easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: When redistributing routes into OSPF, which OSPF…
When redistributing routes into OSPF, which OSPF metric value is assigned by default if none is specified?
⚠ Common exam trap
The 300-410 exam often tests the default seed metric for redistribution, and candidates may confuse the default for BGP (1) with the default for other protocols (20), leading to incorrect answers.
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
✓
20
When redistributing routes into OSPF without specifying a metric, Cisco IOS assigns a default metric of 20. This default value is used for routes redistributed from all sources except BGP, which has a default of 1. The metric is used as the OSPF cost for the external route and is critical for path 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.
- ✗
1
Why it's wrong here
OSPF assigns the metric 20 by default to redistributed routes, not 1; 1 is the default cost of a 100 Mbps interface, not a redistribution seed metric. Specifying 1 would be correct only when manually setting a low seed metric for a redistributed route.
- ✗
10
Why it's wrong here
The default seed metric when redistributing into OSPF is 20, not 10. Ten is the default administrative distance for OSPF, or the metric used by RIP and IS-IS, so it is tempting if you confuse distance with metric. No metric statement yields 20.
- ✓
20
Why this is correct
OSPF assigns the default seed metric of 20 to routes redistributed from all sources except BGP, which uses 1. Without an explicit metric or default-metric command, this value satisfies the stem's constraint of no specified metric, so redistributed routes enter the OSPF domain with a metric of 20.
- ✗
100
Why it's wrong here
OSPF's default metric for redistributed routes is 20, not 100; 100 is the default for EIGRP-style bandwidth calculations and appears in some reference-bandwidth contexts, so it looks familiar. Without an explicit metric, the seed value is 20, making 100 wrong here.
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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This 300-410 question is part of Courseiva's 1,401-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.