Topic Wise CCNA Certification MCQs: Practice Questions for Every Exam Section

Preparing for the CCNA 200-301 exam? This blog offers 25 carefully selected MCQs covering core topics like IP addressing, subnetting, OSI layers, routing, and security. Ideal for students and freshers, each question includes explanations to boost your understanding and help you crack the exam with confidence.

Q1. What is the default administrative distance of a directly connected route?

A. 1
B. 0
C. 110
D. 90
Correct Answer: B. 0
Explanation:
A directly connected route is always the most trusted and has an administrative distance of 0 in the routing table.

Q2. Which of the following IP addresses is a valid Class A private IP address?

A. 192.168.1.1
B. 172.16.5.4
C. 10.0.0.25
D. 224.0.0.1
Correct Answer: C. 10.0.0.25
Explanation:
Private Class A addresses range from 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, reserved for internal networks.

Q3. Which protocol resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses?

A. DNS
B. ARP
C. RARP
D. DHCP
Correct Answer: B. ARP
Explanation:
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) translates logical (IP) addresses into physical (MAC) addresses on a local network.

Q4. What is the purpose of a default gateway?

A. Assigns IP addresses
B. Translates domain names
C. Routes traffic to other networks
D. Encrypts packets
Correct Answer: C. Routes traffic to other networks
Explanation:
A default gateway is used to send packets from the local network to destinations outside the local subnet.

Q5. Which command is used to display IP interface status on a Cisco device?

A. Show interface status
B. Show IP interface brief
C. show run
D. Show version
Correct Answer: B. Show IP interface brief
Explanation:
This command provides a quick summary of all interfaces, their IP addresses, and operational status.

Q6. What is the subnet mask for a /27 prefix?

A. 255.255.255.192
B. 255.255.255.224
C. 255.255.255.240
D. 255.255.255.248
Correct Answer: B. 255.255.255.224
Explanation:
A /27 subnet mask allows for 32 IP addresses with 30 usable host addresses.

Q7. What type of communication does TCP provide?

A. Best-effort delivery
B. Connectionless
C. Connection-oriented and reliable
D. Broadcast only
Correct Answer: C. Connection-oriented and reliable
Explanation:
TCP provides reliable communication by establishing a connection and ensuring delivery through acknowledgments.

Q8. Which protocol does Ping use?

A. TCP
B. UDP
C. ICMP
D. ARP
Correct Answer: C. ICMP
Explanation:
Ping uses ICMP Echo Request and Echo Reply messages to test network connectivity.

Q9. Which layer of the OSI model handles routing?

A. Data Link
B. Network
C. Transport
D. Session
Correct Answer: B. Network
Explanation:
Routing and logical addressing (IP) occur at the Network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model.

Q10. Which of the following is not a characteristic of RIP?

A. Uses hop count as a metric
B. Maximum of 15 hops
C. Link-state protocol
D. Distance-vector protocol
Correct Answer: C. Link-state protocol
Explanation:
RIP is a distance-vector protocol. OSPF is an example of a link-state routing protocol.

Q11. What does a router use to make forwarding decisions?

A. MAC address
B. IP address
C. VLAN ID
D. Port number
Correct Answer: B. IP address
Explanation:
Routers operate at Layer 3 and make routing decisions based on destination IP addresses.

Q12. How many usable host addresses are there in a /29 subnet?

A. 4
B. 6
C. 8
D. 30
Correct Answer: B. 6
Explanation:
A /29 subnet provides 8 IP addresses: 1 network, 1 broadcast, and 6 usable host addresses.

Q13. What is the loopback address in IPv4?

A. 192.168.0.1
B. 10.0.0.1
C. 127.0.0.1
D. 0.0.0.0
Correct Answer: C. 127.0.0.1
Explanation:
127.0.0.1 is the standard loopback IP used to test internal TCP/IP configurations.

Q14. What is the function of NAT?

A. Resolve MAC to IP
B. Assign default gateway
C. Translate private to public IP addresses
D. Encrypt data
Correct Answer: C. Translate private to public IP addresses
Explanation:
NAT (Network Address Translation) enables devices with private IPs to access the internet via a public IP.

Q15. Which command is used to configure a static IP address on an interface in Cisco IOS?

A. Set IP static
B. IP default-address
C. IP address [IP] [mask]
D. Assign IP manual
Correct Answer: C. IP address [IP] [mask]
Explanation:
The IP address command assigns a static IP to an interface, followed by the subnet mask.

Q16. What is the function of a VLAN?

A. Adds routing capability to switches
B. Groups devices into separate broadcast domains
C. Encrypts all LAN traffic
D. Prevents IP spoofing
Correct Answer: B. Groups devices into separate broadcast domains
Explanation:
VLANs isolate devices within a switch into logical segments, improving performance and security.

Q17. What is the default administrative distance of OSPF?

A. 100
B. 90
C. 110
D. 120
Correct Answer: C. 110
Explanation:
OSPF has a default AD of 110, meaning it is preferred over RIP (120) but not over EIGRP (90).

Q18. What is the range of private IP addresses in Class B?

A. 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255
B. 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
C. 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255
D. 169.254.0.0 – 169.254.255.255
Correct Answer: B. 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
Explanation:
Class B private IP range is reserved for internal use and cannot be routed over the Internet.

Q19. What is the maximum number of hosts in a /24 network?

A. 254
B. 255
C. 256
D. 128
Correct Answer: A. 254
Explanation:
A /24 subnet has 256 addresses total, 254 of which are usable by hosts.

Q20. Which command saves the current configuration to NVRAM?

A. copy run start
B. Save config
C. Write a log
D. config save
Correct Answer: A. copy run start
Explanation:
This command ensures the current running configuration is saved and retained after reboot.

Q21. What does the command enable do in Cisco CLI?

A. Exits configuration mode
B. Opens user mode
C. Enters privileged EXEC mode
D. Starts packet capture
Correct Answer: C. Enters privileged EXEC mode
Explanation:
The enable command allows access to advanced configuration and monitoring commands.

Q22. What is the purpose of the DNS protocol?

A. Transfers files
B. Assigns IPs
C. Converts hostnames to IP addresses
D. Filters web content
Correct Answer: C. Converts hostnames to IP addresses
Explanation:
DNS resolves human-readable domain names to machine-readable IP addresses.

Q23. What happens during the TCP three-way handshake?

A. IP conflict resolution
B. ARP request
C. SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK exchange
D. DHCP lease grant
Correct Answer: C. SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK exchange
Explanation:
This process establishes a reliable connection between client and server before data transfer.

Q24. What is the maximum hop count allowed by RIP?

A. 15
B. 100
C. 255
D. Unlimited
Correct Answer: A. 15
Explanation:
RIP supports a maximum of 15 hops; anything beyond that is considered unreachable.

Q25. Which command allows you to view active TCP connections on a Cisco device?

A. Show interfaces
B. Show TCP brief
C. show ip interface
D. show netstat
Correct Answer: B. show tcp brief
Explanation:
This command provides a summary of all currently active TCP sessions.

Conclusion

Whether you're weeks away from the CCNA exam or just getting started, regular MCQ practice is the best way to strengthen your concepts and identify gaps in your learning. These 25 questions are handpicked to simulate real exam patterns and technical interviews. For more CCNA resources, tips, and expert guidance — follow TrainingX.