SLE CFA Test Weight

High School class of 2020 here,

So I got into USMA SLE 1st session over the summer, and got some worries about the CFA. I have started training this last week but am still hitting under-average scores on a few of the events, not by a lot but still below. I know at SLE they administer the CFA there, but 1. Does this go on your file, if so, then, 2. Can I retake the CFA at a later date? Good luck everyone!

zeloganbrothers said:

High School class of 2020 here,

So I got into USMA SLE 1st session over the summer, and got some worries about the CFA. I have started training this last week but am still hitting under-average scores on a few of the events, not by a lot but still below. I know at SLE they administer the CFA there, but 1. Does this go on your file, if so, then, 2. Can I retake the CFA at a later date? Good luck everyone!

Click to expand...

It probably does go in your file. It’s not like if it’s bad, you can’t tell them not to count it. They’ll have to put something in your file.

If you fail, then you’ll know it when they send your official scores via email later in the week.

The good thing is you can retake and submit scores later on.

I highly recommend you kick butt on the CFA at SLE though. If it’s good, then that’s one less worry/requirement you have later in the summer or fall to do. Also, if you do it at a later date, then you have to take a video of the pushups and pull-ups. I suspect it would be a pain to take the videos and upload.

Use SLE to gain the experience, identify your weaknesses and set benchmarks. Then go train hard, focusing on your weak spots without sacrificing your strong parts. Take it again sometime in the fall, when you’ve seen marked improvement and feel you can’t improve much more. That’s what DD did and it worked very well for her.

From what I was told, if you pass at SLE, it goes in your file as a pass and you're all set.

If you fail at SLE, the failure does not go in your file and you can retry at a later date. Normally when you fail the CFA, you have to request a redo in order to improve on your score. However, SLE counts as a "freebie," so if you fail nothing is put into your file. This will allow you to use the scores as a baseline as mentioned above and work to improve.

I would train with passing at SLE as the goal, but if you don't end up passing, you're not alone. Only about 50% of candidates pass the CFA at SLE, if my memory is accurate of that statistic. Certainly don't let it ruin an amazing week; you worked hard to get there and the CFA is just one thing out of a ton of great experiences. Good luck!

My DS is recovering from an injury and surgery. He has been cleared for all normal activity but is nowhere close to his previous level of fitness. He asked about whether or not the CFA would count against him and was told that it can only help and not hurt. He could try it unless he was concerned about a re-injury, in which case he should just inform those administering the test that he might be better off waiting until a later date.

boxmm24 said:

My DS is recovering from an injury and surgery. He has been cleared for all normal activity but is nowhere close to his previous level of fitness. He asked about whether or not the CFA would count against him and was told that it can only help and not hurt. He could try it unless he was concerned about a re-injury, in which case he should just inform those administering the test that he might be better off waiting until a later date.

Click to expand...

My 2021 completed his CFA during SLE and was thankful he did. His scores were ok but he had shoulder surgery 2 months later from an injury at SLE. It was good to have it complete as it would have been impossible after.