C100DBA Replication Practice Question
What is the result of setting the 'votes' configuration to 0 for a specific node in a replica set?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly believe that a node with 'votes' set to 0 cannot perform any read operations or data replication, confusing it with a completely offline or disabled node.
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
✓
The node will not participate in primary elections.
Setting 'votes' to 0 makes the node a non-voting member. It will still replicate data and can serve read queries, but it will never participate in elections for a new primary. This is useful for scaling read capacity without increasing the quorum size, which would otherwise require adding more nodes to maintain a majority in the election process.
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 node will no longer replicate data from the primary.
Why it's wrong here
Setting votes to 0 only affects the node's participation in elections. It continues to function as a regular secondary, replicating data from the primary and serving read requests. The replication thread is independent of the election voting logic, so the node will remain a functional member of the set.
- ✗
The node will be removed from the replica set configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Changing the votes attribute does not remove the node from the replica set. It simply changes the node's role within the cluster's governance. The node remains an active member, receives updates, and can serve reads, but it will no longer count toward the majority quorum in future elections.
- ✓
The node will not participate in primary elections.
Why this is correct
By setting votes to 0, the node is explicitly removed from the voting pool. This means the node will not contribute to the quorum required for electing a primary node. This is often used in large replica sets to ensure that voting remains efficient without requiring an excessive number of nodes.
- ✗
The node will automatically become the primary.
Why it's wrong here
A node with zero votes cannot be elected as primary. The election process relies on a majority of votes, and a node that cannot vote or be elected is ineligible to take on the primary role. Therefore, this setting effectively prevents the node from ever leading the replica set.
About these practice questions
This C100DBA question is part of Courseiva's 222-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official MongoDB exam blueprint
This C100DBA practice question is part of Courseiva's free MongoDB 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 C100DBA exam.