AFA told me my CFA was trash.

Nomak54

Nomak54

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Mar 27, 2018
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I mean, I got a message saying it wasn't acceptable. So I guess I can assume that the same goes for my USNA application? If I remember correctly here's what I got from the summer seminar:

BB Throw: 70~
Pull ups: 6
Shuttle Run: 8.88
Push ups: 45~
Crunces: 60s~
Mile: 8:25

I can definitely do much better now, but I wanted to ask, I'm still not in the best shape. What can a good CFA score look like? Can I really keep retaking it on January 31st? Even if I do it on January 31st itself?
I'm really sorry if this was a waste of time, I guess I'm a little bummed.
 
Beat the averages. Do the work. It’s been a few months since summer sessions - have you given 100% to improving and put in the work to get in better shape? If you haven’t, ask yourself why not.
 
Mile is pretty slow. Remember males at USNA run 1.5 miles for the PRT every semester and the max time is 10:30. The great news... it’s Oct and you are young. Put a plan together and take a practice test every few weeks under real test like conditions. There is tons of advice on the site and the internet on how to prepare and get better. Remember... Prior Proper Planning Prevents P!ss Poor Performance. The 7 Ps are important in military life.
 
@Nomak54, you got USAFA stats from @Capri120. Here are USMA stats:

https://www.usma.edu/admissions/Shared Documents/CFA_Instructions.pdf

Both are good proxies for USNA. So no, you’re not in a good place (unless the rest of your application is spectacular). Here’s the good news: You truly have until January 31 to submit new scores. That’s nearly four months away! With commitment, dedication and smart training, you can make dramatic improvement. As others have said, there are myriad resources to help you: online, PE teachers, coaches, peers. Use them.

It will take a lot of hard work — a lot! But should you win appointment, that will only be the beginning. Plebe Summer is a physical beast. While fitness isn’t everything, much respect will come from peers and detailers if you can keep up. From there, you’ll be required to pass a physical test every semester.

You say you “can definitely do much better now.” We’ll then, get on it! Best wishes to you.
 
It was the mile in my opinion. My 2021 son was never a runner until attending USMA. Go to the running store to be fitted with shoes - they don't charge for the fitting and you can get your shoes anywhere. Proper shoes made a huge difference. Find a running buddy, a GPS watch to switch up your runs to different places and run. My 2021 is still not a fan of running but he does very well on the APFT and that motivates him. Stay positive! You can do this!
 
need to improve pull-ups, shuttle run, mile run. Train hard, you can improve your results.
 
CFA is not a max an avg test. If you fail even 1 portion, you failed the entire test. As stated before it appears you only met the avg on 1 portion. The mile and pull ups impo were failed. Sit ups and push ups were probably close to fail, if not fail.

As stated, the good news is you have time. Buy a pull up bar for your bedroom doorframe. Everytime you enter or leave do X amt and increase weekly. If school starts at 7 a.m. get up at 5:30 and run. Try also mixing it up with sprints. You need to shave at least 1 min. off the run. Run when it is sprinkling outside, run when it is hot. IOWS, don't be a fair weather condition runner when it is 75 degrees and 15% humidity.

The CFA is one thing you have absolute control over. It is up to you now. OBTW if you are applying for AFROTC scholarship, that is a PFA, a different exam. Practicing them both in order might also help.
 
@Nomak54, in your prior posts, you indicated that you were going to join Cross-Country in the Fall semester. Did you do this?
 
Get a pull up bar. Use it every time you walk past it. Put it in a doorway you pass often.
 
