CFA retake most likely fail... Next steps?

W

Waffles

Future AFROTC Cadet at ERAU - Daytona, FL
Joined
Nov 17, 2020
Messages
51
I just re-took my cfa after I failed the first one, and while all of my scores improved my mile time I'm 99.9999% certain has failed me. Here are my scores:
Bb throw: 27'
FAH: 41
Shuttle sprint: 10.7
Sit-ups: 88
Push-ups: 41
Mile: 9:43
What are my next steps if I do fail? Will my application definitely be closed? If anyone has been through this before, any advice would be much appreciated because I am really discouraged right now.
 
I put your scores into this score calculator
www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com

Candidate Fitness Assessment Score Calculator - Ace your CFA

Preparing to apply to a Service Academy? Use our Candidate Fitness Assessment Score Calculator to help you prepare for USMA, USAFA, and USNA.
www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com
And it said pass... although I do not take that calculator too seriously because it’s not a confirmed source.
I am scoring very similar to you and I am supposed to retake my second CFA before January 31st after failing the first one I did. I hope they accept these scores because mine are probably going to be about the same...

good luck!
 
Pegasus_Operator said:
I put your scores into this score calculator
www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com

Candidate Fitness Assessment Score Calculator - Ace your CFA

Preparing to apply to a Service Academy? Use our Candidate Fitness Assessment Score Calculator to help you prepare for USMA, USAFA, and USNA.
www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com www.gainserviceacademyadmission.com
And it said pass... although I do not take that calculator too seriously because it’s not a confirmed source.
I am scoring very similar to you and I am supposed to retake my second CFA before January 31st after failing the first one I did. I hope they accept these scores because mine are probably going to be about the same...

good luck!
Click to expand...
Let me know if they accept these scores it would make me feel better about passing my second attempt! I wish you the best.
 
Waffles said:
I just re-took my cfa after I failed the first one, and while all of my scores improved my mile time I'm 99.9999% certain has failed me. Here are my scores:
Bb throw: 27'
FAH: 41
Shuttle sprint: 10.7
Sit-ups: 88
Push-ups: 41
Mile: 9:43
What are my next steps if I do fail? Will my application definitely be closed? If anyone has been through this before, any advice would be much appreciated because I am really discouraged right now.
Click to expand...
Do the mental exercise if “the worst” happens. You pick yourself up, execute your alternate plan, and if USMA is still your dream path to a commission, you can start right now to train smarter and better and longer for your next CFA.
 
Ok so I talked to my JROTC instructor, and he said because he did not yet submit my scores, he would be willing to re-administer it on Monday. However, if I wait until then I will not be able to use these scores and I'm not sure I would do better. Any advice on whether I should retake it or just leave them as is?
 
Okay...I'll be the bad guy ALO here...

Your scores...

Bb throw: 27'
FAH: 41
Shuttle sprint: 10.7
Sit-ups: 88
Push-ups: 41
Mile: 9:43

Okay, my opinion as an "old" ALO, and only my opinion...

BB Throw...27' is significantly below the mean of 42'
FAH: 41 seconds While USAFA says the "average is 2 pullups" what I've seen in the past several years is a decent FAH (yours is decent) or 1 pullup. So you might be okay here.
Shuttle Run: 10.7 seconds This is almost 1 1/2 seconds below the mean of 9.4 seconds
Situps: 88 CRUSHED IT!!!!!
Pushups: 41 Right on the average, nice!
Mile: 9:43 Over two minutes slower than the average...not good.

Okay...if I'm your ALO, I'm saying that was a practice run and you need to do it again and we need to match practice/workouts with your "it must be submitted by XX date" so we know what we have to work with. When is your "due" date? If it's like the other poster and its 31 January 2021, then toss these out and start on a very very focused workout plan.

Without knowing the due date, I can't advise much more. I "believe" that these scores risk another failure. Now, remember, that's just my OPINION, I don't know this to be fact. Only USAFA/RRS can tell for certain. However, if I were your ALO, we'd be planning out a gym/sprint/core exercise regimen.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Waffles said:
Ok so I talked to my JROTC instructor, and he said because he did not yet submit my scores, he would be willing to re-administer it on Monday. However, if I wait until then I will not be able to use these scores and I'm not sure I would do better. Any advice on whether I should retake it or just leave them as is?
Click to expand...
Honestly I’d say take it again Monday. On Monday you will be at the point where if you don’t pass the test this path is delayed. Typically I wouldn’t recommend this but I found that it was much easier to push myself when I knew that there were no other chances for me after that test. When it’s either succeed or fail with no second chances it really helped me.
 
flieger83 said:
Okay...I'll be the bad guy ALO here...

Your scores...

Bb throw: 27'
FAH: 41
Shuttle sprint: 10.7
Sit-ups: 88
Push-ups: 41
Mile: 9:43

Okay, my opinion as an "old" ALO, and only my opinion...

