mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Which BGP attribute is considered the highest…
Which BGP attribute is considered the highest priority (most preferred) in the BGP best path selection process?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the order of BGP path selection attributes, and the trap here is that candidates confuse Local Preference as the highest priority because it is the first well-known mandatory attribute, forgetting that the Cisco-proprietary Weight is evaluated 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
✓
Weight
C is correct because the Weight attribute is Cisco-proprietary and is evaluated first in the BGP best path selection process. It has the highest priority, with a higher weight being preferred, and it is local to the router only.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Local preference
Why it's wrong here
Weight is evaluated before local preference in the best path algorithm, so local preference cannot be the highest-priority attribute. It is tempting because local preference outranks AS path length and MED, making it the preferred tie-breaker once weight and other earlier criteria are equal.
- ✗
AS path length
Why it's wrong here
Weight, local preference and locally originated routes are all evaluated before AS path length, so it is not the highest priority. It is tempting because AS path length is the classic inter-AS tie-breaker, and would win once weight, local preference and origin checks are equal.
- ✓
Weight
Why this is correct
Weight is a Cisco-proprietary attribute local to the router and evaluated before all other attributes, including local preference and AS path. Higher weight wins, so it is checked first in the best path selection algorithm, making it the most preferred attribute.
- ✗
MED
Why it's wrong here
MED is evaluated near the end of the algorithm, after weight, local preference, AS path and origin, so it cannot be highest priority. It is tempting because MED influences inbound traffic between multiple entry points into the same neighbouring autonomous system.
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