CFA - Passed but will it ding my application?

Old Navy BGO said:
There are few absolutes in the Admissions process, but pretty easy to say NO and No. As I've said before, there is to much emphasis on CFA on SAF. My opinion only , but a weak (but passing) CFA is not going to "ruin" an otherwise strong application any more than a super strong CFA will buildup a weak application. I also reiterate USNA 1985's comment -- January 14 isn't the time to thinking about improving your CFA.
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Thank you both for the advice on the time to be thinking on improving my CFA! I took my CFA before thanksgiving and have continued training for Plebe Summer, however, taking the CFA is difficult because our track is closed because of heavy snow, so the only way for me to take the CFA would be to go to a Navy base hours away and have one of my navy officer contacts kindly administer it for me. I have made much improvement on my CFA except on running because of the snow closing the track pretty much since I took the cfa. I have improved upper body strength a lot, from 3 pull ups to 7/8 and push-ups similarly. With these conditions would it be worth the long drive and time to take it at the end of the month?
 
I was talking with my Admissions Officer about a different topic and asked them about retaking the CFA and they said that the Admissions Board would review the highest overall set of CFA scores.
 
fighterjetlover said:
Hello! I am at the end of my application, with all checkmarks checked off, medically qualified, and CFA says "qualified." I have heard here that CFA is pass/fail with very poor passing scores getting a little "ding" and very great scores getting a little bump. I also heard that they will look at it differently if you are a varsity athlete, especially an accomplished one in multiple varsity sports. I consider myself to be an accomplished swimmer, being a regional champion in both my long-distance freestyle events. I can easily make the "Outstanding - high" grade on the PFA if I swim rather than run. I have heard elsewhere on this forum that the Naval Academy takes being accomplished in a non-land-based sport into consideration as well. Taking all of this into consideration, will my current CFA score "ding" my application and hurt my chances of getting in? Thank you in advance for your input.

Pull-ups: 3
Push-ups: 38
BB throw: 51.00
Shuttle run: 9.6
Crunches: 77
Mile run: 7:15
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I actually did

8 pull ups
43 push ups
57 ft BB throw
8.6 shuttle run
85 crunches
9.09 mile time

I failed...

I wasted all my energy on the shuttle run, so I did worse than my normal mile time.
 
fighterjetlover said:
Thank you both for the advice on the time to be thinking on improving my CFA! I took my CFA before thanksgiving and have continued training for Plebe Summer, however, taking the CFA is difficult because our track is closed because of heavy snow, so the only way for me to take the CFA would be to go to a Navy base hours away and have one of my navy officer contacts kindly administer it for me. I have made much improvement on my CFA except on running because of the snow closing the track pretty much since I took the cfa. I have improved upper body strength a lot, from 3 pull ups to 7/8 and push-ups similarly. With these conditions would it be worth the long drive and time to take it at the end of the month?
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So this may not work for you. But I’m throwing it out there for future applicants to think outside the box. Our DS mentally struggled with the track. He wasn’t and isn’t a runner.
Following the CFA guidelines (for his cycle) he mapped out a road trail that met the distance requirement. I thought he was crazy since it had up and downhill components. But he said it would work for him.
His proctor was willing after reading the rules. We were lucky that the path he mapped began at the high school gym parking lot and essentially ran the perimeter of the K-12 district campus. Never had to cross traffic.
It worked for him.
Tracks may not be plowed but maybe an alternate route is?
Just an idea to think outside the box.
 
Heatherg21 said:
We were lucky that the path he mapped began at the high school gym parking lot and essentially ran the perimeter of the K-12 district campus. Never had to cross traffic.
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You gotta do what you gotta do. DS attended a small private high school without a track. He did 9.5 laps around the walkway that circles the school gym. A lot of turns, but his time was good.
 
MidCakePa said:
You gotta do what you gotta do. DS attended a small private high school without a track. He did 9.5 laps around the walkway that circles the school gym. A lot of turns, but his time was good.
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Exactly what the cross country team does. Runs miles on hills, runs sprints, runs miles around the city and town.
 
hello-there said:
I was talking with my Admissions Officer about a different topic and asked them about retaking the CFA and they said that the Admissions Board would review the highest overall set of CFA scores.
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Good that they’ll do that. Each academy may have different rules so make sure you check with them all.
 
Thank you for the response! To answer your question on pull-ups, I don’t have the best back muscles because I am long distance (endurance) free, not short distance. It is still a deficiency and I am going to try and redo the cfa if I can, and also make sure admissions knows I am currently improving on the deficiencies! Thank you for your help!
 
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@fighterjetlover. If this can ease your concern on CFA. Don't sweat over your scores, you have a mixed good and below average scores and you can certainly improve them over time. Even now, it appears to be a passing score. You can take your second CFA after you have worked on your weak areas. But the cold weather can affect your running time so try to do it on a warmer day.

My Midshipman DS is now a 1/C at Annapolis. When he took his CFA in high school senior year, his running time was poor with all else being strong. He took it twice and his running time went down slightly. Running time is most heavily weighted on your CFA (1 mile), like it is on PRT (1.5 miles). He's a strong swimmer but not a strong runner. He doesn't enjoy running. But that can change over time with motivation and practice. Unfortunately, God doesn't make us good in everything.

If you want to be a Pilot, you have to be physically well fit, especially flying tactical planes. NFO, just need to pass the minimum. Below is how he progressed from being average to strong in CFA to PRT. Being light helps on pullups. If you have too much muscle or over weight, doing 6 pull ups is a lot. You can see the progression over time. And so can everyone else and so can you.

High School Senior Year: 5'10" 135lbs

USNA 1/C Year: 6'0" 160lbs

1st CFA
Pull-ups: 18
Push-ups: 69
BB throw: 58
Shuttle run: 8.3
Crunches: 84
Mile run: 7:30

2nd CFA
Pull-ups: 18 (actually did 20)
Push-ups: 71
BB throw: 61
Shuttle run: 8.3
Crunches: 86
Mile run: 7:03

USNA PRT Plebe Year Grading B
500 Yard Swim: 6:25
Push-ups 81
Crunches 86
1.5 Mile Run 10:30 (run time hurt the overall scoring)

Navy Seal Physical Screener Test 2/C (Qualified), made the 75 cut out of 150 started, not the FINAL 50 cut
500 Yard Swim (side stroke/breast stroke) / (to be competitive 10:30) Actual 9:30
Push Ups (to be competitive 79) Actual 105
Sit Ups (to be competitive 79) Actual 96
Pull Ups (to be competitive 11) Actual 25
1.5 Mile Run (to be competitive 10:20) Actual 9:15

USNA PRT 1/C Year: Grading A
500 Yard Swim: 6:21
Push-ups 99
Plank 5:00
1.5 Mile Run 9:10
 
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You can also Google and YouTube to find core workout training routine that can be helpful to your training needs. Sometimes it’s the form in running that can improve your run time. For some people it’s building up leg strengths and for some it’s the stamina and letting your lungs to acclimate to longer running. Also getting running shoes that fits your foot anatomy can make a big difference. So figure out where you can get an edge.

I recommend Brooks Ghost 13 Running Shoes and Brooks Glycerin 19. They are super light and soft with strong support. They are pricy but it is worth every dollar.

Both my kids worked on all these areas and that made a big difference in their running time giving them 15% more efficiency.

Good luck with your workout improvements. You can do it!
 
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