BB Throw...27' is significantly below the mean of 42'
FAH: 41 seconds While USAFA says the "average is 2 pullups" what I've seen in the past several years is a decent FAH (yours is decent) or 1 pullup. So you might be okay here.
Shuttle Run: 10.7 seconds This is almost 1 1/2 seconds below the mean of 9.4 seconds
Situps: 88 CRUSHED IT!!!!!
Pushups: 41 Right on the average, nice!
Mile: 9:43 Over two minutes slower than the average...not good.

Okay...if I'm your ALO, I'm saying that was a practice run and you need to do it again and we need to match practice/workouts with your "it must be submitted by XX date" so we know what we have to work with. When is your "due" date? If it's like the other poster and its 31 January 2021, then toss these out and start on a very very focused workout plan.

Without knowing the due date, I can't advise much more. I "believe" that these scores risk another failure. Now, remember, that's just my OPINION, I don't know this to be fact. Only USAFA/RRS can tell for certain. However, if I were your ALO, we'd be planning out a gym/sprint/core exercise regimen.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
Click to expand...
I wish I'd known ALOs could do that, I definitley would have taken advantage of a training program. I've been trying to figure it out on my own. Unfortunately, my due date is this Monday. I thought I would do much better on the mile or I would've given myself more time incase I needed to retake it. Last time I ran without doing the other events I got an 8:36 mile time, but I did not realize how taxing taking the whole cfa would be.
 
Waffles said:
I wish I'd known ALOs could do that, I definitley would have taken advantage of a training program. I've been trying to figure it out on my own. Unfortunately, my due date is this Monday. I thought I would do much better on the mile or I would've given myself more time incase I needed to retake it. Last time I ran without doing the other events I got an 8:36 mile time, but I did not realize how taxing taking the whole cfa would be.
Click to expand...
Yes, the CFA is designed to really tax the whole body. As for what an ALO can do...that's up to the ALO. I tend to really get involved with my candidates if they're open to it.

I think what I'd do if I were you would be:

1. Review videos of little subtle techniques about the BB throw. I had a girl that threw in the low 20's...she reviewed a bunch of videos, practiced the motion, and when it came time...she hit the average.
2. Think about your sprint...all you must do is touch/cross the line with a toe and finger...you don't have to move "across" the line...are you losing any time there? When you start, are you sideways, straight on, or ? How you start is very important. You want to come out explosively!
3. Mile run...okay, straight up: you need your maximum "gut check" on this. Have someone timing and calling out times, have your music with you if you like that, pick fast-moving beats, and just force yourself...it'll HURT...a LOT...here's where I actually agree with my Marine brethren: PAIN is just WEAKNESS leaving the body!!! Your entire mental being must MUST be: pick it up...pick it up...keep moving...press...PRESS...all the way from start to finish.

If your JROTC instructor (AF, Army, Navy, USMC?) is administering it, remind them...if there are ANY extenuating circumstances (high winds, frigid temps, just rained, very slick track, etc...etc...) they can enter that on the bottom of the webpage that they're uploading the scores. I do it all the time if I think it might have ANY relevance.

You CAN do this!!! MIND OVER MATTER!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
flieger83 said:
Yes, the CFA is designed to really tax the whole body. As for what an ALO can do...that's up to the ALO. I tend to really get involved with my candidates if they're open to it.

I think what I'd do if I were you would be:

1. Review videos of little subtle techniques about the BB throw. I had a girl that threw in the low 20's...she reviewed a bunch of videos, practiced the motion, and when it came time...she hit the average.
2. Think about your sprint...all you must do is touch/cross the line with a toe and finger...you don't have to move "across" the line...are you losing any time there? When you start, are you sideways, straight on, or ? How you start is very important. You want to come out explosively!
3. Mile run...okay, straight up: you need your maximum "gut check" on this. Have someone timing and calling out times, have your music with you if you like that, pick fast-moving beats, and just force yourself...it'll HURT...a LOT...here's where I actually agree with my Marine brethren: PAIN is just WEAKNESS leaving the body!!! Your entire mental being must MUST be: pick it up...pick it up...keep moving...press...PRESS...all the way from start to finish.

If your JROTC instructor (AF, Army, Navy, USMC?) is administering it, remind them...if there are ANY extenuating circumstances (high winds, frigid temps, just rained, very slick track, etc...etc...) they can enter that on the bottom of the webpage that they're uploading the scores. I do it all the time if I think it might have ANY relevance.

You CAN do this!!! MIND OVER MATTER!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice!
 
Personal Organizer said:
I told my ds that if he wasn't on the verge of throwing up when he completed the mile, that he wasn't pushing himself hard enough! Lol He passed even though the bar they used for the pullups came loose and bucked him off after only 7 pullups. Do your best, don't give up!
Click to expand...
Wow! He’ll have a story to tell!
 
