why it's wrong here
The 'set ip default next-hop' command is used to specify a next-hop only if there is no explicit route in the routing table for the destination. In this scenario, the administrator wants to override the default route for the specific subnet, so this command would not take effect if a route exists. The correct command is 'set ip next-hop' without the 'default' keyword.
- ✗
set ip precedence 5
Why it's wrong here
The 'set ip precedence' command marks packets with a specific IP precedence value for QoS purposes. It does not influence routing decisions. While it can be used in PBR for marking, it does not set the next-hop. The requirement is to route traffic via a specific next-hop, so this command is irrelevant.
- ✓
set ip next-hop 10.1.1.2
Why this is correct
The 'set ip next-hop' command in a route map specifies the next-hop IP address for policy-based routing. When applied to an interface, it overrides the normal routing table for matching traffic. This is the correct action to direct traffic from 192.168.1.0/24 to 10.1.1.2. It is the standard method for PBR next-hop configuration.
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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
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