Network Associate 200-301, IT certifications, 20%

Domain 3: IP Routing

How a router picks a path and how routes get into the table: reading the routing table, static and default routes for IPv4 and IPv6, single-area OSPF for both address families, and first-hop redundancy. Most of the domain asks you to read and troubleshoot rather than just configure.

Position: 3 of 5 domains
Published weighting: 20% in the official framework
Topics covered: 4 topics in this guide

What is covered

Topics inside this domain.

These topics describe the scope students most often review for this part of Network Associate 200-301. Treat them as a study checklist rather than an exhaustive list of what a single exam form can sample.

Reading the routing table: Longest prefix match, administrative distance, metrics, and how the default route is chosen.
Static routing: Network, host, default, and floating static routes for IPv4 and IPv6, and why one fails to install.
Single-area OSPFv2 and OSPFv3: Neighbor adjacencies, router IDs, and network types, including DR and BDR election on broadcast links.
First-hop redundancy: Reading HSRP and VRRP state to tell which router is forwarding for a subnet.

Study tips

How to practice Domain 3: IP Routing.

Section-specific guidance that follows from how this material is usually tested.

For any destination, practice choosing the route the router uses: longest prefix first, then administrative distance, then metric.
Configure OSPF for IPv4 and IPv6 on the same routers and compare the commands side by side.
Break an OSPF adjacency on purpose (mismatched area, timers, or network type) and learn what the output shows.

Where this fits

Domain 3: IP Routing is 3 of 5 domains in the Network Associate 200-301 guide, and it carries a published weighting of 20% in the official framework. Use the full guide to balance it against everything else you have to review.

Back to the Network Associate 200-301 guide Official exam information

Sample Domain 3: IP Routing questions

Practice questions, not yet expert-reviewed

Original practice questions written to the published framework for this section. No expert has reviewed them, and they are not taken from any official exam. Try each one before you open the answer.

Question 1Advanced
A router's routing table holds 10.1.0.0/16, 10.1.1.0/24, 10.1.1.64/27, and a default route. Which entry does the router use to forward a packet to 10.1.1.100?
1. A10.1.1.64/27
2. B10.1.0.0/16
3. CThe default route
4. D10.1.1.0/24
Show answer
Answer: D. 10.1.1.0/24
The router uses the longest prefix that actually contains the destination. 10.1.1.64/27 covers only .64 through .95, so .100 is outside it, and the /24 is the longest matching entry; the /16 and the default route also match but are less specific.
Key insight: The longest matching prefix wins, but only if the destination is inside it.
Question 2Intermediate
A static route should back up an OSPF-learned route to the same prefix and appear in the routing table only if the OSPF route is lost. What must the static route's administrative distance be?
1. ALower than 110
2. BHigher than 110
3. CExactly 110
4. DLeft at the default of 1
Show answer
Answer: B. Higher than 110
A floating static route needs an administrative distance higher than OSPF's 110, such as 130, so the OSPF route wins while it exists. Left at its default of 1, the static route would beat OSPF and be used all the time, which defeats the backup design.
Key insight: A floating static route sets its administrative distance above the route it backs up.
Question 3Advanced
Four OSPF routers start on the same Ethernet segment at the same time: R1 with priority 1 and router ID 4.4.4.4, R2 with priority 10 and router ID 1.1.1.1, R3 with priority 10 and router ID 3.3.3.3, and R4 with priority 0 and router ID 9.9.9.9. Which router becomes the designated router (DR)?
1. AR1
2. BR2
3. CR3
4. DR4
Show answer
Answer: C. R3
The highest interface priority wins the DR election and the highest router ID breaks a tie, so R3 beats R2 at priority 10 and R2 becomes the BDR. R4 has the highest router ID but can never be elected, because a priority of 0 makes a router ineligible.
Key insight: DR election: highest priority, then highest router ID; priority 0 never wins.
Question 4Intermediate
An IPv6-only router has no IPv4 address on any interface. What must you configure before its OSPFv3 process can start?
1. AA 32-bit router ID
2. BA global unicast address
3. CA link-local address
4. DAn IPv6 default route
Show answer
Answer: A. A 32-bit router ID
OSPFv3 still identifies each router with a 32-bit router ID written like an IPv4 address, and with no IPv4 address to borrow it from, you must set one with the router-id command. Link-local addresses, which OSPFv3 uses to talk to its neighbors, are created automatically, and global addresses are not required to form adjacencies.
Key insight: OSPFv3 routes IPv6 but still needs a 32-bit router ID.
Question 5Foundational
On router R1, show standby brief lists group 1 in state Standby, with Active 10.1.1.3, Standby local, and Virtual IP 10.1.1.1. Which device forwards the traffic hosts send to their default gateway, 10.1.1.1?
1. AR1, the local router
2. BThe router at 10.1.1.3
3. CBoth routers, sharing the load
4. DNo router until R1 preempts
Show answer
Answer: B. The router at 10.1.1.3
In HSRP only the active router answers for the virtual IP and MAC address, and the output names 10.1.1.3 as active while R1 is the standby that takes over if the active router fails. HSRP does not share the load within a single group.
Key insight: In HSRP the active router forwards; the standby waits.

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Domain 3: IP Routing