Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $4.99 payment

Prepare for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam. Test your knowledge with our interactive quizzes featuring multiple choice questions, hints, and explanations. Equip yourself for success!

Practice this question and more.


What is the maximum hop count for RIP?

  1. 15

  2. 16

  3. 20

  4. 21

The correct answer is: 15

The maximum hop count for the Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is indeed 15. This means that any route with a hop count greater than 15 is considered unreachable. RIP uses hop count as its metric, with each router encountered along the path to a destination counting as one hop. By setting the limit at 15, RIP effectively ensures that loops do not occur indefinitely, and it helps to stabilize routing in smaller networks. The next hop count, which is 16, is treated as an infinite distance, indicating that the route is no longer valid. This characteristic of limiting hop count to 15 plays a significant role in the convergence time of RIP and impacts how RIP is utilized in network configurations. Other options like 20 or 21 exceed the maximum designed capability of RIP, making them irrelevant in the context of this protocol.