This SPLK-1002 practice question tests your understanding of basic searching and transforming commands. 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.
An analyst runs a search that returns 10,000 events. They want to see the distribution of the 'status' field across the 'method' field. 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.
top method by status
Why wrong: Only shows top combinations, not full distribution.
stats count by status, method
Produces a table of counts for each pair.
pivot status method
Why wrong: Requires a data model.
chart count over status by method
Why wrong: Invalid syntax.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
stats count by status, method
Option B is correct because the `stats count by status, method` command groups events by both the 'status' and 'method' fields, then counts the number of events in each combination, producing a table that shows the distribution of status values across method values. This directly answers the requirement to see how the 'status' field is distributed across the 'method' field.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
top method by status
Why it's wrong here
Only shows top combinations, not full distribution.
stats count by status, method
Why this is correct
Produces a table of counts for each pair.
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.
pivot status method
Why it's wrong here
Requires a data model.
chart count over status by method
Why it's wrong here
Invalid syntax.
Common exam traps
Splunk often tests the subtle difference between `stats` and `chart` commands, and the trap here is that candidates may confuse the valid syntax of `chart` (which requires `by` or `over` but not both in the same clause) with the simpler `stats` syntax, leading them to choose option D despite its invalid syntax.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Only shows top combinations, not full distribution.
Detailed technical explanation
The `stats` command in Splunk is a powerful transforming command that aggregates events using statistical functions like `count`, `sum`, `avg`, etc., and groups results by one or more fields. When using `stats count by status, method`, Splunk creates a multi-dimensional table where each row is a unique combination of status and method values, and the count column shows the number of events for that pair. This is equivalent to a GROUP BY in SQL and is the standard way to produce a cross-tabulation or frequency distribution across two categorical fields.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Basic Searching and Transforming Commands — This question tests Basic Searching and Transforming Commands — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: stats count by status, method — Option B is correct because the `stats count by status, method` command groups events by both the 'status' and 'method' fields, then counts the number of events in each combination, producing a table that shows the distribution of status values across method values. This directly answers the requirement to see how the 'status' field is distributed across the 'method' field.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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