CFA Mile Time

taymcg12

taymcg12

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Apr 21, 2015
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I recently took my fitness assessment and feel pretty confident in all of my score except for the shuttle run and the mile. On the shuttle run, I had a 9.4; but that is not the one that I am really worried about. I ran the mile in over 8 minutes...I guess I focused too much on the other events thinking that since I was a pretty average runner that I would be fine in this event. I can remember how far over 8 minutes it was, I believe around 8:15. I have already received a nomination and the application deadline has closed. So will my mile time knock me out of consideration for an appointment? And is there still a chance, even though the application deadline has passed, that they would give me a retake if I was deemed competitive in other areas?
 
Email/call them and ask, the absolute worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
 
I have read other posts on here over the past year of people with much worse run times still getting offers. It is a whole package, so many other factors go into the decision. Hang in there!!
 
Sounds great! I'm just worried, which I guess is a good thing right?Thank you very much!
 
It is great that you are concerned....however, that should have been months ago. Unless you jumped into process very late, this requirement was known earlier on. At this point it is what it is...retakes are very unlikely to be accepted...otherwise you would be getting an advantage over others who might wish to retake it.
 
What is like the ideal CFA times and approximate amounts for each event that they are looking for?
 
USNA doesn't publish minimums for CFA events. If you check the USNA website, you can find the max figures (I have never heard of any 'ideal' times).
 
Fitness scores certainly seem to matter if you're close. My son's score was just under the cut-off for NROTC scholarship. He redid his FT, improving his mile from 6:20 to 5:40 and increased Sit ups and push ups to max scores. A month later he received the 4 yr scholarship.
 
ideal scores would be maximums in every event. Realistically...... a 630 mile for a male is pretty decent. Regardless of if it effects your application or not.. if you want to be a military officer go out and run. Every second spent worrying about the application could be spent making improvements.
 
The ideal score is the one that gets you in. The USNA PRT, not CFA, time is a 10:30 1.5 miles. An 8:00 + mile might get you in the door, but it will make for a very long year of remedial PT if you can't pass the PRT. You need to be able to run a 7:00 minute mile comfortably as a Midshipmen, everything below this is even better. Again, this is what happens when you wait until the very end to take the CFA. 2021 candidates, don't do this! Prep starting now. Take the test every few weeks in the exact order and regulations you to the take the CFA in. So many candidates don't and only will test themselves on one event every now and then. You have to learn how your body reacts to a run after pushing yourself on the other items. Don't wait until the last day... what if it snows, rains, is 100 degrees, your proctor gets sick, you get hurt, etc. Take it early and practice often to prevent surprises like a slow run time. If you play a fall sport that does not involve alot of running or time to train, take it in August when your sport gets going.
 
NavyHoops said:
The ideal score is the one that gets you in. The USNA PRT, not CFA, time is a 10:30 1.5 miles. An 8:00 + mile might get you in the door, but it will make for a very long year of remedial PT if you can't pass the PRT. You need to be able to run a 7:00 minute mile comfortably as a Midshipmen, everything below this is even better. Again, this is what happens when you wait until the very end to take the CFA. 2021 candidates, don't do this! Prep starting now. Take the test every few weeks in the exact order and regulations you to the take the CFA in. So many candidates don't and only will test themselves on one event every now and then. You have to learn how your body reacts to a run after pushing yourself on the other items. Don't wait until the last day... what if it snows, rains, is 100 degrees, your proctor gets sick, you get hurt, etc. Take it early and practice often to prevent surprises like a slow run time. If you play a fall sport that does not involve alot of running or time to train, take it in August when your sport gets going.
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100% agree. DS only practiced the full sequence once. Ran a 5:17 mile, but on a dry track, in warm sunshine, with me pacing him (which isn't allowed for the real deal). On real test day, which was the only day his teacher could do it, conditions were rainy and worse and he only ran a 5:27. I get that's not a huge difference, but you see the point. You need to practice the whole thing, in order, with the regulation intervals in order to really be ready and know where you may stand in the end. Best of luck to all.
 
zachcleigh said:
ideal scores would be maximums in every event. Realistically...... a 630 mile for a male is pretty decent.
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A 6:30 mile for a male is barely passing at USNA unless they've dropped the standards way down. A 6:31 was an "F" and you had to go to remedial runs. My Plebe through 2/C year we ran the mile every semester and my fastest time was a 5:46 (which was a "C"). You had to get under 5:30 for a male to get an "A" and under 6:30 for a female to get an "A." My 1/C year they changed to the 1-1/2 mile. Amazingly, they just added 1/2 again as much time for the grading, not taking into account you'd actual get tired and slow down :) They slowly adjusted it after that.
 
DS practiced and practiced some more. We had to fight tooth and nail to get the test done (PE teacher/football coach + fall season= scheduling nightmare) The only time allotted was post crew practice. "crew hack" No excuses. He did the best he could. It was done in OCT and we haven't heard from anyone that he failed or has to retake but his run was just under 7. Everything else was decent but far from MAX. His PRs for all of the categories were much better in practice but it is what it is (cringe: I hate that saying) Point is, he knows that he will be called upon to do much more under much more difficult conditions so "it is what it is" applies here.
 
I ran the mile in around 8:15 too. My shuttle run was 10 sec flat.. Basketball was around average, and I max'd the other 3 events. I received appointments to USMA and USAFA so far. Nothing from Navy yet, but I did fine with the 8:15 mile :)
 
Row2020 said:
DS practiced and practiced some more. We had to fight tooth and nail to get the test done (PE teacher/football coach + fall season= scheduling nightmare) The only time allotted was post crew practice. "crew hack" No excuses. He did the best he could. It was done in OCT and we haven't heard from anyone that he failed or has to retake but his run was just under 7. Everything else was decent but far from MAX. His PRs for all of the categories were much better in practice but it is what it is (cringe: I hate that saying) Point is, he knows that he will be called upon to do much more under much more difficult conditions so "it is what it is" applies here.
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Good luck to your DS, good scores!
 
lef9820 said:
I ran the mile in around 8:15 too. My shuttle run was 10 sec flat.. Basketball was around average, and I max'd the other 3 events. I received appointments to USMA and USAFA so far. Nothing from Navy yet, but I did fine with the 8:15 mile :)
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Congrats!!! And thank you for the reassurance!
 
Your CFA will be evaluated in light of your other athletic activities. If you are very active in sports, that can help offset a less than stellar CFA. If you are not (very) active in sports, your CFA counts "more" because it is the only indication of your physical fitness. Certainly an 8:15 for a male won't help in your admissions process and, depending on circumstances, could hurt. You should check with your BGO as to whether it was considered passing.

Agree with Hoops that candidates should not wait until the last minute to do the CFA. Even those who have practiced sometimes don't perform as well as they'd hoped when taking it "for real." For 2021 candidates, remember you have 8 months (!) to take and retake the CFA, including the entire summer. No one -- and I mean no one -- is so busy for 8 months that they don't have several hours where they can take (and retake if necessary) the CFA to get the max score of which they are capable.
 
I'd add to some of the other posters' advice: if you're fortunate enough to get an appointment to one of the SA's, you really want to go into this summer with a mile time of 6:30 or below. push yourself- "Get out there and get comfortable with being uncomfortable" You're going to be running all over the place, and aerobic capacity is not something you can cram for... you just have to challenge your heart and lungs consistently, and they will respond! Go in already in shape and you'll be thankful you did- The east coast in summer is hot and humid as all hell.
 
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