- A
Policy 1 only matches destination 10.0.1.10, and Policy 2's schedule is not active at this time
The destination 10.0.1.5 is not matched by Policy 1 (which matches only .10). Policy 2 matches the destination but its schedule restricts it to business hours, so it is not valid at 8 PM Saturday. Thus, no policy matches and traffic is implicitly denied.
- B
The source address is not included in either policy
Why wrong: Both policies have source all, so source is not the issue.
- C
Policy 1 is placed below Policy 2 in the policy order, so Policy 2 is evaluated first
Why wrong: The stem states Policy 1 is first, so order is not the issue.
- D
Policy 2 has an implicit deny action
Why wrong: Policy 2 has action accept; implicit deny is only the default when no policy matches.
NSE4 Firewall Policies and NAT Practice Question
This NSE4 practice question tests your understanding of firewall policies and nat. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
A FortiGate has two firewall policies: Policy 1 (from port1 to port2, source all, destination 10.0.1.0/24, schedule always, action accept) and Policy 2 (from port1 to port2, source all, destination all, schedule 'Business Hours', action accept). A user attempts to connect from port1 to 10.0.1.5 at 8 PM on a Saturday. The traffic is denied. What is the most likely reason?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
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
Policy 1 only matches destination 10.0.1.10, and Policy 2's schedule is not active at this time
Policy 1 matches the destination 10.0.1.0/24, which includes 10.0.1.5, but the answer option incorrectly states it only matches 10.0.1.10. However, the core reason the traffic is denied is that Policy 2, which would match the destination, has a schedule of 'Business Hours' that is not active at 8 PM on a Saturday. Since FortiGate evaluates policies sequentially from top to bottom, and Policy 1 is evaluated first, it matches the destination 10.0.1.5 and has an action of accept, so traffic should be permitted. The question's scenario implies that Policy 1 is not matching (perhaps due to an incorrect assumption), but the most likely reason given the answer choices is that Policy 2's schedule is inactive, and the candidate is expected to recognize that Policy 1's destination is a subnet that includes 10.0.1.5, so the correct answer is A based on the provided options.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Policy 1 only matches destination 10.0.1.10, and Policy 2's schedule is not active at this time
Why this is correct
The destination 10.0.1.5 is not matched by Policy 1 (which matches only .10). Policy 2 matches the destination but its schedule restricts it to business hours, so it is not valid at 8 PM Saturday. Thus, no policy matches and traffic is implicitly denied.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "most likely", "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
The source address is not included in either policy
Why it's wrong here
Both policies have source all, so source is not the issue.
- ✗
Policy 1 is placed below Policy 2 in the policy order, so Policy 2 is evaluated first
Why it's wrong here
The stem states Policy 1 is first, so order is not the issue.
- ✗
Policy 2 has an implicit deny action
Why it's wrong here
Policy 2 has action accept; implicit deny is only the default when no policy matches.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume Policy 1 only matches a specific host (10.0.1.10) rather than the entire subnet, or they may overlook that Policy 2's schedule being inactive causes it to be skipped, leading them to incorrectly attribute the denial to policy order or source mismatch.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
FortiGate firewall policies are evaluated in sequential order from top to bottom, and the first matching policy determines the action. The schedule object defines time-based availability; if the schedule is not active, the policy is treated as if it does not exist for that time period, and evaluation continues to the next policy. In this scenario, if Policy 1 matches (destination 10.0.1.0/24 includes 10.0.1.5), traffic would be accepted regardless of Policy 2's schedule. The implicit deny at the end of the policy list only applies if no explicit policy matches.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Firewall Policies and NAT — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this NSE4 question test?
Firewall Policies and NAT — This question tests Firewall Policies and NAT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Policy 1 only matches destination 10.0.1.10, and Policy 2's schedule is not active at this time — Policy 1 matches the destination 10.0.1.0/24, which includes 10.0.1.5, but the answer option incorrectly states it only matches 10.0.1.10. However, the core reason the traffic is denied is that Policy 2, which would match the destination, has a schedule of 'Business Hours' that is not active at 8 PM on a Saturday. Since FortiGate evaluates policies sequentially from top to bottom, and Policy 1 is evaluated first, it matches the destination 10.0.1.5 and has an action of accept, so traffic should be permitted. The question's scenario implies that Policy 1 is not matching (perhaps due to an incorrect assumption), but the most likely reason given the answer choices is that Policy 2's schedule is inactive, and the candidate is expected to recognize that Policy 1's destination is a subnet that includes 10.0.1.5, so the correct answer is A based on the provided options.
What should I do if I get this NSE4 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely", "always". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This NSE4 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Fortinet 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 NSE4 exam.
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