hardMultiple Select
300-410 BGP Next-Hop Reachability Practice Question
Which TWO conditions must be met for a BGP route to be considered the best path and installed in the routing table? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse BGP best-path tiebreakers (AS_PATH, MED, IGP metric) with the prerequisites for a route to even be considered — candidates often pick AS_PATH length because it is the most famous BGP attribute, forgetting that next-hop reachability and synchronization gate eligibility first.
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
✓
The next hop must be reachable via the routing table.
Option B is correct because BGP performs a next-hop reachability check before a path can be considered valid and eligible for best-path selection; if the next hop cannot be resolved through the routing table (via a connected, static, or IGP-learned route), the path is not installed. Option C is correct because the BGP synchronization rule requires that a route learned from an IBGP peer must also be present in the IGP (or synchronization must be disabled) before it can be used; otherwise the route is not eligible for the routing table. Option A is not correct as a mandatory condition because AS_PATH length is only one step in the BGP best-path algorithm and is evaluated only after higher-priority checks such as weight, local preference, and locally originated routes. Option D is not correct because MED is a lower-priority tiebreaker and is compared only among paths from the same neighboring AS, not as a universal requirement. Option E is not correct because the lowest IGP metric to the next hop is also a later tiebreaker in the best-path algorithm, not a condition that must always be met for every BGP route.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The route must have the shortest AS_PATH length.
Why it's wrong here
AS_PATH length is a tie-breaker, not a prerequisite for best path selection.
- ✓
The next hop must be reachable via the routing table.
Why this is correct
BGP performs a recursive lookup and only installs a path whose next hop resolves through the routing table. An unreachable next hop makes the route ineligible, so this reachability condition must be satisfied before best-path selection can install it.
- ✓
Synchronization must be disabled or the route must be present in the IGP.
Why this is correct
BGP considers a route only after the next hop is reachable and, historically, synchronisation is satisfied. Disabling synchronisation, or having the prefix present in the IGP, clears that check, allowing the route to proceed through best-path selection and be installed in the routing table.
- ✗
The route must have the lowest MED value among all paths.
Why it's wrong here
MED is only compared when paths are from the same neighboring AS.
- ✗
The route must have the lowest IGP metric to the next hop.
Why it's wrong here
IGP metric is the last tie-breaker, not a condition for best path.
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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.