SPLK-1002 Advanced Searching and Statistics Practice Question
A security analyst runs `index=network sourcetype=firewall | stats count by src_ip | sort - count | head 10` to find the top 10 source IPs by event count. The search returns only 5 results. Which of the following is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume `head 10` always returns 10 results, forgetting that `head` limits the number of output rows from the preceding command, which may already have fewer rows than the limit.
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
✓
There are fewer than 10 unique source IPs in the results.
The `stats count by src_ip` command groups events by each unique source IP address and counts them. If the search returns only 5 results, it means there are only 5 unique source IPs in the dataset matching the time range and filters. The `head 10` command then limits output to 10 rows, but since only 5 groups exist, only 5 rows are returned.
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 search time range is too short, so only a few events are counted.
Why it's wrong here
Even with a short time range, there could still be many distinct IPs; the issue is the number of distinct IPs, not the number of events.
- ✗
The sort command should be `sort - count` without space.
Why it's wrong here
The syntax `sort - count` is valid; the space is optional and does not cause missing results.
- ✗
The stats command should include a by clause with count in the field list.
Why it's wrong here
`stats count by src_ip` is correct syntax; no need to include count in the by clause.
- ✓
There are fewer than 10 unique source IPs in the results.
Why this is correct
If the number of distinct src_ip values is less than 10, head 10 returns all of them, resulting in fewer than 10 rows.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SPLK-1002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Splunk 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 SPLK-1002 exam.