350-401 The maximum hop count for EIGRP? Practice Question

What is the maximum hop count for EIGRP?

⚠ Common exam trap

Cisco often tests the distinction between EIGRP's hop count (default 100) and RIP's hop count (15), leading candidates to confuse the two or assume EIGRP uses 255 like OSPF.

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

✓

100

EIGRP uses a maximum hop count of 100 by default, which is a loop-prevention mechanism. Unlike RIP's hard limit of 15 hops, EIGRP's hop count is not used for metric calculation but as a safety threshold; routes exceeding 100 hops are considered unreachable. This value can be modified with the 'metric maximum-hops' command under the EIGRP process.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

✗
15
Why it's wrong here
15 is the maximum hop count for RIP, not EIGRP.
✓
100
Why this is correct
EIGRP's default maximum hop count is 100, configurable up to 255.
✗
255
Why it's wrong here
255 is the maximum configurable hop count, but the default is 100.
✗
Unlimited
Why it's wrong here
EIGRP has a finite hop count limit; it is not unlimited.

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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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