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Quizzes > Computers & Technology > Computers & IT

Take the Ultimate CCNA Practice Quiz

Ready for CCNA practice exam questions? Dive into this free Cisco certification practice quiz!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
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Are you ready to boost your networking career? Our free CCNA quiz online is designed to test and refine your skills with real-world, certification-style questions tailored for ambitious IT professionals. Get instant results and detailed explanations after each question to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. Discover how you fare on each topic, identify gaps, and build confidence for Cisco certification practice. Whether you're tackling VLANs, routing protocols or network security, take our ccna mock test free to sharpen your edge, then dive into our CCNA practice exam for full-length challenges. Jump in now - take our ccna online test and ace it!

Which OSI layer does the IP protocol operate on?
Data Link layer
Network layer
Transport layer
Application layer
The Internet Protocol (IP) is defined at the Network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model, responsible for logical addressing and routing packets between networks. It encapsulates data from the Transport layer and uses IP addresses to forward packets to their destination. Routers operate at this layer to forward traffic based on network addresses. Cisco: What Is L3 Routing?
What is the default VLAN on a Cisco switch?
VLAN 0
VLAN 1
VLAN 100
VLAN 4094
On Cisco Catalyst switches, VLAN 1 is the default native VLAN for all switch ports and management traffic if no other VLAN is configured. It cannot be deleted, though it can be renamed for organizational clarity. Best practices often recommend avoiding use of VLAN 1 for user data. Cisco VLAN Configuration Guide
Which command displays a summary of interface status and IP addresses on a Cisco router?
show interfaces
show ip interface brief
show running-config
show ip route
The 'show ip interface brief' command provides a concise tabular summary of all interfaces, their IP addresses, and status (up/down). It's often used for a quick check of interface configuration and connectivity. The longer 'show interfaces' gives detailed statistics but not the brief format. Cisco Interface Commands
Which IP address range is assigned by APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing)?
10.0.0.0/8
169.254.0.0/16
172.16.0.0/12
192.168.0.0/16
APIPA uses the 169.254.0.0/16 address block when a DHCP server cannot be reached, allowing local link communication only. Hosts assign themselves an address in this range to maintain limited connectivity. Traffic is not routable beyond the local segment. Microsoft APIPA Documentation
Which protocol resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses on a local network?
ARP
DNS
DHCP
ICMP
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) maps IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses on a LAN. When a host wants to communicate at Layer 2, it broadcasts an ARP request to discover the MAC of the destination IP. The device owning that IP responds with its MAC. Cisco ARP Configuration
Which TCP/UDP port number is used by HTTP?
21
80
443
23
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) uses TCP port 80 by default for web traffic. Secure HTTP (HTTPS) runs over TCP port 443 with TLS/SSL encryption. Port 21 is for FTP and 23 for Telnet. IANA HTTP Port
What type of Ethernet cable is used to connect a switch to a router directly?
Crossover cable
Straight-through cable
Coaxial cable
Fiber cable
A crossover cable swaps the transmit and receive pairs, allowing direct connection between two similar devices like switches and routers. Modern devices with Auto-MDIX often detect and correct cable types automatically. Straight-through cables connect dissimilar devices. Cisco MDIX Auto-MDIX
Which port number is used by the Telnet protocol?
22
23
25
161
Telnet operates on TCP port 23, providing an unencrypted terminal connection. SSH replaced Telnet in most secure environments on TCP port 22. Port 25 is SMTP and 161 is SNMP. RFC 854 Telnet
Which subnet mask corresponds to a /24 prefix?
255.255.255.0
255.255.0.0
255.0.0.0
255.255.255.192
A /24 prefix length means that 24 bits are set to '1' in the subnet mask, which corresponds to 255.255.255.0. This allows 256 addresses per subnet (254 usable for hosts). Other masks represent different prefix lengths. ARIN Subnetting
Which OSI layer handles physical MAC addressing and switching?
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 3
Layer 4
Layer 2 of the OSI model is the Data Link layer, which uses MAC addresses for frame forwarding within a LAN. Switches operate at this layer to filter and switch frames. Layer 1 deals with electrical signals, and layers 3 and 4 handle IP routing and transport, respectively. Cisco OSI Model
What is the role of a default gateway in an IP network?
Assign IP addresses to hosts
Route traffic to remote networks
Filter traffic based on ACLs
Resolve hostnames to IPs
A default gateway is the next-hop router that devices send packets to when the destination is outside the local subnet. It enables communication with remote networks by forwarding traffic accordingly. It does not assign IP addresses or perform DNS resolution. Cisco Routing Docs
What is the default subnet mask for a Class C IP address?
255.0.0.0
255.255.0.0
255.255.255.0
255.255.255.255
