mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: The default administrative distance for a route…
What is the default administrative distance for a route installed by Policy-Based Routing (PBR) using the 'set ip next-hop' command?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is assuming PBR has its own administrative distance like a routing protocol, when in reality PBR borrows the AD of the route used to resolve the next-hop.
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 administrative distance of the routing protocol that learned the route.
Policy-Based Routing does not install routes into the routing table with its own administrative distance. When PBR uses 'set ip next-hop', the router must resolve the next-hop address via the routing table; the resulting forwarding entry inherits the administrative distance of whatever routing protocol or static route provided that next-hop resolution. PBR itself has no independent AD value.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
0
Why it's wrong here
PBR with 'set ip next-hop' installs no route in the routing table, so no administrative distance applies; zero describes connected or static routes. It is tempting because zero is the most trusted distance, and would be correct for a directly connected interface route rather than a policy-forwarded packet.
- ✗
1
Why it's wrong here
Policy-Based Routing forwards matching packets to the specified next hop without creating a routing-table entry, so distance one is irrelevant; one belongs to static routes. It is tempting because static routes are commonly used alongside PBR, and would be correct where the forwarding decision comes from a configured static route.
- ✓
The administrative distance of the routing protocol that learned the route.
Why this is correct
Policy-Based Routing forwards matching traffic using the configured next hop, but the route retains the administrative distance of the routing protocol that originally learned it. PBR does not assign its own AD value, so the underlying protocol's distance governs preference.
- ✗
120
Why it's wrong here
PBR installs no route, so no administrative distance is assigned; 120 is the default for RIP-derived routes. It is tempting because 120 is a familiar distance value, and would be correct where the route in question was learned dynamically through RIP rather than selected by a route map.
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 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
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