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300-410 Practice Question: Which TWO commands can be used to verify OSPFv2…
Which TWO commands can be used to verify OSPFv2 path selection and cost metrics on a Cisco IOS router? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing neighbor verification with path verification — candidates pick `show ip ospf neighbor` because it is OSPF-specific, but it does not reveal cost metrics or route selection, which require interface and routing table commands.
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
✓
show ip ospf interface
Option A, 'show ip ospf interface', is correct because it displays per-interface OSPFv2 parameters including the interface cost, network type, hello/dead timers, and area, which directly verifies the cost metrics that drive OSPF path selection. Option B, 'show ip route ospf', is correct because it shows the OSPF-learned routes installed in the routing table along with their metric (cost) and next-hop, confirming which paths OSPF selected. Option C, 'show ip ospf neighbor', only verifies adjacency states and neighbor IDs, not path selection or cost. Option D, 'traceroute', shows the forwarding path taken by packets but does not reveal OSPF cost values or OSPF's internal selection logic. Option E, 'show ip protocols', displays routing protocol parameters such as timers, networks, and administrative distance, but not OSPF interface costs or the resulting OSPF route selection.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
show ip ospf interface
Why this is correct
The show ip ospf interface command displays each interface's OSPF area, cost, timers, and neighbour count, directly revealing the cost metric used in path selection. It confirms the configured or default bandwidth-derived cost per link.
- ✓
show ip route ospf
Why this is correct
Displays the OSPF-learned routes in the routing table, showing each destination's cost metric and next-hop as selected by SPF. This directly satisfies the requirement to verify path selection and cost metrics, since the metric column reflects the cumulative OSPF cost.
- ✗
show ip ospf neighbor
Why it's wrong here
show ip ospf neighbor lists adjacency states, router IDs and dead timers; it contains no cost values or route calculations, so it cannot verify path selection. It is tempting because neighbour adjacencies underpin OSPF convergence, making it the right command for troubleshooting adjacency failures rather than comparing metric costs.
- ✗
traceroute
Why it's wrong here
traceroute reveals the forwarding path taken to a destination but reports no OSPF cost values or link-state topology, so it cannot verify metric-based path selection. It is tempting because it does show which route traffic follows, which suits confirming reachability or detecting routing loops rather than inspecting OSPF costs.
- ✗
show ip protocols
Why it's wrong here
show ip protocols displays OSPF timers, areas, networks and administrative distance, but not the link-state database topology or per-route cost metrics used for path selection. It is tempting because it confirms OSPF is running and lists configured networks, which suits verifying protocol configuration rather than examining calculated costs.
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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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.