Class C addresses (first octet 192–223) use a default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, providing up to 254 usable host addresses. Classful addressing is largely historical, but the default mask concept remains for legacy. Wikipedia Classful Network
Which command saves the running configuration to startup configuration on a Cisco device?
write memory
copy startup-config running-config
copy running-config startup-config
save config
The 'copy running-config startup-config' command writes the current active configuration to NVRAM so it will persist after a reboot. 'write memory' is an older alias on some platforms. The other variations are invalid. Cisco Saving Config
Which Cisco IOS command displays the MAC address table on a switch?
show arp
show mac address-table
show vlan
show interfaces switchport
The 'show mac address-table' command displays the Layer 2 MAC learning table on a switch, showing which MAC addresses are associated with which ports and VLANs. ARP shows Layer 3 mappings, VLAN shows VLAN info, and interfaces switchport shows port mode. Cisco MAC Address Table
What is the purpose of a router in a network?
Forward frames within a LAN
Convert digital to analog signals
Forward packets between different networks
Encrypt data at Layer 2
Routers operate at Layer 3 of the OSI model, forwarding IP packets between different networks based on routing tables. They do not switch frames within a LAN (that's a switch) or perform analog conversions (that's a modem). They can apply security and QoS features at Layer 3+. Cisco L3 Routing Overview
Which IPv4 loopback address is always reachable on the local machine?
0.0.0.0
127.0.0.1
169.254.1.1
255.255.255.255
The IPv4 loopback address 127.0.0.1 is designated for testing IP stack locally on a host. Traffic sent to this address never leaves the host. The entire 127.0.0.0/8 block is reserved for loopback, but 127.0.0.1 is used by convention. RFC 1122 Loopback
Which routing protocol is classless and supports VLSM?
RIP v1
OSPF
IGRP
Static routing
OSPF is a classless link-state routing protocol that fully supports Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSM) and CIDR. RIP v1 and IGRP are classful and do not support VLSM, while static routing can be classless but isn’t a dynamic protocol. Cisco OSPF Overview
What is the default Spanning Tree Protocol mode on Cisco switches?
RSTP
MSTP
PVST+
STP Per-VLAN
Cisco Catalyst switches use Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+), which runs a separate instance of IEEE 802.1D STP for each VLAN. RSTP is faster but not the default in older IOS, MSTP groups VLANs into instances, and 'STP Per-VLAN' is not a distinct protocol term. Cisco PVST+ Guide
Which two metrics does EIGRP use by default to calculate its composite metric?
Bandwidth and delay
Hop count and delay
Load and reliability
MTU and hop count
EIGRP’s default composite metric uses bandwidth and cumulative delay to determine the best path. Load and reliability can be enabled optionally, but are not part of the default calculation. Hop count and MTU are not used. Cisco EIGRP Metrics
What does the IP address 0.0.0.0/0 represent in routing terms?
Loopback address
Default route
Network 0
Broadcast address
0.0.0.0/0 is the IPv4 default route, matching any destination not in the existing routing table entries. Traffic hits this route when no more specific route is found. It effectively sends unmatched traffic to the gateway of last resort. Cisco Default Route
Which command disables DNS lookups on a Cisco router to prevent slow typos from halting CLI?
no ip domain-lookup
no ip dns
ip lookup disable
ip domain-lookup off
The 'no ip domain-lookup' global configuration command disables the router attempting DNS resolution on mistyped commands, preventing delays. The other variations are not valid IOS syntax. Cisco DNS Lookup
What is the primary function of Network Address Translation (NAT)?
Encrypt internal traffic
Translate private IPs to public IPs
Assign DNS names
Inspect application data
NAT modifies IP address information in packet headers to map private, non-routable addresses to public addresses, conserving IPv4 space. This allows internal hosts to access the Internet while hiding their private addresses. It does not perform encryption or DNS functions. Cisco NAT Overview
Which command displays the current routing table on a Cisco device?
show ip route
show route
show ip interface brief
display routing-table
The 'show ip route' command displays the IPv4 routing table, including learned networks via dynamic routes and static entries. 'show route' and 'display routing-table' are not valid in IOS CLI. Cisco show ip route
What happens to the TTL (Time to Live) field in an IP packet as it traverses a router?
It remains unchanged
It increments by one
It decrements by one
It resets to 255
Each router that processes an IP packet decrements its TTL by one to prevent infinite looping. When TTL reaches zero, the packet is discarded and typically an ICMP Time Exceeded message is sent to the source. This mechanism controls packet lifetime. RFC 791 TTL
Which multicast address does OSPF use to send hello packets to other routers?
224.0.0.9
224.0.0.10
224.0.0.5
224.0.0.6
OSPF version 2 sends hello and other protocol packets to the IPv4 multicast address 224.0.0.5 for all routers. 224.0.0.6 is used for designated router messages. The other addresses are not used by OSPFv2. RFC 2328 OSPF Hello
Which Cisco protocol provides first-hop redundancy for routers?
VRRP
HSRP
GLBP
VRF
HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol) provides first-hop redundancy by electing an active and standby router to share a virtual IP and MAC address. VRRP is similar but not Cisco proprietary, and GLBP is another Cisco protocol for load-sharing. VRF is used for segmentation, not redundancy. Cisco HSRP Guide
In Frame Relay, what does the DLCI number represent?
Data Link Connection Identifier
Destination Logical Circuit Index
Dynamic Link Channel Identifier
Designated Label Connection Injection
DLCI stands for Data Link Connection Identifier, which is a unique number that identifies a virtual circuit on a Frame Relay network. It tells the Frame Relay switches how to forward frames to the correct PVC. It is locally significant on each interface. Wikipedia DLCI
What role does a VTP server play in VLAN management?
Assigns IP addresses to VLANs
Distributes VLAN information to clients
Handles DHCP requests for VLANs
Creates trunk links automatically
In Cisco’s VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), a VTP server stores the VLAN database and propagates VLAN additions, deletions, and name changes to all clients in the domain. Clients cannot make VLAN changes—they only receive updates. Transparent mode stores changes locally. Cisco VTP Guide
Which IEEE 802.11 standard introduced MIMO and can operate in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands?
802.11g
802.11n
802.11a
802.11b
802.11n introduced Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology to increase throughput and can operate in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. 802.11a was 5 GHz only, 802.11b/g were 2.4 GHz only. IEEE 802.11n
Which protocol can be used to monitor network devices and collect statistics centrally?
ICMP
SNMP
DHCP
LDAP
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) allows centralized polling of network devices for metrics like interface counters, CPU, and memory usage. ICMP is for echo/test, DHCP for address assignment, and LDAP for directory services. Cisco SNMP Overview
What feature limits the number of MAC addresses allowed on a switch port?
PortFast
Storm control
Port security
BPDU guard
Port security on Cisco switches allows you to restrict the number of MAC addresses learned on a port and define actions like shutdown if a violation occurs. PortFast accelerates STP, BPDU guard blocks BPDUs, and storm control prevents broadcast storms. Cisco Port Security
Which OSI layer uses sockets to identify communication endpoints?
Data Link layer
Network layer
Transport layer
Application layer
The Transport layer (Layer 4) uses sockets, identified by IP address and port number pairs, to direct data streams between applications. TCP and UDP are Layer 4 protocols that utilize sockets for end-to-end communication. Cisco TCP/UDP Overview
Which OSPF area type prevents external route advertisements from entering but allows inter-area routes?
Backbone Area
Not-So-Stubby Area
Stub Area
Totally Stubby Area
An OSPF stub area blocks external (Type 5) LSAs but still allows summary LSAs (Type 3) from other areas. Totally stubby areas block both external and inter-area LSAs except a default route. NSSA allows external injection with Type 7 LSAs. Cisco OSPF Stub Areas
Which BGP path attribute is used to prefer an exit point in a multi-exit AS scenario?
MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator)
Local Preference
AS Path
Next Hop
MED is used to convey to neighboring ASes which entry point into an AS is preferred when multiple exist. A lower MED is preferred. Local Preference is for internal preference, AS Path counts AS hops, and Next Hop is the next router address. Cisco BGP ADV Routing
What type of NAT allows multiple private hosts to share a single public IP address using port translation?
Static NAT
Dynamic NAT
PAT (Port Address Translation)
NAT64
PAT (also called NAT overload) allows many private IP addresses to be mapped to one public IP address by using unique source port numbers to distinguish sessions. Static NAT maps one-to-one and Dynamic NAT uses a pool of addresses. NAT64 is for IPv6-to-IPv4. Cisco NAT Overview
Which protocol is commonly used to distribute MPLS labels between LSRs in an LSP?
LDP
BGP
ISIS
PIM
The Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is the standard method for LSRs to exchange label binding information in an MPLS network. BGP can carry MPLS labels in certain VPN contexts, ISIS and OSPF distribute routes, and PIM is multicast routing. Cisco MPLS LDP
Which WAN protocol natively supports multilink load balancing across multiple physical links?
HDLC
PPP
Frame Relay
ATM
PPP supports the Multilink PPP (MLPPP) extension, which bundles multiple physical links into a single logical interface for load balancing and redundancy. HDLC is Cisco proprietary without multilink, Frame Relay requires additional mechanisms, and ATM is cell-based. RFC 1990 MLPPP
Which IPv6 configuration method uses a DHCPv6 server to assign addresses?
Stateless address autoconfiguration
Manual configuration
Stateful DHCPv6
Link-local only
Stateful DHCPv6 assigns IPv6 addresses and other configuration parameters from a DHCPv6 server, similar to DHCPv4. Stateless autoconfiguration uses router advertisements without a DHCP server. Link-local is only for local traffic. RFC 8415 DHCPv6
Which Cisco DMVPN phase supports direct spoke-to-spoke encrypted tunnels without rerouting through the hub?
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 0
