Candidate Fitness Exam

[EFiscus]

I am a female senior in high school that is applying for the Naval Academy. I am currently in a weight training class, but is wondering if anybody has a training program to prepare me for the fitness exam. I would like to take it within the next three months.

 

[Heatherg21]

if you search on the forum for 'cfa' you will find lots of threads with links to you tube videos for advice on this. Good luck!

 

[Norfolk63]

There are many YouTube videos that show you how to prepare for and perform each event. Which is extremely helpful... However, be sure to practice the entire CFA battery of events from start to finish on a regular basis. The CFA is a 40-minute assessment with timed events and timed rests between events. One of the most common things I see as a BGO are candidates who practice the events individually but never put them together. These candidates always say pretty much the same thing: "I'm great at push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups... but when you put them all together like this, my legs feel like rubber as I'm walking out to the track for 1-mile run!" The CFA is what is called a loaded exam, the cumulative effects of each event combine to test a candidate's core strength, stamina and endurance.

 

[bbear47]

my daughter is applying to USNA. She had been lucky enough to attend Summer Seminar in June and was sad to leave because it was such a great experience. She was given her CFA there, however the circumstances were not as fair because when she was tested on her pull up/arm hang there was no assistance to get into the position of the flex arm hang so she scored a 0. She is so nervous about this process as any student is when applying to colleges etc. She says she does not have time to retake it with her gym teacher, however I just think she is scared of failing it. She is an athlete in Lacrosse and color guard so she is fit. She does not want that to be the thing that keeps her from getting an appointment. Any advice?

 

[Norfolk63]

my daughter is applying to USNA. She had been lucky enough to attend Summer Seminar in June and was sad to leave because it was such a great experience. She was given her CFA there, however the circumstances were not as fair because when she was tested on her pull up/arm hang there was no assistance to get into the position of the flex arm hang so she scored a 0. She is so nervous about this process as any student is when applying to colleges etc. She says she does not have time to retake it with her gym teacher, however I just think she is scared of failing it. She is an athlete in Lacrosse and color guard so she is fit. She does not want that to be the thing that keeps her from getting an appointment. Any advice?

The CFA at NASS is a nice start, but due to the crowded conditions, successful candidates (who go on to receive appointments) tend to push themselves to learn from the NASS experience and improve their scores. Once they get home, they ask their friendly BGO or other USNA-approved proctor to do it again. Don't give up the ship!

 

[Big Ugly]

I have had two daughters do well on the CFA, both admitted to the academy. Here are some points that may give you reassurance, and training advice for all: DD-2 could not do a pull-up in January. We put a pull-up bar in the hall-way. She practiced 'jump-ups' where you jump up, grab the bar and pull yourself above the bar with the momentum you have. She also practiced climbing from a stool to a position with your chin above the bar and then slowly lowering yourself down. Also, dead arm hangs were great in the beginning, you have to develop hand strength and shoulder conditioning. End of February, she did her first pull-up, then it was months of slowly building strength (like three months of only doing one pull-up). Finally she worked in ladders, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 sets of pull-ups. Don't ever try to max yourself out while training, that's how you injure yourself. If you do want to test your max pull-up count, try it once a month (shoulder injuries are easy to create). She maxed out pull-ups on the CFA in July, she said it was the easiest part of the whole test because she spent so long training and started off slow.

Here's what she's telling me now: A lot of people think that since we're athletes, pull-ups will come as easy as sit-ups. I've been a competitive swimmer since I was seven (also running varsity xc and distance track). It doesn't matter what sport you do-- the pull-ups and the whole CFA need months of training. For those of you preparing for the CFA for Class of 2025, start now. Look at how many weeks you have, buy a pull-up bar, start running, start easy and don't injure yourself. The whole CFA is intimidating, it's scary, it's falling asleep at night thinking "this is my future." Try to be physically fit when the time comes so you only need to worry about the mentally scary part.

 

[2024candidate]

Do the test in complete succession 3 days a week. One day of rest in between. I did this over the summer for two months and doubled the scores I started with. The best way to get good at push ups and pull-ups is to do them a lot. Muscle memory is your best friend with the CFA. Use YouTube videos to ensure you’re using correct form and will not get injured.

 

[2023applicant]

Is this a good CFA score?

Basketball Throw: 63.7 ft
Pull-ups: 16
Shuttle Run: 9s
Crunches: 83
Pushups: 75
Mile: 5:10

 

[THParent]

Is this a good CFA score?

Basketball Throw: 63.7 ft
Pull-ups: 16
Shuttle Run: 9s
Crunches: 83
Pushups: 75
Mile: 5:10

If you're female, those scores are stellar.

 

[usna1985]

Actually, the scores are excellent for a male as well. For others, if you want to determine how well you did on the CFA, look at the max time/repetitions for each event -- the "max," as it were. The closer you are to the max score, the better you did. The further away, the worse you did. It's not rocket science.

 

[THParent]

Oh, well yes! I had read the OP (a female) and was in that mode, when I answered. Those are good scores for anyone, but particularly stand out for a female (like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2).