First of all I just want to say thank you to everyone for your encouragement it is really appreciated, and I will definitely be much better prepared if I end up having to re-apply next year. I decided not to retake the test on Monday because I woke up with a very stiff swollen hip this morning and it hurt to move my leg, so I do not think I would be able to recover by Monday enough to get a better time. My cfa administrator is posting my scores on my portal today, so if it is similar to last time, I should know by tomorrow morning if I failed. I'll post tomorrow with an update for those of you who were worried about your scores.
Also a word of advice from someone who REALLY regrets this: Do not wait untill the last minute to retake your test, even if you're afraid you aren't good enough yet, give it your all. The worst that can happen is that you'll know your scores aren't passing yet, and then you will have the chance to get them where they need to be. You never know what kind of injury you're gonna get, so it's better to give yourself plenty of time.
 
Personal Organizer said:
I told my ds that if he wasn't on the verge of throwing up when he completed the mile, that he wasn't pushing himself hard enough! Lol He passed even though the bar they used for the pullups came loose and bucked him off after only 7 pullups. Do your best, don't give up!
Click to expand...
My DS puked 🤮 3x before he even started the mile (CFA for USNA but very similar)...
 
Waffles said:
I just re-took my cfa after I failed the first one, and while all of my scores improved my mile time I'm 99.9999% certain has failed me. Here are my scores:
Bb throw: 27'
FAH: 41
Shuttle sprint: 10.7
Sit-ups: 88
Push-ups: 41
Mile: 9:43
What are my next steps if I do fail? Will my application definitely be closed? If anyone has been through this before, any advice would be much appreciated because I am really discouraged right now.
Click to expand...
I passed mine with worse scores than yours in all but b-ball throw and the mile run. Those two are the ones that be failing, assuming that you are female too. For the b-ball throw, it helped me to throw a bit outwards instead of just up and over, if that makes sense. For the mile, you should definitely try to find out the slowest time for a female that qualified. Take that time and divide it by four to figure out the time for each lap. Since you will not be able to improve by two minutes with training in just one night, you should make sure to get that time or faster for each lap. You should give it your all each lap trying to hit that goal time because if you don't achieve that time or better for each lap, you are going to fail anyway. I hope that makes sense, and good luck on your test. And by the way, my passing scores for the b-ball throw and mile run were 42' and 8:31 respectively. It's been weeks, and I have not been asked to retake it yet.
 
KiwiBird said:
I passed mine with worse scores than yours in all but b-ball throw and the mile run. Those two are the ones that be failing, assuming that you are female too. For the b-ball throw, it helped me to throw a bit outwards instead of just up and over, if that makes sense. For the mile, you should definitely try to find out the slowest time for a female that qualified. Take that time and divide it by four to figure out the time for each lap. Since you will not be able to improve by two minutes with training in just one night, you should make sure to get that time or faster for each lap. You should give it your all each lap trying to hit that goal time because if you don't achieve that time or better for each lap, you are going to fail anyway. I hope that makes sense, and good luck on your test. And by the way, my passing scores for the b-ball throw and mile run were 42' and 8:31 respectively. It's been weeks, and I have not been asked to retake it yet.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice, but because I injured my hip while running and I didn't think I'd be able to recover in time, I had my test administrator submit my scores on Saturday. Fingers crossed that they will be good enough. I'll definitely use your basketball throw tip if I have to reapply.
 
Ok so I don't want to get my hopes up, but last time they informed me that I failed at 2am the next day, and this time my Scores were submitted Saturday night and they haven"t removed it yet. I know there has been a lot of data syncing though where I couldn't check the portal, so maybe that's affecting it? Has anybody here ever retaken the cfa and failed? If so how long did it take for them to tell you?
 
Waffles said:
Ok so I don't want to get my hopes up, but last time they informed me that I failed at 2am the next day, and this time my Scores were submitted Saturday night and they haven"t removed it yet. I know there has been a lot of data syncing though where I couldn't check the portal, so maybe that's affecting it? Has anybody here ever retaken the cfa and failed? If so how long did it take for them to tell you?
Click to expand...
why not just ask admissions?
 
Here's the thing . . . even if your mile score is passing, if "plebe" summer at USAFA is anything like the other SAs (and I assume it is), you're going to have to be in A LOT better shape to survive. Ditto with passing Ac Year fitness tests. You do NOT want to be the girl bringing up the rear in every run or not being able to complete other activities.

I recommend you contact either a h.s. coach or a fitness trainer (you can do this all virtually) and have them help you put together a training program. Then stick to it. If you can find a workout buddy to push and encourage you, so much the better.
 
usna1985 said:
Here's the thing . . . even if your mile score is passing, if "plebe" summer at USAFA is anything like the other SAs (and I assume it is), you're going to have to be in A LOT better shape to survive. Ditto with passing Ac Year fitness tests. You do NOT want to be the girl bringing up the rear in every run or not being able to complete other activities.

I recommend you contact either a h.s. coach or a fitness trainer (you can do this all virtually) and have them help you put together a training program. Then stick to it. If you can find a workout buddy to push and encourage you, so much the better.
Click to expand...
Definitely planning on continuing my training! Thanks for the suggestions, it can be hard to find good running plans.
 
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