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350-401 Practice Question: Examine the following HSRP configuration on a…
Examine the following HSRP configuration on a Cisco IOS-XE switch:
interface Vlan10 ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0 standby 10 ip 10.0.0.1 standby 10 priority 150 standby 10 preempt
What is the effect of the 'standby 10 preempt' command?
⚠ Common exam trap
350-401 often tests the difference between HSRP with and without preempt; candidates may forget that preempt is required for a higher-priority router to take over an already active lower-priority router.
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 router will immediately become the active router if it has a higher priority than the current active.
The 'standby 10 preempt' command enables preemption, allowing the router to take over as the active router if it has a higher priority than the current active router. Without preempt, a router with higher priority will not become active until the current active fails. With preempt, it will immediately become active if its priority is higher.
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 router will immediately become the active router if it has a higher priority than the current active.
Why this is correct
Preempt lets this switch seize the active role once its priority exceeds the current active router's, rather than waiting passively. With priority 150 configured, it reclaims the virtual IP 10.0.0.1 after recovering from a failure, satisfying the requirement to restore the preferred gateway automatically.
- ✗
The router will become active only if the current active fails.
Why it's wrong here
Without preempt, a higher-priority router stays standby until the active fails; preempt instead lets it reclaim the active role immediately on rejoining. The option is tempting because that passive behaviour is the default HSRP state, but the command's purpose is precisely to override it and force takeover.
- ✗
The router will send a gratuitous ARP to update the virtual MAC address.
Why it's wrong here
Preemption governs which HSRP router assumes the active role by comparing priority values; it does not generate gratuitous ARP messages, which are sent when a router transitions to active. It is tempting because gratuitous ARP does update host ARP caches during failover, but that is a separate consequence of the state change, not the command's function.
- ✗
The router will lower its priority to avoid becoming active.
Why it's wrong here
Preempt raises a higher-priority router into the active role once it becomes available; it never lowers priority. The command is tempting because priority values do determine active/standby election, so candidates assume preempt manipulates priority, but it actually overrides the default behaviour of remaining standby when a higher-priority router rejoins.
Go deeper
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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
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