Quick Answer
The answer is lower overhead, as UDP is designed to minimize protocol processing and data transmission delays. Unlike TCP, UDP is a connectionless transport-layer protocol that does not establish a session, perform handshakes, or provide reliability, flow control, or error recovery. This stripped-down design means UDP headers are only 8 bytes compared to TCP’s 20 bytes, and it simply sends datagrams without waiting for acknowledgments, which drastically reduces overhead. On the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam, this characteristic is frequently tested in questions contrasting UDP with TCP, often in the context of real-time applications like VoIP or streaming where speed trumps guaranteed delivery. A common trap is confusing “connectionless” with “unreliable”—UDP is not unreliable by design; it simply chooses not to burden itself with retransmissions. To remember this, think of UDP as “U Don’t care about Packets”—it sends data and moves on, making it the low-overhead champion for time-sensitive traffic.
This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of networking concepts. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which of the following is a characteristic of UDP?
Provides guaranteed delivery
Why wrong: UDP is best-effort; guaranteed delivery is a characteristic of TCP.
Uses sequence numbers
Why wrong: Sequence numbers are used by TCP for ordering and reliability.
Supports three-way handshake
Why wrong: The three-way handshake is part of TCP connection establishment.
Has lower overhead than TCP
UDP has minimal header size and no connection establishment, resulting in lower overhead.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Has lower overhead than TCP
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless transport-layer protocol that provides minimal overhead compared to TCP. It does not establish a connection before sending data, nor does it provide reliability, flow control, or error recovery, making it ideal for real-time applications like VoIP and streaming where speed is prioritized over guaranteed delivery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Provides guaranteed delivery
Uses sequence numbers
Why it's wrong here
Sequence numbers are used by TCP for ordering and reliability.
Supports three-way handshake
Why it's wrong here
The three-way handshake is part of TCP connection establishment.
Has lower overhead than TCP
Why this is correct
UDP has minimal header size and no connection establishment, resulting in lower overhead.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse UDP's lack of reliability with being 'unreliable' in a negative sense, but the exam tests that UDP's lower overhead is a deliberate design choice for performance-sensitive applications.
Detailed technical explanation
UDP operates by sending datagrams directly to the destination without any prior setup, using a simple header that includes only source port, destination port, length, and checksum. The checksum is optional in IPv4 but mandatory in IPv6, and if a checksum error is detected, the datagram is silently discarded without notification to the sender. In real-world scenarios, DNS queries use UDP by default (port 53) because the overhead of a TCP handshake would be unacceptable for the small, frequent transactions typical of name resolution.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the N10-009 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Networking Concepts — This question tests Networking Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Has lower overhead than TCP — UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless transport-layer protocol that provides minimal overhead compared to TCP. It does not establish a connection before sending data, nor does it provide reliability, flow control, or error recovery, making it ideal for real-time applications like VoIP and streaming where speed is prioritized over guaranteed delivery.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which of the following is a characteristic of a connectionless protocol at the transport layer?
easyWhy C: Connectionless protocols at the transport layer, such as UDP (User Datagram Protocol), do not establish a virtual circuit or session before sending data. Each datagram is sent independently without prior coordination, making the protocol stateless and reducing overhead. This characteristic is fundamental to UDP's design, as defined in RFC 768.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This N10-009 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 N10-009 exam.
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