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300-410 Practice Question: The default administrative distance for OSPF…
What is the default administrative distance for OSPF routes in Cisco IOS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the default administrative distances for OSPF, EIGRP, and RIP together, and the trap here is confusing OSPF's 110 with EIGRP's 90 or RIP's 120, especially since OSPF and EIGRP are both commonly used interior gateway protocols.
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
✓
110
OSPF has a default administrative distance of 110 in Cisco IOS. This value is used by the router to select the best route when multiple routing protocols provide route information for the same destination, with lower distances preferred over higher ones.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
90
Why it's wrong here
90 is the default administrative distance for EIGRP internal routes.
- ✗
100
Why it's wrong here
100 is not a standard administrative distance for any major routing protocol.
- ✓
110
Why this is correct
Correct: OSPF routes have a default administrative distance of 110.
- ✗
120
Why it's wrong here
120 is the default administrative distance for RIP.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.