General CFA Clarification

[SA2017]

I have looked through this forum to try to find some of the answers but I still have some questions:

If possible -when answering pelease state which S.A. you are referring to. Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge.

1. I read in one spot that the CFA is 10% of you WCS-I also 'read do the best you can' and 'take it over to improve your scores' , I also read its pass/fail only.

*Can you get more or less points toward your WCS?
*If so how is it pass/fail?
*Is it 10% of WCS?
*If your points can change based on your score and thereby affect your WCS-why wouldn't you just retake it weekly until you no longer need to take it (arrival of BFE/TWE)?

2. I read that the USNA Priority is: pushups, crunches and mile.
*Are the priorities different for each S.A.?
*Does anyone know which priorities match which S.A.?

3. It was my understanding that the first time you can officially take this at the summer seminars-
*can you officially take the CFA at all of them?
*When is the last time you can take this?
*if you are on the NWL and you improve your CFA will it bump you up?

 

[BillSL]

Take all of this with a grain of salt - I'm just a West Point candidate.

For the USMA, as far as I undersand:

1.
*Yes, your CFA DOES affect your WCS (the better you do, the more points you get). There IS a certain level that is considered "fail". All above it is "pass". I think the reason people say it's pass or fail is because, if you pass, it might be better to focus on improving your SAT/ACT scores (30% of USMA WCS) than just the CFA.
*Yes, 10% of your WCS, according to an e-mail I got from the Northeast Admissions Office. 30% is class rank, 30% is standardized test scores, 10% is sports/leadership, 10% is leadership (non-sports), 10% is teacher recommendations (SOEs, School Official's Evaluation) and 10% is CFA.
*Some RCs do NOT allow candidates to take the CFA more than once or twice. You are NOT allowed to simply take hundreds of CFAs and keep updating your scores.

2.
*I gathered from SOMEWHERE that the USNA does not really care about the basketball throw, whilst the USMA does care. DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT, THOUGH!

3.
*You can take them at USMA's SLS. That's all I know.
*Supposing you are allowed to take more than once (or that you still haven't taken it), I think it is by February 28th, FOR THE U.S.M.A., but again, don't quote me on that.
*If you are allowed to retake it then yes, technically, a better CFA might bump you up... but better standardized test scores, as they account for 30% of the WCS, might be a better investment.

 

[usnabgo08]

SA2017,

For USNA, the CFA is pass/fail only in determining the "Physical Qualification" (i.e. 1 of 3 wickets that must be met for consideration of an appointment). It is NOT used in any objective calculation of the WPM, most likely because it isn't required to be completed before heading to the Admissions Board. The CFA COULD be used to increase/decrease the WPM, as subjective points (i.e. if the Admissions Board feels someone blew the CFA out of the water or did below marginal).

With that being said, if someone's record/participation lacks H.S. sports, it might behoove one to have their CFA completed, with the rest of their application, in order for the Admissions Board to have a "warm and fuzzy" about the athletic/physical ability of the candidate. Otherwise, it could actually be a negative discriminator.

Other than being an "annoying" administrative burden for the Admissions staff to reset one's CFA every week, the odds are that the physical ability, on a week-to-week basis, isn't going to increase/decrease significantly, hence why someone should try on a broader basis. However, one could conduct their own (mock) CFA to gauge their physical readiness on a more regular basis and then decide when to re-take the CFA. Someone might want to consider re-taking the CFA if completed at summer seminar, especially if the Admissions Board made a decision to defer early on in the process (Aug-Oct timeframe). With the competitive records going through Admissions each year, one never knows if running the mile 30 secs faster, doing an extra 10 pushups, or an extra 20 situps, might tip the balance in one's favor.