When do you redo your CFT? Is it done at the end of the swab summer then every semester after that? Am I understanding the standard correctly the minimum for a 4th cadet is a 165?
Assuming things have not changed since I was a cadet -
The Physical Fitness Exam (PFE), not CFT, is completed multiple times throughout swab summer - including the first week of swab summer. After the summer, you will take it at the beginning of every semester as a class (by assigned company).
For the minimum, in order to earn a pass, every cadet must score at least 200 points. If you fall below a 200, you are placed on PFE Probation Level I - this is where the 165 comes in. Every class has a minimum score - I think its 4/c - 165, 3/c - 175, 2/c - 185, 1/c - 200. This the minimum score you must hit to meet your class standard. If you do not meet this score, you are placed on PFE Probation Level II. In order to get off of probation, you need to pass the PFE twice for each level.
Example: You take it at the beginning of the semester and score a 160 - Level II Probation. You workout, go to the morning workouts, take the PFE twice and get a 175 and a 185. Above your class minimum, but below a 200. Now, you move from Level II to Level I. You keep working out and then you finally get a 205 and a 215 - now you're off probation.
These PFEs are taken throughout the semester, usually during lunch periods (at least when I was there) and mandatory morning workouts are held. If you pass, you're good to go. If you don't, you will be recommended for disenrollment because you cannot meet the standard.
Moral of the story? Don't shoot for the class standard and don't even shoot for the 200. Shoot for a 300 (maximum) because then if you don't meet it, you'll still comfortably pass. Trust me, you don't want to have to be worrying about passing the test every semester for four years. It only adds stress to an already busy schedule. Besides, sitting at a 165 going into swab summer means you're not physically prepared for swab summer - and you will struggle.
I'll jump in and answer the advice for Swab Summer question. My advice would be to take it day by day and have fun. Let me explain.
Talk to anybody who's been through any type of basic military training ever and they'll tell you it pretty much sucks, but the attitude you take towards it can make a big difference. Objectively, I did pretty well in Swab Summer. I woke up every day with the idea of going to learn something new, whether that be how to sail or handle a tugboat or something more mundane like the nautical signal flags. In my opinion, the more you throw yourself into that, the more you'll develop as a cadet, as a leader, and as someone "with a liking for the sea and its lore." Plus, it's just a more fun, glass-half-full outlook.
During Swab Summer especially but really anytime here in New London, the days are long but the weeks are short. Based on my limited experience on Eagle this summer, I suspect that doesn't change in the fleet. Maybe
@trackandfield08 can chime in on that.
I'll come back to this one - but, in a nutshell, this is an accurate statement about patrols.