easyMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Which BGP attribute is preferred when it has the…
Which BGP attribute is preferred when it has the lowest value?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between attributes where higher is preferred (Local Preference, Weight) versus lower is preferred (MED, AS Path length), and the trap here is that candidates might confuse MED with Local Preference or Weight, both of which use higher values as better.
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
✓
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
The Multi-Exit Discriminator (MED) is a BGP path attribute used to influence inbound traffic to an AS from multiple entry points. A lower MED value is preferred over a higher one, making it the correct answer among the options where the lowest value is preferred.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
Why this is correct
The MED attribute is used to indicate the preferred path into an AS; lower MED is better.
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Local Preference
Why it's wrong here
Local Preference is preferred when highest, so a lower value is less preferred. It is tempting because it is evaluated early, before AS Path, but the stem asks which attribute wins at its lowest value, and that is AS Path length, not Local Preference.
- ✗
Weight
Why it's wrong here
Weight is Cisco-proprietary and preferred when highest, not lowest, so a lower value is less preferred. It is tempting because weight is checked first in the decision process, but the stem asks for the lowest-value attribute, which is AS Path length, evaluated later.
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AS Path
Why it's wrong here
AS Path is indeed preferred when shortest, and it is the attribute the question seeks. It is tempting to reject because AS Path is checked after weight and local preference, but among the listed attributes only AS Path is selected by lowest value.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.