- A
Transmit with best-effort
Why wrong: Excess packets are dropped, not re-marked or transmitted.
- B
Drop
The default policer action for exceeding traffic is to drop the packets.
- C
Set DSCP to 0
Why wrong: Re-marking is not the default action; dropping is.
- D
Queue for later transmission
Why wrong: Policing does not queue; it drops or transmits immediately.
Question 570 of 2,152
Default Exceed Action in CoPP Policer
This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of control plane policing (copp). 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.
What is the default CoPP policer action for packets that exceed the committed information rate (CIR)?
Quick Answer
The answer is drop. By default, the Control Plane Policing (CoPP) policer implements a single-rate two-color marker, which means any traffic exceeding the committed information rate (CIR) is immediately discarded without remarking or buffering. This default exceed action is hard-coded into the policer’s behavior because CoPP is designed to protect the control plane from overload—dropping excess packets is the simplest and most effective way to prevent CPU starvation. On the Cisco CCNP ENARSI 300-410 exam, this concept often appears in questions about CoPP configuration or troubleshooting, where a common trap is assuming the default action is “transmit” or “set-dscp-transmit.” Remember that unlike QoS policies on data interfaces, CoPP has no default “conform-action transmit, exceed-action set” logic; it is purely a policing mechanism. A quick memory tip: CoPP’s default exceed action is a hard drop—think “CIR exceeded? See ya later.”
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
✓
Drop
The default action for a Control Plane Policing (CoPP) policy-map class when traffic exceeds the committed information rate (CIR) is to drop the excess packets. This is because CoPP uses a single-rate, two-color policer by default, where packets conforming to the CIR are marked as 'conform' and transmitted, while packets exceeding the CIR are marked as 'exceed' and dropped. No default 'violate' action exists unless explicitly configured.
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.
- ✗
Transmit with best-effort
Why it's wrong here
Excess packets are dropped, not re-marked or transmitted.
- ✓
Drop
Why this is correct
The default policer action for exceeding traffic is to drop the packets.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set DSCP to 0
Why it's wrong here
Re-marking is not the default action; dropping is.
- ✗
Queue for later transmission
Why it's wrong here
Policing does not queue; it drops or transmits immediately.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that CoPP defaults to 'transmit' or 'remark' for excess traffic, but the default exceed action is always 'drop' unless explicitly changed in the policy-map.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, CoPP applies a single-rate two-color policer (RFC 2697) by default, which uses a token bucket to track conformance. When a packet arrives, if the bucket has enough tokens (CIR), it is marked as conforming and transmitted; if not, it is marked as exceeding and dropped. This behavior is configured using the 'police' command in a policy-map, and the default exceed action is 'drop' unless overridden with 'set-dscp-transmit' or 'transmit'.
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 practitioner preparing for the 300-410 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 exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All 300-410 questions
2,152 questions across all exam domains
- →
Cisco CCNP ENARSI 300-410 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
300-410 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related 300-410 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Layer 3 Technologies practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Layer 3 Technologies.
EIGRP Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to EIGRP Troubleshooting.
OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3) practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3).
BGP Troubleshooting practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to BGP Troubleshooting.
Route Redistribution practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Redistribution.
Policy-Based Routing (PBR) practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Policy-Based Routing (PBR).
VRF-Lite practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to VRF-Lite.
Route Maps and Route Filtering practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Maps and Route Filtering.
Administrative Distance practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Administrative Distance.
Route Summarization practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Route Summarization.
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD).
VPN Technologies practice questions
Practise 300-410 questions linked to VPN Technologies.
Practice this exam
Start a free 300-410 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 300-410 question test?
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) — This question tests Control Plane Policing (CoPP) — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Drop — The default action for a Control Plane Policing (CoPP) policy-map class when traffic exceeds the committed information rate (CIR) is to drop the excess packets. This is because CoPP uses a single-rate, two-color policer by default, where packets conforming to the CIR are marked as 'conform' and transmitted, while packets exceeding the CIR are marked as 'exceed' and dropped. No default 'violate' action exists unless explicitly configured.
What should I do if I get this 300-410 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Keep practising
More 300-410 practice questions
- Drag and drop the steps to negotiate an IKEv2 IPsec site-to-site tunnel into the correct order, from first to last.
- Drag and drop the steps to troubleshoot an IPsec site-to-site VPN adjacency failure into the correct order, from first t…
- Drag and drop the steps to verify and validate the operational state of an IPsec site-to-site VPN into the correct order…
- Consider the following configuration snippet: ip cef ! interface GigabitEthernet0/0 ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.25…
- A router is configured with 'logging host 10.1.1.100' and 'logging trap informational'. The engineer notices that syslog…
- Drag and drop the steps to configure a GRE tunnel for IPv6 over IPv4 into the correct order, from first to last.
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 300-410 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 300-410 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.