CCNA Practice Test: 10 Free 200-301 Questions & Answers

Passing the Cisco Certified Network Associate exam comes down to two things: knowing the blueprint and answering enough questions correctly under time pressure. A focused CCNA practice test builds both. The 10 CCNA practice questions below are original, written to match the 200-301 exam style, and cover every domain Cisco tests — from subnetting and OSPF to port security and REST APIs.

Use them as a diagnostic. Answer each question before you expand the explanation, tally your score, and note which domains trip you up. That map of weak spots is worth more than any single number, because it tells you exactly where to spend your remaining study hours.

What’s on the CCNA 200-301 exam

The CCNA is a single exam — Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (200-301). Per Cisco, it is a 120-minute exam covering six domains. Cisco does not publish the exact question count or passing score; the widely cited figures are roughly 100–120 questions and about 825 out of 1000 to pass, but treat those as community estimates rather than official numbers.

One quirk catches candidates off guard: the exam does not let you go back. Once you submit a question and move on, it is locked. That single rule makes pacing — and a calm, tested-under-pressure approach like a timed 200-301 practice test — essential.

Per Cisco’s current v1.1 blueprint, the six domains carry these weights:

IP Connectivity is the heaviest single domain at 25%, so routing tables, static routes, and single-area OSPFv2 deserve the most attention. Network Fundamentals and Network Access tie at 20% each, which means subnetting, VLANs, trunking, and spanning tree together make up 40% of your score. The current blueprint also adds generative AI and machine-learning concepts and leans harder into automation, so do not treat the 10% automation domain as optional.

Free CCNA practice test: 10 exam-style questions

Ten questions across all six domains, with a subnetting problem in the mix. Read the question, pick your answer, then open the reveal to check yourself. No login and no JavaScript — these are free CCNA questions you can work through at your own pace.

1. A workstation is configured with IP address 192.168.10.100 and subnet mask 255.255.255.192 (/26). What is the broadcast address of its subnet?

   A. 192.168.10.63
   B. 192.168.10.127
   C. 192.168.10.128
   D. 192.168.10.191

   Reveal answer & explanation

   B — 192.168.10.127. A /26 mask (255.255.255.192) creates blocks of 64 addresses: .0, .64, .128, and .192. Host .100 falls in the .64–.127 block, so its network address is .64 and its broadcast address is 192.168.10.127.

2. Which characteristic describes UDP rather than TCP?

   A. It retransmits lost segments using acknowledgments
   B. It sets up a session with a three-way handshake
   C. It is connectionless and adds less header overhead
   D. It guarantees in-order delivery with sequence numbers

   Reveal answer & explanation

   C — connectionless, lower overhead. UDP has no handshake, acknowledgments, or sequencing, and its 8-byte header is far smaller than TCP’s. That low overhead is why latency-sensitive traffic such as VoIP and video streaming favors UDP.

3. On an IEEE 802.1Q trunk, how are frames in the native VLAN transmitted by default?

   A. Untagged
   B. Tagged with VLAN ID 1
   C. Tagged with two stacked 802.1Q headers
   D. Dropped until a voice VLAN is configured

   Reveal answer & explanation

   A — untagged. 802.1Q sends native-VLAN frames across the trunk without a tag, while every other VLAN gets a 4-byte tag. A native VLAN mismatch between two switches can merge traffic incorrectly and triggers CDP error messages.

4. Which value does Spanning Tree Protocol compare first to elect the root bridge?

   A. The lowest MAC address alone
   B. The lowest bridge ID (priority combined with MAC address)
   C. The highest port priority
   D. The lowest path cost to the root

   Reveal answer & explanation

   B — the lowest bridge ID. The bridge ID is the bridge priority (default 32768) plus the switch MAC address. STP compares priority first and only uses the MAC address to break a tie. Path cost decides a non-root switch’s root port, not the root election itself.

5. A router learns a route to 10.1.1.0/24 from OSPF (administrative distance 110) and the same prefix from EIGRP (administrative distance 90). Which route is installed in the routing table?

   A. The OSPF route, because its metric is lower
   B. The EIGRP route, because its administrative distance is lower
   C. Both routes, load-balanced equally
   D. Neither route, because of the conflict

   Reveal answer & explanation

   B — the EIGRP route. When two sources offer the same prefix, the router prefers the lower administrative distance. EIGRP’s 90 beats OSPF’s 110, so the EIGRP route is installed. Metric only compares routes learned from the same protocol.

