Question 725 of 2,152

Policy-Based Routing (PBR) →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

300-410 Policy-Based Routing (PBR) Practice Question

This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of policy-based routing (pbr). The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A network engineer is troubleshooting PBR on a Cisco router where traffic from subnet 10.1.1.0/24 should be forwarded to next-hop 192.168.1.2. The route map 'PBR-10' is configured with 'match ip address 150' and 'set ip next-hop 192.168.1.2'. The engineer applies the route map to interface GigabitEthernet0/0. The engineer notices that PBR is not working, and the router is using the routing table to forward traffic. The engineer checks the ACL 150 and confirms it matches 10.1.1.0/24. The engineer also checks the interface configuration and sees 'ip policy route-map PBR-10' applied. What is the most likely cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Study the full ACL explanation →

A
The ACL 150 does not exist or is misconfigured, causing the route map to not match any traffic.
Correct because if the ACL referenced in the route map does not exist, the route map will not match any traffic, and PBR will not be applied.
B
The 'set ip next-hop' command is misspelled as 'set ip nexthop'.
Why wrong: Incorrect because a misspelled command would cause a configuration error that the router would reject; the configuration would not be applied.
C
The router is running an older IOS version that does not support PBR.
Why wrong: Incorrect because PBR is supported in most IOS versions; the engineer would know if the router does not support it.
D
The 'ip policy route-map' command is applied to the outgoing interface instead of the incoming interface.
Why wrong: Incorrect because the scenario states the command is applied to interface GigabitEthernet0/0, which is the incoming interface.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 ACL 150 does not exist or is misconfigured, causing the route map to not match any traffic.

If PBR is not working and the router uses the routing table, it could be because the route map is not being processed due to a missing 'match' statement or the route map being empty. However, a common cause is that the route map has a 'match ip address' that references an ACL that does not exist or is misconfigured. The engineer should verify that the ACL 150 exists and is correctly configured.

Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

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 ACL 150 does not exist or is misconfigured, causing the route map to not match any traffic.
Why this is correct
Correct because if the ACL referenced in the route map does not exist, the route map will not match any traffic, and PBR will not be applied.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
✗
The 'set ip next-hop' command is misspelled as 'set ip nexthop'.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because a misspelled command would cause a configuration error that the router would reject; the configuration would not be applied.
✗
The router is running an older IOS version that does not support PBR.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because PBR is supported in most IOS versions; the engineer would know if the router does not support it.
✗
The 'ip policy route-map' command is applied to the outgoing interface instead of the incoming interface.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because the scenario states the command is applied to interface GigabitEthernet0/0, which is the incoming interface.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses

Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
Incorrect because a misspelled command would cause a configuration error that the router would reject; the configuration would not be applied.
Scenario analysis trap
Incorrect because the scenario states the command is applied to interface GigabitEthernet0/0, which is the incoming interface.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.

KKey Concepts to Remember

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.

TExam Day Tips

Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.

Key takeaway

Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related 300-410 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.

Related 300-410 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Layer 3 Technologies practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Layer 3 Technologies.

EIGRP Troubleshooting practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to EIGRP Troubleshooting.

OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3) practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3).

BGP Troubleshooting practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to BGP Troubleshooting.

Route Redistribution practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Redistribution.

Policy-Based Routing (PBR) practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Policy-Based Routing (PBR).

VRF-Lite practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to VRF-Lite.

Route Maps and Route Filtering practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Maps and Route Filtering.

Administrative Distance practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Administrative Distance.

Route Summarization practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Summarization.

Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD).

VPN Technologies practice questions

Practise 300-410 questions linked to VPN Technologies.

Practice this exam

Start a free 300-410 practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions 20 questions 30 questions 50 questions Timed 30

300-410 practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 300-410 question test?

Policy-Based Routing (PBR) — This question tests Policy-Based Routing (PBR) — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The ACL 150 does not exist or is misconfigured, causing the route map to not match any traffic. — If PBR is not working and the router uses the routing table, it could be because the route map is not being processed due to a missing 'match' statement or the route map being empty. However, a common cause is that the route map has a 'match ip address' that references an ACL that does not exist or is misconfigured. The engineer should verify that the ACL 150 exists and is correctly configured.

What should I do if I get this 300-410 question wrong?

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

CIDR notation defines the prefix length.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Last reviewed: Jun 18, 2026

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

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.