Failing a PFA on AFROTC scholarship

Theallmighty

New Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
4
I am a 400 level cadet on scholarship at my AFROTC detachment. If I was to say, fail my PFA, what would happen to me? Would I be disenrolled? Or would I have to pay my scholarship back and be called to enlistment?
 
Err if I recall, you'd receive a conditional event (CE) and, if lucky (?) retake. You have to have a passing score by the end of the term, which is approaching... so option one is, assuming you do not pass, receive a CE & get to retest. Opt 2 is, again assuming you do not pass, receive a CE & go into a disenrollment investigation. Then there's opt 3...pass:)
May I inquire what section you are worried about?

Edit4: (warning take with a grain of salt) hm the disrenrollment is tricky. I've heard some det's kick folks out with ease (not much of a paper trail, not a trouble or space cadet) & I've heard other det's attempt to thoroughly remove someone no problem. If your nose is clean, you're a good cadet/attend AS Class/PT, good GPA, and usually strong with your PFA, I can't imagine your cadre wouldn't work with you for a make up PFA. Also if there is something going on (personal, home, fam, relationship, etc) talk to cadre as they are your biggest advocate, albeit simultaneously your biggest adversary (only to make you better)...

Edit:
Push ups is a lot of muscle memory so just get on the motion of doing them daily. If you have time, follow the program on http://hundredpushups.com/

Sit ups- try http://www.twohundredsitups.com/
But obviously practice the af standards.

Run- intervals. Reg track, sprint 800, walk 100. Sprint 800, walk 100. Sprint 400, walk 100 (repeat 4 more x), sprint 100, walk 50 (repeat x # of x). Then instead of waking the 100s/50s, change the walks to jogs. So you do sprints/jogs.

Edit 2: These 3 suggestions are assuming you've got some time, but will still help regardless... tailor to fit your needs :) esp the running. Whatever works for you, but definitely intervals.

Edit 3: perhaps will or Ducor or pima or many of the knowledgeable folks can confirm & chime in.
 
Last edited:
I am with afrotc16.... you are 6 months from commissioning and a POC you should know by now.

Or is there an another motive...fail it, and hope they disenroll you, thus the option of enlistment or payback....hoping payback?
~ Beware if you have always passed and all of the sudden fail after 4 yrs in AFROTC the CoC might not look kindly on this and see through your motives. IE Scored 98 in Sept and now 76 in Dec.

Seriously I don't get how you can be a 4 YEAR AFROTC scholarship recipient that has had to pass the PFA every semester, but now, the last semester of your collegiate career you are about to fail it and do not understand the consequence of busting the PFA?
 
Last edited:
Dear AFROTC16. I know you are searching for advice/ideas in a safe and anonymous environment. I am going to take a softer line than Pima. Why are you considering failure? Is it because you have gained a little weight and gotten out of shape or had an injury during a rigorous senior year of college or are you looking for ways to avoid the service obligation/changed your mind about being in the AF? Are you worried about the next steps? Does the loss of control over where you will leave and what you will do leave you with a bad taste in your mouth? (Did you not get the career field you wanted?) In either case, I suggest talking to a PMS you can trust about the issue or if your school has a counseling center. You have been on this path for four years--and are at the crowning moment of victory. There are so many benefits to being an officer--and more so to the life long benefit of being a veteran in today's society. You do not want to pay this back. Don't do it...and don't do it through the fitness test--you will have to live with yourself for the rest of your life and that is a big burden to carry. Also, you have worked hard and learned a lot--you do not want to be forced into going enlisted--you will still have to pass the PT test--only you won't be in charge--it will be someone who completed the program and stayed the course. I don't know you at all but I have been around for a while--and the people who drop out of the academies and the people who drop out of ROTC--they talk about it decades later, it does not go away from the psyche. (It doesn't keep great people from doing great things--but there is a sting that lingers.) If you have the choice: STAY THE COURSE, but mostly, go talk to someone about what is bringing you to this discussion.
 
We have an individual currently in the process of disenrollment because they have are a 400 like you and have not passed the last 3 official PFA opportunities they've had (that's being generous, pretty sure they went from below average scores to failing spring of 300 year because they gained a TON of weight after FT). Puking after the 1st lap of the run....on several occasions.

From what I know, failing the pfa as a GMC is not a huge deal so long as you pass it by the time EA applications come around. Failing as a POC is a more serious event that is grounds for investigation for disenrollment. Like afrotc16 said, you should know this by now. They expect you to pass all of your pfa's after sophmore year, there's little excuse for not doing so unless you're injured or ill.

The cadet I mentioned has been going through a long disenrollment processes and, honestly, should be disenrolled. Nice person, but can't possibly take this serious enough if they can't even keep up to scratch on the most BASIC requirement for military service. Completely unsat.

You and this other cadet are fortunate in that the AF is on an upswing and seems to be more lax rn about who they kick out. The cadet is currently trying to fight the disenrollment, not sure if they'll win. I may graduate before I get to see it resolved. If this is the first time you've failed as a POC...which the semester's over so I'm assuming you must have failed the wing pfa as well as the makeup pfa because every Det has a makeup following the official for people who don't pass the first time, which isn't super great for you....BUT if this is a one semester thing and you can convince your CO that you'll have your sh*t together bright and early first few weeks back you may be Ok. (When you fail one semester then the next semester it is often a requirement to take it as soon as you get back to school.)
 
Sorry if you guys feel I was a bit harsh, but as a new Lt, I've had to figure an awful lot out in the past few months by doing my research, not being afraid to ask questions, calling anyone who might know the answer to some question....etc. Just saying, once you graduate, stuff won't be spoon fed to you and it'll be up to you to schedule and pass your PT test. If you don't, frankly as an officer you aren't going very far. You're going to have to figure it out. You've got resources, a cadre that cares about you and an internet full of AFIs. So do your research and you'll be all that more prepared when you commission.
 
@Theallmighty
I'm sure this is an embarrassing topic to bring up so it's easier to ask a board full of anonymous strangers. It's understandable. However if you failed the pfa your cadre knows it. You know it. No point in hoping that by not bringing it up to them it might go unnoticed and you wont have to have that conversation at all. Not talking to them isn't hiding it, it's just keeping you in the dark and in a state of panic.

For your own good, you need to pluck up and go to the people you know have the answers to your questions. You may just have to take a conditional event. You may face something more serious. We can only tell you what other people have gone through. Your cadre know what YOU will go through and if you have to go through anything at all. Be bold. Ask them about it, come to them with any special circumstances that caused this or come to them and say "You know what, I messed up.", and then tell them how you plan to remedy it. Rip off the bandaid. You'll feel better.

All the best.
 
Back
Top