6. On a multiaccess Ethernet segment, how does OSPF elect the Designated Router (DR)?

   A. Highest interface priority, then highest router ID
   B. Lowest interface priority, then lowest router ID
   C. Lowest administrative distance
   D. Highest MAC address on the segment

   Reveal answer & explanation

   A — highest priority, then highest router ID. OSPF picks the DR by highest interface priority (default 1); if priorities tie, the highest router ID wins. An interface priority of 0 removes a router from the election, and OSPF DR elections are non-preemptive.

7. Which NAT variation lets many inside hosts share one public IPv4 address by tracking port numbers?

   A. Static NAT
   B. Dynamic NAT with a one-to-one pool
   C. Port Address Translation (PAT / NAT overload)
   D. NAT64

   Reveal answer & explanation

   C — PAT (NAT overload). PAT maps many private addresses to a single public address by assigning each session a unique source port, which conserves scarce public IPv4 space. Static and dynamic NAT map addresses one-to-one.

8. Which switchport port-security violation mode drops offending traffic but sends no notification and does not increment the violation counter?

   A. protect
   B. restrict
   C. shutdown
   D. err-disable

   Reveal answer & explanation

   A — protect. Protect mode silently discards frames from unknown MAC addresses with no syslog message, SNMP trap, or counter increment. Restrict drops and notifies; shutdown, the default, err-disables the port. “Err-disable” is a resulting port state, not a violation mode.

9. In the AAA framework, which component determines what an authenticated user is allowed to do?

   A. Authentication
   B. Authorization
   C. Accounting
   D. Auditing

   Reveal answer & explanation

   B — authorization. Authentication verifies identity, authorization defines which commands and resources the user may access, and accounting records what was done. Cisco delivers AAA using RADIUS or TACACS+.

10. In a REST API, which HTTP method retrieves a resource without changing it?

    A. POST
    B. PUT
    C. GET
    D. DELETE

    Reveal answer & explanation

    C — GET. GET is a safe, read-only method that returns a resource. POST creates, PUT updates or replaces, and DELETE removes — the four methods behind the CRUD operations emphasized in the CCNA automation domain.

Score yourself: 8 or more correct signals solid readiness on this sample; 5–7 means keep drilling the domains that tripped you; below 5 says go back to the fundamentals before you schedule the exam.

How to study CCNA practice questions that actually stick

Reading a question bank once teaches recognition, not recall. These habits turn CCNA practice questions into durable knowledge:

• Subnet by hand until it is automatic. Drop the binary calculator. Work block sizes, network addresses, and broadcast addresses on paper until a /26 or /29 problem takes seconds — the exam rewards speed here.
• Build the topology, do not just read about it. Configure VLANs, trunks, OSPF, and NAT in Cisco Packet Tracer, CML, or on real gear. Muscle memory on the CLI beats a memorized command list.
• Learn the reason, not the letter. For every question you miss, write one sentence explaining why the correct answer is correct. If you can teach it, you own it.
• Simulate the pressure. Take a full-length, timed 200-301 practice test with no backtracking, so exam-day pacing feels familiar rather than jarring.
• Weight your time by the blueprint. Give IP Connectivity and the two 20% domains the largest share of your schedule, but never zero out security or automation.

Spaced repetition matters too. Revisit missed questions after a day, then after a week. That spacing is what moves facts out of short-term cramming and into the long-term memory you will actually use on the exam and on the job.

Practice on real gear before exam day

Question banks sharpen recall, but the CCNA rewards people who have actually built networks. The Boost eLearning Cisco CCNA (200-301) course pairs the full blueprint with hands-on Live Labs, so you configure real routers and switches instead of memorizing output. Learn the way that fits your schedule — self-paced online, live virtual, or on-site — and every path is backed by a money-back Pass Guarantee. Once you can subnet under pressure, bring up OSPF neighbors, and read a routing table without hesitating, you are ready. Structured labs plus practice questions get you there faster than either one alone.

CCNA practice test FAQ

How many questions are on the real CCNA exam?
Per Cisco, the 200-301 is a 120-minute exam. Cisco does not publish an exact count, but it is widely reported to run about 100–120 questions.

What score do I need to pass?
Cisco does not publish an official passing score. The commonly cited estimate is around 825 out of 1000, but treat that as a community figure, not an official cut score.

Is this CCNA practice test really free?
Yes. All 10 questions, answers, and explanations above are free CCNA questions with no login required.

Does the CCNA certification expire?
Per Cisco, the CCNA is valid for three years, and you can renew it by recertifying or earning continuing education credits.

How long does it take to prepare?
Most candidates need three to six months, depending on prior experience and weekly study hours. Consistent hands-on practice shortens the curve.