The answer is that a performance SLA has not been assigned to the SD-WAN member interfaces. The 'lowest-cost' strategy in FortiGate SD-WAN does not inherently perform load balancing; instead, it selects the single best path based on the lowest calculated cost, and without a performance SLA, the cost remains static and no link quality metrics are measured. This means traffic will always prefer the lowest-cost interface until it fails, rather than distributing traffic across multiple links. On the Fortinet NSE 7 Advanced Security NSE7 exam, this tests your understanding that SD-WAN rules require a performance SLA to dynamically influence cost and enable load balancing behavior—a common trap is confusing the 'lowest-cost' strategy with a load-balancing algorithm. Remember the mnemonic: No SLA, no load balancing—lowest cost picks one, not all.
NSE7 Advanced Networking and SD-WAN Practice Question
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.
An administrator configured an SD-WAN rule to steer traffic to a specific member interface using the 'lowest-cost' strategy. After applying, the traffic is not being load-balanced as expected. Which configuration element is MOST likely missing?
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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
A performance SLA has not been assigned to the SD-WAN member interfaces.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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 'best-quality' strategy was inadvertently selected instead.
Why it's wrong here
The question states 'lowest-cost' was configured, so that is not the issue.
✓
A performance SLA has not been assigned to the SD-WAN member interfaces.
Why this is correct
The lowest-cost strategy relies on performance SLA metrics to determine cost. Without an SLA, the cost is not calculated.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The SD-WAN member interfaces are not in the same zone.
Why it's wrong here
SD-WAN members do not need to be in the same zone; they are part of the SD-WAN zone.
✗
The 'update-static-route' option is disabled on the SD-WAN member.
Why it's wrong here
That option affects route injection, not load balancing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 practitioner preparing for the NSE7 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which NSE7 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — This question tests Advanced Networking and SD-WAN — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A performance SLA has not been assigned to the SD-WAN member interfaces.
What should I do if I get this NSE7 question wrong?
Identify which NSE7 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". 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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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. An administrator configures an SD-WAN rule to steer traffic from a specific subnet to an SD-WAN member with the lowest cost. Which load balancing algorithm should be selected in the SD-WAN rule to achieve this behavior?
medium
✓ A.Lowest-cost
B.Volume
C.Sessions
D.Source-dest-IP
Why A: Lowest-cost algorithm selects the member with the lowest cost (from performance SLA) for each session. Other algorithms do not consider cost.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
Question Discussion
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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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