Quick Answer
The answer is the route with priority 10. In FortiGate, when two static routes to the same destination have equal administrative distance, the tie is broken by comparing the FortiGate-specific priority metric, where a lower priority value wins. This is a critical distinction from standard routing protocols, where distance alone determines preference; FortiGate adds priority as a second-tier selector for static routes. On the Fortinet NSE 7 Advanced Security NSE7 exam, this concept often appears in questions about default route failover or load balancing, and a common trap is assuming that a higher priority number is better—the opposite is true. Remember the mnemonic: “Low priority, high priority” — think of priority like a number in a queue: the smallest number gets served first.
This NSE7 practice question tests your understanding of advanced networking and sd-wan. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 is configured with two static routes to the same destination 0.0.0.0/0 with equal distance but different priorities. The priority values are 10 and 20. Which route will be used for traffic matching the default route?
The route with priority 20 will be used.
Why wrong: Higher priority number is lower preference.
The route with lower distance will be used.
Why wrong: Distance is equal, so not a factor.
The route with priority 10 will be used.
Priority 10 is higher preference than 20.
Both routes will be used for load balancing.
Why wrong: Equal distance but different priority; only the higher priority route is used.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
The route with priority 10 will be used.
In FortiGate, when multiple static routes have the same distance (administrative distance) to the same destination, the route with the lowest priority value is selected. Priority is a FortiGate-specific metric that breaks ties among routes with equal distance. Since priority 10 is lower than 20, the route with priority 10 will be installed in the routing table and used for traffic matching 0.0.0.0/0.
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.
The route with priority 20 will be used.
Why it's wrong here
Higher priority number is lower preference.
The route with lower distance will be used.
Why it's wrong here
Distance is equal, so not a factor.
The route with priority 10 will be used.
Why this is correct
Priority 10 is higher preference than 20.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Both routes will be used for load balancing.
Why it's wrong here
Equal distance but different priority; only the higher priority route is used.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse priority with administrative distance or assume higher priority is better, but FortiGate uses lower priority values as more preferred, opposite to the common intuition from other vendors like Cisco where a lower metric is better but the term 'priority' can be misleading.
Detailed technical explanation
FortiGate uses a two-tier route selection process: first by administrative distance (lower is better), then by priority (lower is better) as a tiebreaker. Priority is a proprietary FortiGate attribute, not defined in standard routing protocols like OSPF or BGP. In a real-world SD-WAN scenario, different priorities can be used to implement primary/backup default routes without relying on dynamic routing metrics, ensuring predictable failover behavior.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — This question tests Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: The route with priority 10 will be used. — In FortiGate, when multiple static routes have the same distance (administrative distance) to the same destination, the route with the lowest priority value is selected. Priority is a FortiGate-specific metric that breaks ties among routes with equal distance. Since priority 10 is lower than 20, the route with priority 10 will be installed in the routing table and used for traffic matching 0.0.0.0/0.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This NSE7 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 NSE7 exam.
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