- A
eventstats
Why wrong: eventstats adds aggregation to each event but does not produce a summary table.
- B
top
top returns the most frequent values with count and percent.
- C
sort
Why wrong: sort sorts events but does not count or summarize.
- D
rare
Why wrong: rare shows the least common values, not the top.
Question 126 of 500
Top Command for Frequency Analysis — Count and Rank Values | Splunk Core Certified Power User Explained
This SPLK-1003 practice question tests your understanding of advanced searching and statistics. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 search returns many events, and the analyst wants to see a summary table of the top 5 values of the field `src_ip` along with the count of events for each. Which command should be used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"which command"Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
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
✓
top
The `top` command in Splunk is specifically designed to find the most common values of a field and display them in a summary table with counts and percentages. By default, `top` returns the top 10 values, but you can use the `limit=5` parameter to restrict the output to the top 5 values of `src_ip` along with their event counts. This directly meets the analyst's requirement.
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.
- ✗
eventstats
Why it's wrong here
eventstats adds aggregation to each event but does not produce a summary table.
- ✓
top
Why this is correct
top returns the most frequent values with count and percent.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
sort
Why it's wrong here
sort sorts events but does not count or summarize.
- ✗
rare
Why it's wrong here
rare shows the least common values, not the top.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse `top` with `sort` or `eventstats`, thinking that sorting or adding statistics to events is sufficient, when in fact only `top` provides the aggregated summary table of the most frequent values with counts.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
rare shows the least common values, not the top.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the `top` command uses the `stats` command internally with a `count` aggregation and then sorts the results in descending order, applying a default limit of 10. It also calculates a `percent` column by default, showing the percentage of total events each value represents. In real-world scenarios, analysts often use `top` with `limit=5` to quickly identify the most active source IPs in firewall logs or the most frequent error codes in application logs.
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 SPLK-1003 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.
- →
Advanced Searching and Statistics — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SPLK-1003 question test?
Advanced Searching and Statistics — This question tests Advanced Searching and Statistics — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: top — The `top` command in Splunk is specifically designed to find the most common values of a field and display them in a summary table with counts and percentages. By default, `top` returns the top 10 values, but you can use the `limit=5` parameter to restrict the output to the top 5 values of `src_ip` along with their event counts. This directly meets the analyst's requirement.
What should I do if I get this SPLK-1003 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on SPLK-1003
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. A security analyst needs to find the top 10 users with the most failed login attempts from the linux_secure sourcetype. Which SPL command is most efficient for this task?
medium- ✓ A.index=main sourcetype=linux_secure "Failed password" | top limit=10 user
- B.index=main sourcetype=linux_secure "Failed password" | stats count by user | sort 10 -count
- C.index=main sourcetype=linux_secure "Failed password" | stats count by user | sort -count | head 10
- D.index=main sourcetype=linux_secure | regex _raw="Failed password" | stats count by user | top limit=10
Why A: Option A is correct because the `top` command in SPL is specifically designed to return the most frequent values of a field, and the `limit=10` parameter directly restricts the output to the top 10 results. This approach is more efficient than using `stats count` followed by `sort` and `head` because `top` performs the aggregation and ranking in a single operation, reducing processing overhead. The search also correctly filters for 'Failed password' events within the `linux_secure` sourcetype, ensuring only failed login attempts are considered.
Variation 2. An analyst runs `index=web status=500 | top 10 uri` and gets results. Which statement is true about the 'top' command's behavior?
easy- A.It returns the 10 URIs that appeared most recently.
- B.It computes the average latency per URI and shows the top 10.
- C.It sums a numeric field per URI and shows the top 10 sums.
- D.It requires a 'by' clause to specify the field to group by.
- ✓ E.It counts the number of events per URI and displays the 10 with the highest count.
Why E: The `top` command in Splunk counts the occurrences of each distinct value of a specified field (here, `uri`) and returns the values with the highest counts. By default, it returns the top 10 results, so option E correctly describes that it counts events per URI and displays the 10 with the highest count.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SPLK-1003 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-1003 exam.
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