CFA “qualified” after NASS

[Jabor3]

I’ve read threads on here that candidates retake their CFAs to max out or get scores up. My son qualified at NASS but he doesn’t know his scores. Should he still do another CFA with his gym teacher this summer just to know where he falls and whether he should try to improve? I guess if he is 1 point above passing, shouldn’t he know that so he can try to do better? It matters right - higher is better? - so I’m confused why it just says qualified. Unless… it actually doesn’t matter much at all. Any insights?

 

[THParent]

It's a pass/fail. If he didn't pass, he would have been told. Higher is always better but if he passed, they know that they "can work with him" during Plebe Summer. If he has been training like he should have been since he passed the CFA, then he should be able to show some improvement now. If he wants to try it again and the coach is willing, no harm done. Full speed ahead.

Now to actually do it, he'll have to contact his admissions counselor at USNA to get that field reset in the system, so that he can input the coach's EMail address in there again. The coach then will get an EMail link (like before) and then can upload the data for the new CFA results. Easy peasey.

 

[Don't Give Up the Ship]

We don't know exactly how USNA Admissions scores and weighs CFA results. What I do know is that I saw an official Admissions video indicating that doing better can help. Most BGOs will tell you that if you Pass (and we don't know exactly what the passing scores are) its probably best to focus on other areas to improve (such as ACT/SAT scores). In the case of my son (now in his last year at Navy), he is so humbly competitive that he trained for nearly one year before taking the CFA during Summer Seminar. He scored very high. He also maxed out on the USCGA equivelent test during AIM and received an award at AIM graduation. During his time at USNA, he has maxed out on the PRT every single time, which allows him to skip the next PRT test (and he earned extra overnight liberty for maxing out). He has one more PRT, this fall, and he's done with PRTs (assuming he maxes out again-which he says is easy for him). He was a track runner in HS and first year at Navy and he just doesn't settle for "passing" on anything he does-nothing. So for him it's about being the best he can be-in everything he does. Right now he's on an EOD Cruise at Little Creak, VA (EOD Group 2), where physical endurance/performance is a key aspect for the three weeks. Not all, MIDN are that competitive. My advice is that it's up to your DS if he wants to take it again Or if he wants focus on other aspects. He should just remember that physical condition is not just an Admissions issue...it's important throughout the 47 months and beyond. Good luck.

 

[dddad]

Any insights?

Higher is better and everything matters. Your DS is competing for a spot. He should be trying to “win” in as many areas as he can. He will need to determine where to focus his time and efforts. Continuing to train should be part of his life whether he is going to take the CFA again or not. The CFA is not weighted as heavily as academics. So, by way of example, if the opportunity cost of more time on the CFA is a worse academic package, he ought to spend his effort where it gives the bigger boost. Good luck. And, I agree with THParent.

 

[NavyHoops]

I think him reaching out to his squad leader for his scores is probably key. Yes, he passed, which is big. It means he has a check mark and can move on. But, if he barley got by , then yes, retake. If he had good scores, then move on. Was he a 6 minute mile or 8? He should know roughly his numbers.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

Feel free to reach out to Admissions and ask for scores, and whether its high pass, middle of the pack or lower. If lower, can't hurt to retake ..but as I have said here before, there is no reason to do multiple retakes to max the CFA. Of course higher is better, but SAF tends to overemphasize the CFA -- focus efforts on things that matter more.

 

[brewmeist]

One thing to remember that there is always a chance of doing worse on a retake. If your son is satisfied with how he did, he really needs to determine if he is 100% confident he will do better next time.

To this day, my 1/C has no idea what his exact CFA score was when he took it at NASS. When he asked about his results at the time, the leader said not to worry about it. He 'easily' passed. He felt good about his performance, and left it alone.

 

[usna1985]

Agree with the above and not over-emphasizing the CFA, presuming DS is active in sports. If DS doesn't participate in organized sports, a strong CFA becomes more important. However, retaking over and over for incremental improvement is not the best use of one's time.

 

[Vegas72]

My son knew his scores and while a couple were average...he did well on others including maxing on some so we are moving on as his academics are very good and should compensate for some of the average scores on his CFA...