CFA Test

viking68

5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2010
Messages
2
The last thing I have to do is take my CFA. I am playing football and I am training to take the test so I can do my best, but it is also hard with school and football. What is the deadline for this test? Does it hurt my chances the longer I wait to submit my scores?:eek:
 
What is the deadline for this test?
January 31, 2011. But I would definitely submit before the end of 2010.
https://admissions.usafa.edu/secure/online/Eligibility.htm

Does it hurt my chances the longer I wait to submit my scores?
I don't know that it hurts your chances as much as submitting early might help your chances. I believe the general consensus on this board is that you should complete your application as soon as possible but hold off submitting your CFA until you get the numbers that you want. Unlike some other SAs, I believe you can submit your USAFA CFA only once so you need to make sure it is competitive.

Good Luck! :thumb:
 
Where do you stand now?

It sounds like you're in pretty good shape now. What kinds of scores are you getting in practice attempts? My two cents is schedule a CFA with your PE teacher or coach sometime soon....perhaps before a Monday practice. See how you do. If not competitive, simply don't submit it and try again a week or two later. My reason for submitting now...or at least completing the test soon is because the risk of injury that comes with football. (knock on wood.) Good luck.
 
My admissions counselor says that, while finishing it sooner looks better, waiting for better scores will also be noticed if all other pieces were finished soon. I'm waiting because I failed the throw and the mile run. Be forewarned, while I see your an athlete, the build effect is greater than you anticipate and worse than they projected at the seminar. I've ran a 6:20 mile several times, but, by the end of the CFA, I did an 8:48. I was dehydrated by the time I was halfway through the pushups. Minimum on the throw is 54'. I'm sure you'll be fine though, I'm not an athlete, just a little excercise and PT twice a week for JROTC.
 
It sounds like you're in pretty good shape now. What kinds of scores are you getting in practice attempts? My two cents is schedule a CFA with your PE teacher or coach sometime soon....perhaps before a Monday practice. See how you do. If not competitive, simply don't submit it and try again a week or two later. My reason for submitting now...or at least completing the test soon is because the risk of injury that comes with football. (knock on wood.) Good luck.

DITTO this comment, my son luckily completed his CFA early, because in August, at the beginning of football season he broke his leg/dislocated his ankle.
 
Do it now rather than when you are banged up from football. I did mine around this time last year, playing football and everything. You should be in pretty good shape from football. Just try your best!
 
My admissions counselor says that, while finishing it sooner looks better, waiting for better scores will also be noticed if all other pieces were finished soon. I'm waiting because I failed the throw and the mile run. Be forewarned, while I see your an athlete, the build effect is greater than you anticipate and worse than they projected at the seminar. I've ran a 6:20 mile several times, but, by the end of the CFA, I did an 8:48. I was dehydrated by the time I was halfway through the pushups. Minimum on the throw is 54'. I'm sure you'll be fine though, I'm not an athlete, just a little excercise and PT twice a week for JROTC.

Your "Admissions Counselor" told you this? Or was it your ALO. The reason I ask, is because the review board won't even look at your package until it's 100% complete, which includes the CFA. Once they actually start looking at your packet, and the hundreds or thousands of others, they don't really pay much attention to dates; except for things like how long you played a sport or were a class officer, or spent volunteering, etc... They don't really spend time looking at: "When do they do their essay, how many times did they do the ACT, when did they do their CFA, when was their ALO interview, etc...?" Now, because boards are made up of people, I'm sure different boards can have different personalities. But a retired friend/also my commander and Academy grad, who had been on a review board; said they don't really have time to go through those details. Computer prints take care of all the mathematical issues such as ACT/SAT/GPA/Class Rank, CFA scores, DODMRB, etc... type of finite, non-negotiable items. They also rely on the admissions office and counselors to ensure that all packets that they review are completed 100%, accurate, updated if necessary, and qualified. In other words, the review board isn't looking through those kinds of details.

But your point is definitely true and well taken that if you didn't do so well on the CFA, that you should wait until you can improve it; if possible. That is totally a personal call and one that you, the applicant, and your ALO need to decide on. Once you get to the application phase, and Fall of the application season, there are very few things that you can control. The CFA is one of them. You can control your grades. What they have, is what they have. You won't have new grades until christmas. Nothing you can do about that now. DON'T let that hold up your application. Same with SAT/ACT. If you don't have at least the MINIMUM scores, then of course there's no sense on submitting them, or your application. But considering they superscore your ACT/SAT, if you have at least the minimum scores, don't hold off submitting your application because of that.

If you consider yourself "Average", and you don't consider yourself capable of receiving an LOA or authorized to receive a Non-MOC Nominations, then you definitely want to try and kick the CFA's butt and get the best score possible. But you have to be realistic and know what the best you can do is. I.e. if you practice situps, and the best you've ever been able to do is around 60, then holding out on submitting the CFA for another 2 months, just to gain 5 more situps, is not practical. But if you think you can do much better, you definitely need to consider that.

On the other hand, if you can honestly say that you are an "Exceptional" applicant; e.g. Top-10 (Not 10%, top-10) in your class; 3.95+ gpa; 30+ACT; 2100+SAT; President of this; captain of that; major volunteer; star athlete; presidential, ROTC, other non-MOC nominations; etc.... And your CFA is good solid average or possibly a little above in some events, then you really should consider submitting your scores. Remember, the CFA is not a big part of the application, it's just that it's one of the few areas you can actually control and improve on. However; if you've got a kick-butt application ready to go, then you are definitely hurting yourself by holding off on the application to improve insignificantly on your CFA. Remember, the typical profile of each class that comes in, is:

Valedictorian/Salutatorian. 10%
President/Vice President of Class or Student Body. . . .16%
Top 10% of High School Class. 51%
Athletic Letter Award. 80%
Boys/Girls State or Nation. 21%
National Honor Society. 64%
Boy/Girl Scouting (Includes Eagle Scouts). 42%


If you are in this group, or better in many categories, don't hold off a perfectly satisfactory CFA for a few more situps or pullups. You're cheating yourself out of more possibilities, such as an LOA. If you aren't in these numbers, or you are right at these averages, then maybe you should try for a few more pullups before submitting.
 
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