DMVPN Phase 2 allows dynamic, direct spoke-to-spoke tunnels with NHRP registration, reducing hub traffic and latency. Phase 1 only supports spoke-to-hub, and Phase 3 adds more routing optimizations. Cisco DMVPN Guide
Which Cisco ACL type can filter traffic based on source/destination port numbers?
Standard ACL
Extended ACL
Reflexive ACL
Dynamic ACL
Extended ACLs can filter traffic by source and destination IP addresses, as well as protocol types and port numbers, making them more granular than standard ACLs which only filter by source IP. Reflexive and dynamic ACLs are specialized. Cisco ACL Types
Which QoS marking leverages the IP header to indicate per-hop behavior?
802.1p
CoS
DSCP
MPLS EXP
DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) uses the first 6 bits of the IP header’s Type of Service (ToS) byte to classify packets for per-hop behavior in the network. 802.1p and CoS are Layer 2 markings, and MPLS EXP is for MPLS label marking. RFC 2474 DSCP
Which EtherChannel protocol is Cisco-proprietary?
LACP
PAgP
PAgP-L
LACP-L
PAgP (Port Aggregation Protocol) is Cisco-proprietary for forming and managing EtherChannel groups. LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) is the IEEE standard (802.3ad). The other options are invalid names. Cisco EtherChannel
Which OSPF authentication type uses MD5 hashing for neighbor authentication?
No authentication
Null authentication
MD5 authentication
Text authentication
OSPF MD5 authentication provides message integrity by hashing the contents with MD5 and a shared key. It is more secure than simple text authentication. Null/no authentication and plaintext text are less secure. Cisco OSPF Authentication
Which IPv6 address block is reserved for link-local unicast?
2000::/3
FD00::/8
FE80::/10
FF00::/8
FE80::/10 is reserved for IPv6 link-local addresses, which are used only on the local segment and are automatically configured on interfaces. FD00::/8 is unique local, FF00::/8 is multicast, and 2000::/3 is global unicast. RFC 4291 IPv6 Addressing
Which routing protocol uses the DUAL algorithm and supports unequal-cost load balancing?
OSPF
EIGRP
RIP v2
IS-IS
EIGRP uses the DUAL (Diffusing Update ALgorithm) for rapid convergence and supports unequal-cost load balancing via the 'variance' command. OSPF and IS-IS are link-state, and RIP v2 only supports equal-cost paths. Cisco EIGRP DUAL
Which PPP feature allows multiple physical links to be combined as one logical link?
CHAP
MLPPP
LCP
PAP
Multilink PPP (MLPPP) is an extension of PPP that fragments packets and distributes them across multiple synchronous or asynchronous links. LCP is the Link Control Protocol for PPP, and CHAP/PAP are authentication protocols. RFC 1990 MLPPP
Which encapsulation method does 802.1Q use to tag VLAN frames on a trunk?
VLAN ID in payload
External header
4-byte tag inserted into frame
Checksum field
802.1Q inserts a 4-byte tag after the source MAC address in the Ethernet frame to indicate the VLAN ID and priority. The tag consists of TPID and TCI fields. It is the standard for VLAN trunking. IEEE 802.1Q
Which Spanning Tree Protocol variant supports multiple spanning-tree instances for groupings of VLANs?
RSTP
PVST+
MSTP
IEEE STP
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) allows VLANs to be mapped to separate spanning-tree instances, reducing the number of STP topologies. It builds on RSTP for faster convergence. PVST+ runs one instance per VLAN. RFC 6242 MSTP
Which BGP configuration command groups multiple autonomous systems into a single logical AS to reduce the number of external sessions?
neighbor x.x.x.x remote-as
bgp confederation identifier
neighbor x.x.x.x confederation peer
bgp multi-exit-discriminator
BGP confederations allow an AS to be divided into sub-ASes for internal management while appearing as a single AS to external peers. The command 'bgp confederation identifier ' sets the confederation’s AS number. Cisco BGP Confederation
Which OSPF LSA type is used to advertise network summaries between areas?
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
Type 5
OSPF Type 3 LSAs are Summary LSAs generated by area border routers to advertise networks from one area into another. Type 5 LSAs carry external routes from ASBRs. Type 1 and 2 are intra-area router and network LSAs. RFC 2328 LSAs
Which IPsec mode encrypts only the payload and leaves the original IP header intact?
Tunnel mode
Transport mode
GRE mode
ESP-Null mode
IPsec Transport mode encrypts only the payload of the IP packet, leaving the original header for routing. Tunnel mode encrypts both header and payload and adds a new outer header. ESP-Null provides integrity without encryption. RFC 4303 IPsec ESP
Which DMVPN phase supports scalable routing by summarizing spoke networks at the hub using NHRP redirect messages?
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 0
DMVPN Phase 3 introduces NHRP redirect and shortcut routing capabilities, allowing spokes to register summarized networks with the hub and enabling direct spoke-to-spoke routing more efficiently. Phase 2 does direct tunnels but without summarization. Cisco DMVPN Phase 3
Which routing protocol supports IPv6 multiprotocol extensions for carrying IPv6 routes over BGP sessions?
OSPFv3
RIPng
MP-BGP
EIGRPv6
Multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP) extends BGP to carry IPv6 routes by using address family identifiers (AFIs) and subsequent address family identifiers (SAFIs). It allows IPv4 and IPv6 routing over a single session. OSPFv3, RIPng, and EIGRPv6 are interior protocols. RFC 4760 MP-BGP
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Networking Fundamentals -

