What metric does OSPF primarily use to choose the best path?

• A. Hop count
• B. Bandwidth
• C. Cost
• D. Latency

Answer: (C)

OSPF determines the best path using a cost metric assigned to each interface and then sums those costs along a route to pick the lowest total. Costs are typically derived from the interface bandwidth (faster links have lower cost), so the shortest-path tree built by the SPF algorithm favors routes that use higher‑bandwidth connections. This is why a path with fewer high‑speed links can win over one with more hops on slower links. Latency or hop count aren’t the direct metrics OSPF uses, and bandwidth isn’t used alone—the total cost along the path is what matters. You can adjust interface costs (or the reference bandwidth) to steer route selection as needed.