Retake

I am postponing my retake till Tuesday due to forcatsed 30 mph winds and a high of 30 degrees. Tuesday is looking 37 and no winds.
 
are you guys just retaking the CFA because you want to better the score, or did admissions request that you do? i have to do the same thing, because my file was complete for a few days, and then it came up incomplete with a new CFA form and i was told i was being given the chance to retake.
 
My daughter had to retake hers, upon the Academy's request. Her first one wasn't that great, and they sent her a letter stating that they wanted her to retake it. That basically they were concerned about how she would handle the physical-ness (my word, not theirs) of the Academy should she be accepted. She contacted her ALO, and he reassured her that they must see something that they liked, and wanted to give her a chance to better her score. (I don't know about the whole "walking on water part"). This was good advice for her, since initially she thought she wasn't good enough, and that's why she needed to retake. The ALO basically said that they wouldn't be wasting their time if they didn't see something in her.

She retook it, improved on every single aspect...and consequently was offered an appointment! So, I would say that if you are asked to retake, go for it with all that you have.

Good luck to all still in the application process.:thumb:

Sincerley,
Jackie
California
Mom to new Appointee, class of 2013
 
i received that letter as well and my ALO told me the same thing! i'm retaking it a few days after christmas.

Congrats to your daughter!
 
oh thank you for telling me to read the other posts.

obviously i neither read them, nor wanted to read them. if you felt my question dumb or unecessary, then you simply didn't have to respond.
 
MChansard said:
i received that letter as well and my ALO told me the same thing! i'm retaking it a few days after christmas.

Congrats to your daughter!
Click to expand...

We ALO's are all about HELPING you get in!

Trust me...we ENJOY what we do; it's not an assignment you get without volunteering! We'll always try to give you the BEST opportunity!!!

Steve
DLOD, AZ
 
MChansard said:
oh thank you for telling me to read the other posts.

obviously i neither read them, nor wanted to read them. if you felt my question dumb or unecessary, then you simply didn't have to respond.
Click to expand...

And you could have simply followed forum courtesy and read the bountiful posts on this topic and wouldn't have needed to ask. Hope your attitude isn't as crass as it seems or you'd be eaten alive if you made it to the Academy.
 
(I posed this question to flyersboy on CC, but would love to get more than one experience)

Those that were asked to retake the CFA... About how long after submission of the score did it take for them to request the retest? My CFA scores were alright (pull-ups, bb throw) to good (sit-ups, shuttle run, mile), but I failed the pushups. I decided to submit on Dec. 2, hoping that the scores would balance each other out. However, I would not be surprised if they wanted me to try again.
 
MChansard: Please don't get upset and please don't take any comments personal. This is a forum. And like ANY forum on ANY subject, there will be thousands of threads and posts on every conceivable topic. Flyersboy response was not implying that your question was dumb or unnecessary. But there's obviously only 2 answers that could be given to you. 1) Directly telling you that the academy requested the retake. That would have answered your question, but it wouldn't have taught you anything about forums and the plethora of information that is available to you.

2) Giving you the same answer; yet mentioning that if you would read the entire thread or searched the forums, that the answer was already available. The purpose of this answer is for learning. It helps you understand that there are answers to thousands of questions already available without ever having to ask the actual question. In other words; anything you could possibly ask has probably already been asked and answered before. Flyersboy was simply explaining that forums provide thousands of answers simply by the fact that you can do a simple search or read the entire thread that you are responding to and find the answer. Obviously quicker than asking and waiting for a reply.

Obviously you are new to forums. We were all new to forums at one time or another. This doesn't mean that you have to spend hours on end looking for the answer to a question. Especially if you know that a particular thread is being discussed almost in live time. But now you know that if it's late; weekend; etc... where there's not a lot of activity going on in the forum, you can do a little search for a question you might have and have it answered without having to wait a long time for a response. In this case, it took 7 hours. And if it helps, all forums are this way. There are tons of people; caller "LURKERS" who never post, yet find the answers to all their questions. So, don't take it personal. You now know how forums work. If you've got questions and can't find the answers, by all means ask. Just remember; there are no "NON VERBAL" clues when posting. You can't always tell a person's tone in their voice. What you take as sarcasm or rudeness could be a misunderstanding. The other person could simply be trying to help. later... mike....
 
MChansard said:
oh thank you for telling me to read the other posts.

obviously i neither read them, nor wanted to read them. if you felt my question dumb or unnecessary, then you simply didn't have to respond.
Click to expand...

:eek:

No offense sir/ma'am, but I'm not on this forum to meet your busy schedule and answer your questions when you ask. I took time out of my busy day to answer your question and help. Everyone on this forum is busy and have demanding lives, especially those currently at the academy and those serving in the military.

You should take it upon yourself to read previous posts so you can try to find the answer to your question. It takes about 2 minutes. It takes much longer to have to wait for others to post.