My DS is a top athlete in great shape. It took him 3 tries to pass the CFA. Time #1 he put his knee down during his pushups which is an auto DQ, (he maxed situps, push ups and pull ups) his coach let him finish before telling him he was a DQ just to see how he would end up. However, he wouldn't have passed anyway. He was so gassed by the time the mile came he was only able to complete one lap before he cramped up so much that he couldn't finish. Time #2 He did better again Max the 3, but a 7:30 mile. He practiced and practiced and practiced and put it off until the last minute to get his best score.. What happened? Time #3 was scheduled for 1 week prior to his deadline. We had a massive fire and were evacuated, so had to reschedule the following week. He continued to train in poor air quality conditions and woke up with the Flu the last day he could take the test. Air Quality was still poor and with the Flu and it was 90 in December!!! He did pass.. again Maxed the same 3 and finally got the mile time down to 6:30. However, the moral of the story is practice and practice in order and regularly and for crying out loud schedule it well before your deadline! Sorry just advice from a mother. ;) If you work hard you have time to improve and you CAN DO IT! Just don't put it off to the last minute
 
Nomak54 said:
I mean, I got a message saying it wasn't acceptable. So I guess I can assume that the same goes for my USNA application? If I remember correctly here's what I got from the summer seminar:

BB Throw: 70~
Pull ups: 6
Shuttle Run: 8.88
Push ups: 45~
Crunces: 60s~
Mile: 8:25

I can definitely do much better now, but I wanted to ask, I'm still not in the best shape. What can a good CFA score look like? Can I really keep retaking it on January 31st? Even if I do it on January 31st itself?
I'm really sorry if this was a waste of time, I guess I'm a little bummed.
Click to expand...

Many, many moons ago when I was brand new in my career, I had a fellow resident rotate in my department for a month. He was an SF officer prior to going to medical school. It seemed like he had every badge on his uniform you can imagine. He had the Special Forces, Ranger, and President's Hundred tab on his shoulder. I thought that was pretty impressive because it's not easy getting any of those tabs- and he got 3 of them. I asked him specifically about the President's Hundred tab because it's a marksmanship badge. Not easy to get because you have to score in the top 100 in a national competition of military and civilians. I asked him what he did to get it.

He said, "You'd be amazed at what you can do with a little bit of practice."

I told my DD that on more than a few occasions when I was helping her get ready for the CFA.

I completely agree with @JRS92078 too. Do not wait until the last minute. You don't want to be in a position of submitting stuff on that last day and the local internet service goes down. Or it's slow and then as the info is transmitting, the stuff gets lost in the internet netherworld and none of the SAs get it. What happens if you're sick the day of the CFA? 31 Jan is in the middle of flu season. What happens if the person who is supposed to conduct the test gets sick? If you decide to apply to the USMA, then you have to get the push-ups and pull-ups on video too. What if the USMA says the videos aren't at the right angle? You can't do it again because it'll 15 March by the time they tell you videos are unsat.

By waiting until 31 Jan, you're not giving yourself enough time to mitigate Murphy's law.
 
Being able to nearly max out all categories of the CFA will make Plebe Summer fun, rather than an ordeal.
Also - I have seen many people do the BB throw - and nobody throws a basketball 102'-0".;)

Being able to consistently run a 6 minute mile is something to strive for.
One thing you will do a lot of in the Military, is run.

After you do the mile in the CFA, you never have to run a mile for time, again.
The PRT (Physical Readiness Test) eschews the shuttle run, pull-ups, and BB throw for just Push-Ups, Curl-Ups (crunches) and a 1-1/2 mile run.
(For the life of me, I cannot understand why they don't make you do pull-ups for the PRT. )
Midshipmen will be required to pass a PRT after every semester (a total of 8 times during their 4 years at USNA).
Near the end of Plebe Summer, all Plebes take their first PRT (which sort of becomes the "baseline" PRT for the next 4 years).
 
Hey just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice and information. I'm taking working out/dieting seriously now, especially since AFA applications close at mid November :( And yes I'm officially on my school's cross country team but I'm still not a stellar runner. Fun fact: I took a PFT for the NROTC Scholarship Marine Option and my 3 mile run time was near 30 minutes :(
 
Keep at it. Mental strength is a big part of this. You are young and can make huge strides quickly. Good luck.
 
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