    Gain a solid grasp of core CCNA concepts such as IP addressing, subnetting, and the OSI model to confidently tackle your ccna quiz online.

  2. Analyze Routing and Switching Protocols -

    Break down the operation of key protocols like OSPF, EIGRP, and VLAN tagging to master the ccna practice exam questions.

  3. Apply Configuration Commands -

    Practice essential Cisco IOS commands for router and switch setups, ensuring you can configure devices under exam conditions on the free ccna quiz.

  4. Evaluate Network Topologies -

    Interpret and assess various network diagrams and scenarios to sharpen your problem”solving skills during the ccna online test.

  5. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses -

    Use instant feedback and detailed explanations to pinpoint knowledge gaps and focus your study plan before the real Cisco certification exam.

  6. Boost Exam Readiness -

    Leverage scoring metrics and performance insights from the Cisco certification practice quiz to track progress and build confidence.

Cheat Sheet

  1. OSI and TCP/IP Models -

    A clear grasp of the seven-layer OSI model and the four-layer TCP/IP stack is vital, as it frames how data flows end-to-end. Mnemonic "Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away" helps recall Physical through Application layers quickly. These foundational concepts appear on every ccna online test and free ccna quiz, so map common protocols like HTTP, IP, and Ethernet to their layers.

  2. IPv4 Subnetting and CIDR Notation -

    Master subnetting by practicing how to convert decimal masks to slash notation (for example, a /28 mask yields 16 total addresses). Use the "Borrow Bits" method to quickly calculate subnets and hosts per network. Precise subnetting skills are regularly validated in any ccna practice exam and Cisco certification practice scenarios.

  3. Routing Protocol Fundamentals -

    Understand distance-vector versus link-state protocols: RIP uses hop count, OSPF uses cost, and EIGRP relies on bandwidth and delay. Remember the metric hierarchy with the mnemonic "Only Elephants Bring Peanuts" (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, Path vector). Routing protocol selection and metric calculation are common topics in ccna quiz online questions.

  4. VLANs and 802.1Q Trunking -

    Learn to segment networks using VLANs and tag frames via IEEE 802.1Q trunk links. Know the difference between access ports (single VLAN) and trunk ports (carry multiple VLANs) plus the concept of a native VLAN. Cisco certification practice frequently tests VLAN tagging, trunk negotiation, and inter-VLAN routing basics.

  5. NAT and ACL Implementation -

    Differentiate static NAT (one-to-one) from dynamic NAT/PAT (many-to-one) and practice mapping inside local to inside global addresses. Combine NAT with standard or extended ACLs to filter traffic based on IP, protocol, and port numbers. Effective NAT and ACL configuration scenarios are staples of both free ccna quiz modules and real-world Cisco exams.

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