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Cisco CCNA (200-301) practice questions

1,035 exam-style questions across all 6 official exam domains, with full answer explanations. Try the samples below, then drill any domain.

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Sample questions

Question 1 · Difficulty 3/5

A network link shows excessive collisions and poor performance. What is the most likely cause?
  1. Incorrect IP addressing
  2. Routing loop
  3. Duplex mismatch
  4. VLAN mismatch
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Duplex mismatch
A duplex mismatch occurs when one device operates in full-duplex and the other in half-duplex, causing collisions and retransmissions. Incorrect IP addressing would prevent communication rather than cause collisions. Routing loops occur at Layer 3 and VLAN mismatches affect tagging, not collisions.

Question 2 · Difficulty 3/5

Which LACP mode actively initiates EtherChannel negotiation?
  1. passive
  2. on
  3. active
  4. desirable
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

active
LACP active mode initiates negotiation by sending LACP PDUs. LACP passive mode is valid but only responds to negotiation — it does not initiate. 'On' forces the channel without any negotiation protocol. 'Desirable' is a PAgP mode, not an LACP mode, and is therefore invalid in this context.

Question 3 · Difficulty 3/5

When a static route is configured with only a next-hop IP address (and no exit interface), the router must perform a second FIB lookup to resolve that IP to an outgoing interface. What term describes this type of static route resolution?
  1. Directly attached static route
  2. Fully specified static route
  3. Recursive static route
  4. Floating static route
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Recursive static route
A recursive static route specifies only a next-hop IP address, which forces the router to perform a second (recursive) FIB lookup to resolve that next-hop IP to an actual exit interface. This contrasts with a directly attached static route (exit interface only) and a fully specified static route (both next-hop IP and exit interface), and it is unrelated to floating static routes, which use administrative distance for backup path selection.

Question 4 · Difficulty 4/5

A DHCP client is on VLAN 20, but the DHCP server is on a different network. What must be configured on the Layer 3 interface for VLAN 20?
  1. ip nat inside
  2. ip helper-address
  3. ip default-gateway
  4. ip domain-name
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

ip helper-address
When the DHCP server is on a different subnet, the router or Layer 3 switch interface must relay the client's broadcast using the ip helper-address command. NAT and default gateway settings do not relay DHCP broadcasts. The domain name setting is also unrelated.

Question 5 · Difficulty 3/5

What is the purpose of an ACL?
  1. Assign IP addresses
  2. Filter traffic
  3. Encrypt packets
  4. Route packets
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Filter traffic
ACLs filter traffic based on rules. They do not assign addresses, encrypt traffic, or perform routing.

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