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350-401 Practice Question: Which three statements about STP convergence and…
Which three statements about STP convergence and timers are true? (Choose three.)
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 default Max Age timer in classic STP is 20 seconds.
Classic STP convergence relies on timers: Hello (2 sec), Max Age (20 sec), Forward Delay (15 sec). Max Age defines how long a switch waits without receiving a BPDU before re-evaluating the root. Forward Delay is the time spent in listening and learning states (each 15 sec). The total convergence time can be up to 50 seconds (20 sec Max Age + 15 sec listening + 15 sec learning). RSTP improves convergence by using handshakes instead of timers. UplinkFast is a Cisco proprietary feature that reduces convergence time after a root port failure, not a standard STP timer.
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 default Max Age timer in classic STP is 20 seconds.
Why this is correct
Correct. Max Age defaults to 20 seconds, which is the time a switch waits to hear a BPDU from the root bridge before declaring it dead.
- ✓
The Forward Delay timer determines how long a port stays in the listening and learning states, with a default of 15 seconds each.
Why this is correct
Correct. Forward Delay is 15 seconds by default, and the port spends 15 seconds in listening and 15 seconds in learning, totaling 30 seconds.
- ✓
RSTP eliminates the need for the Forward Delay timer by using a proposal-agreement handshake mechanism.
Why this is correct
Correct. RSTP can transition ports to forwarding almost immediately using handshakes, bypassing the listening and learning states.
- ✗
The Hello timer in STP is used to determine how often a switch sends BPDUs, with a default value of 5 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The default Hello timer is 2 seconds, not 5 seconds.
- ✗
UplinkFast is a standard IEEE 802.1D feature that reduces convergence time after a root port failure.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. UplinkFast is a Cisco proprietary feature, not part of the IEEE 802.1D standard.
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SDN Controllers and Cisco ACI
Key term
STP TCN Process
The STP TCN process is the mechanism by which a network switch uses a Topology Change Notification to inform all other switches that the network topology has changed, forcing them to refresh their MAC address tables to avoid temporary black holes.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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