Edit: O buffalo, do you want me to describe my situation again? Or did you ask so you could hear others situations?
 
Last edited:
DS retook his ly his pullups were low. first shot at 6. His run and everything else was fine. The Admissions rep stated the AFA has a fear that the alt will hurt kids and so they want to see the best. Of course it is a good sign, if you weren't even near being in the running they would not request a second. As strang as it seems being asked for a re-take is a compliment.

That being said don't rush the retake. Practice, practice, practice for a bout a month. Here's the thing that small amt of pts can be the make or break. If you have a nom, and the CFA isn't complete you have until Feb to complete it. The board cannot assign the appt for that nom until all of the applicants rec a WCS. Right now you have no CFA score, thus, no WCS. Don't rush it. Show them remarkable improvement.

If pushups are a problem then do them every day aim to get near the max.

In the end for DS his last CFA was
14 Pull ups
77 BB
95 sit ups
89 push ups,
can't remeber the runs, but I know the mile was @7:15 and the shuttle was in the 9 marker.

For him, the runs remained the same, but the others increased by @75%.

Good luck
 
flyersboy114 said:
O buffalo, do you want me to describe my situation again? Or did you ask so you could hear others situations?
Click to expand...

Nah, you're good. On CC you said the time between submission of the CFA and hearing back from the AFA was about three weeks. I asked again here to see if other's experiences were similar. Basically, I'm just curious at about what time I can consider that my CFA was good enough. Regardless, I continue to train in the weight room and work on the pushups.
 
looking at your score I would say you passed, but I wouldn't think that it would be a high CFA. Bball throw is low. and since you say you failed push-ups, but do not give a number, I would think that the score is low, however, your pull-up would show your upper body strength.

Don't read into anything. The AFA make ask for a re-take, they may not. It is really based on the individual and where they rack and stack. The person with 4 noms from ID with Buffalos score may not be asked to re-take, whereas the person from FL with 2 noms might be asked.

It is like reading tea leaves, interesting thing to ponder, but not usually something you actually see in the leaves only the reader does (AFA)
 
Just thought I should share since it might be useful to anyone with questions:

Today I got this little paper in the mail saying that my admissions file was "finally complete." I wasn't really sure what that meant since I had finished my application 2 months ago, so I called my guidance counselor. He told me that before then, I was missing something (he couldn't really find what, but I was) so my file is FINALLY ready to be reviewed by the board sometime in January. I asked him if I was able to retake my CFA before then to improve my chances, and he said I couldn't unless the board asked me to. Unless the board personally requests to see you retake the CFA (let it be because you wrote down in "any remarks or special circumstances" that you were sick or whatever) there really is nothing you can't do but wait. So what I got from this were the following things: my scores are going to remain mediocre :(, and anyone looking to retake their tests should get in shape as soon as possible to get that admission file ready for the January viewing (which could be any day that month) ALSO LOAs ARE STILL BEING HANDED OUT. He said that they will be given out every time they see someone they like, even if their applications were finished late (such as mine).

There still is hope for the rest of us to get an appointment before March WHOO!
 
I'm definitely not going to try and contradict the official purpose of the CFA. But the unofficial truth about it is that they want to make sure that you are physically fit to attend basic cadet training and serve in the United States Air Force. The CFA is one such measuring stick. How well you do on it really isn't that important. It just seems that way because it is athletic/sport related and our innate predisposition is to compete. The truth is; as long as you pass it, they really don't care if 1 person did 2 more pullups than another person. Of course; if you ace the thing, they notice it. If you fail any part of it, they notice that also. But basically; they just want you to be able to pass it.

I'm not saying not to try your best. What I'm saying is that if the academy/board doesn't request that you retake it; then don't sweat it. If it was high enough, then you are fine. Trust me; a 20-30 point increase on your SAT has more of an impact than 2 more pullups. If however you are asked to retake it; that's good. You already know that the first time probably wasn't the best in the world. But; they say enough in your file to try and get you more competitive. If you weren't asked to retest; then you know by your scores if you did fine. They probably were impressed or no impressed enough by the rest of your application that a retake isn't necessary.

Pima is correct that the altitude is a very big concern for the academy. That is one reason for things like the CFA, medicals, etc... The altitude can play havoc on people not use to it. While my son was in basic, one of the football coaches asked him if he'd participate in an altitude test. He was raised almost his entire life in these Rocky Mountains; and being an athlete he was one of the control subjects. They take physical fitness that serious at the academy. So, whether you were asked to retest or not, don't worry about it. You know what your score was when you took it. If you failed it, you shouldn't have submitted your scores. But either way; if you passed it, that's all that matters. How HIGH your score was is not all that important. Not unless you aced it all. later.... mike.....
 
I'm taking it in about 1-2 hours, Ill post the scores as soon as I get home from school. Its a half day so Ill be home at 1 :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top