CFA and NASS

A

asdf

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Would potentially failing one event at NASS ruin chances at an LOA or hurt admissions chances? I understand that an LOA is not the goal but also that an application completed early will be reviewed by the board early and probably only once. I am worried that poor performance in one event (Pull-ups) will ruin the board's opinion of me. I am working hard to improve in this event, however.
 
how are your other stats? scores, class rank and such? maybe if the rest is very high the pull ups will matter less?
 
Academics are really strong. (780M, 760CR SAT) But I'm worried that I may fail or do extremely poorly on the pull ups and hurt the admissions board's opinion of me. I am a three sport varsity athlete as well, I just suck at pull-ups.
 
The CFA is normally a pass/fail. If you pass, you pass. Now, performing extraordinary on certain events (notably, pushups, situps, run) MIGHT get you recognition and look favorably. In other words, they normally don't brief negatives (and given that pullups aren't part of the PRT, I wouldn't sweat much -- however, if you are looking at USMC, realize their PFT requires pullups [20 to max for guys]). I would think the only situation in which a CFA could hurt a candidate (at USNA) is if they did EXTREMELY POOR (emphasis added) in the pushups, situps, and/or run because other parts of the test were scored very high on. I don't recall that you fail the entire CFA if you fail one portion of it.
 
But doesn't it help to do above average, in general? My theory is, the better you do, the more you stand out, the better the chances...though its essentially pass/fail, I feel like the better you do, the better off you are. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
But doesn't it help to do above average, in general? My theory is, the better you do, the more you stand out, the better the chances...though its essentially pass/fail, I feel like the better you do, the better off you are. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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Obviously, you should try your hardest, always. What I am saying is that ~90% of candidates participate in varsity sports, so a lot do "well" on the CFA. Someone who achieves maximums on all sections (or maybe close to) is probably likely to have that standout because there is very little rest and doing well on the latter portions is harder. I didn't think USNA published averages on CFA....so it's a guess what they would be and given that most candidates are athletes, the average could be pretty "high."
 
As noted elsewhere, there are several recent discussions of the CFA in the USNA forum, and I strongly recommend you look them up in the archives. They offer several tips on how to improve your performance including in re pullups. You have a couple of weeks, so I suggest you start working on doing at least respectably on the pullup bar. It always seemed to me to be a matter of technique. Best wishes.
 
Our DS had trouble with that but passed at NASS. We thought it was a big deal at first but I don't think it's there to hurt your application. If you are great at some aspects then it helps, otherwise if you meet the minimum and pass it's a moot point. Pull-ups seem to be a killer for a lot of people who do endurance sports, i.e. lot's of leg work but little upper body. What I can tell you is that you only get better by doing them, part technique and part increase in strength.

Our DS went to several summer sessions at various academies which all did the CFA, came back and did 1 more at school. In the end, improved a little bit but it was not a deal breaker by any means. Got his 4 noms and 3 appointments w/o maxing out anything on CFA. Keep working at it, do your best and just pass that hurdle and move on. Having the best "overall" package is more important than excelling in just one area. Good luck, you will do fine.
 
All of the SAs are becoming more competitive due to the same or more applications and few slots. Thus, it is important that each of every part of your application be as stellar as possible.

USNA Admissions has said that, if you don't max out on the CFA, you should consider retaking it. Obviously, you need to exercise some common sense . . . if you have done extremely well (based on the max scores), you're probably ok. However, if you have some weak areas, you're giving USNA a reason to pick someone else rather than you.

Clearly some candidates are admitted with less than stellar CFAs. However, do you want to take that chance?

As for NASS -- if you bomb the CFA and also have trouble keeping up in general runs, mock Sea Trials, etc.), that could be a negative. If you do OK on the CFA and otherwise do well during the week, a less than stellar CFA won't hurt and you can always (and should) retake it in the fall.
 
No one here can tell you the impact of failing one event in the CFA on the chances of receiving an LOA. First, the CFA is not exactly "Pass/Fail". It is more accurate to say that there is a minimum standard which you MUST meet. The extent to which you exceed that minimum standard improves your CFA score which in turn will help your overall score as a candidate (however nominally). Also discussed here previously by those more knowledgeable than I: many, if not a vast majority, of the candidates come up just short or just qualify for an appointment. Every bit of effort counts in the hopes that it all adds up in the end.

There is only one think you should be concerned with with respect to your question, and it is NOT how much failing part of the CFA will hurt your chances for an LOA, something no one can begin to predict. It's working your butt off every day to improve your pull-ups.
 
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My son took the CFA at NASS and CIS shows the date of the CFA but no score. Does anybody know if the CIS will be updated to show a score or a pass/fail indicator?

Thanks!
 
bandad said:
My son took the CFA at NASS and CIS shows the date of the CFA but no score. Does anybody know if the CIS will be updated to show a score or a pass/fail indicator?

Thanks!
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It won't be. The BGO can check whether he has passed or failed; that's how I found out.
 
passing scores

If your son knows his scores he should be able to figure out if he passed.
We only got two texts from our son who is at NASS right now. One with his CFA scores and the second was three words "Happy Father's day" I think the only reason he texted CFA scores was because he finally beat his sister's mile time:wink:

On that note, his CFA at NASS was significantly better than his CFA at SLS. Does he just email USNA admissions when he gets home and ask them to forward to USMA?
 
nuensis/Vista123:

Thank you for the replies. I searched the forum but didn't see an answer. DS gave scores over the phone and I believe he beat all of the averages so he is should be OK.

Thanks again!
 
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