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350-401 Practice Question: Consider the following BGP configuration: router…

Consider the following BGP configuration:

router bgp 65000

bgp router-id 1.1.1.1

neighbor 10.1.1.2 remote-as 65001
 neighbor 10.1.1.2 route-map SET_MED out

! route-map SET_MED permit 10 set metric 50

What is the effect of this configuration?

⚠ Common exam trap

Cisco often tests the distinction between inbound and outbound route-map application, and the trap here is confusing that MED influences inbound path selection in the receiving AS, not outbound path selection from the advertising AS.

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

✓

Routes advertised to 10.1.1.2 will have the MED set to 50, influencing inbound path selection in AS 65001.

The route-map SET_MED is applied to outbound updates to neighbor 10.1.1.2, setting the MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator) attribute to 50. MED is a metric that influences inbound path selection in the neighboring AS (AS 65001), telling its routers which path to prefer when multiple entry points exist into AS 65000. Therefore, option A correctly describes the effect.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✓

    Routes advertised to 10.1.1.2 will have the MED set to 50, influencing inbound path selection in AS 65001.

    Why this is correct

    This route-map, applied outbound to neighbor 10.1.1.2, sets the Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) to 50 for all prefixes sent to that peer. Because MED is an inbound path-selection metric, AS 65001 will prefer the lowest MED among paths to AS 65000, so this value of 50 makes this path less attractive than a lower-MED path, steering traffic away from this link when an alternative exists.

  • ✗

    Routes advertised to 10.1.1.2 will have the MED set to 50, influencing outbound path selection from AS 65000.

    Why it's wrong here

    MED is fundamentally an inbound path-selection metric: it is advertised to a neighbor so that the neighbor can decide which of multiple paths into your AS to prefer. The claim that this affects outbound path selection from AS 65000 is incorrect—outbound path selection is driven by Local Preference, AS-path length, and origin, not by MED set on routes you advertise. The route-map only influences how AS 65001 chooses to reach your networks, not how your own routers choose egress paths.

  • ✗

    Routes received from 10.1.1.2 will have the MED set to 50.

    Why it's wrong here

    The route-map is attached with the 'out' keyword in the neighbor statement, meaning it processes only routes being advertised toward 10.1.1.2, not routes received from that neighbor. Inbound update policy would require a separate route-map applied with 'in', and that would be configured on the receiving router to modify attributes before installing routes in the BGP table. Therefore, the MED of 50 is never applied to prefixes learned from 10.1.1.2.

  • ✗

    The MED value will be set to 50 for all routes in the BGP table.

    Why it's wrong here

    This neighbor-specific route-map is applied only to the session with 10.1.1.2, not globally to all BGP speakers or the entire BGP table. MED is a per-neighbor attribute and is inserted into the UPDATE messages sent to that peer; other neighbors receive their own advertised routes without this MED modification, and locally originated or learned routes in the BGP table retain their original MED values unless explicitly changed by other policies.

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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

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