Good CFA Scores?

[West Point Applicant 19']

Hello. I'm a current junior who is applying to West Point this coming year. For the CFA, I can currently max push ups, pull ups, and sit ups. I get 9.4 second shuttle run, 6:30 mile, and 70 ft basketball throw. Coming from competitive northern Virginia, what scores should I be aiming for in my non maxed categories for a better chance of admission?

 

[Parent of 4]

Those are strong numbers if you do them all in the prescribed time. Doing them individually doesn't mean much. Also, West Point recently changed what is considered a "correct" pull up and push up. Make sure you are doing them the way they want them. If so, just keep practicing every little bit helps. Obviously your test scores carry much more weight than the CFA so do not get hung up on that and neglect your grades and test scores. GOOD LUCK.

 

[USMA 1994]

If you are above the averages in each event you are fine. People will want to argue here, but the CFA is basically pass fail. Get above the averages and then go focus on others things that will have a bigger impact.

 

[Belisarius]

USMA 1994 is correct. As the CFA is 10% of your score, time improving your test scores/grades/leadership will be better spent. That said, you may be very close to someone else in the WCS, and getting as close to max score on the CFA will help you, although marginally. Definitely practice all of the events at one time; it is certainly much more difficult, especially the run at the end. But I would recommend spending some time improving your mile time and the form on your basketball throw, then taking the CFA fairly soon. Don't wait too long and risk having to do it with an injury.

 

[THParent]

Doing them all in the correct order and in the time frame allotted is great advice, and not a bad workout to boot.

Your numbers are already pretty good. You can set a goal to improve your mile time, as anyone who can consistently run a 6-minute mile will find the running part easy.
My DS runs around 5:30 in training, and he had no problem staying with the lead group at his CVW last Fall (who averaged around 6:15)

 

[brovol]

Those are good scores if you can get them on the real CFA. I bet you can improve the mile if you work on it regularly. As for the importance of the CFA, and doing well instead of just "passing", I will tell you what my son's WP admissions RC told him a couple years ago. Although the CFA is worth only 10% of overall score, in even a reasonably competitive district there will be many outstanding candidates, and the decision as to who wins an MOC slot very often is incredibly close, and can come down to less than even 1%. If anyone is so confident that they are perfect enough in all other areas that the CFA's 10% wont ever matter because you are miles in front of all the other competitors, then God bless you. If, however, you are part of the other 99.98% of the applicants, and you dont know for certain that your WCS is so far ahead that 10% doesnt matter, then get working.

The RC looked at my son and told him, "I can see you are a very fit, strong and athletic kid; is there any reason why you wouldn't get a perfect CFA, other than you decided not to work hard enough?" My son said, "no sir". Then he worked hard. He ended with very good scores, but not perfect. I think they would have been except for an injury which left him unable to work on the CFA for a month. It is doable though.

 

[THParent]

If I meet anyone who can chuck a basketball the max distance of 102'-0", I will buy them lunch.
I have to see it first, however!

 

[JRS92078]

make sure you practice doing them in order will the same allowed time and rest times ect. My DS could also Max everything and is a supreme athlete he thought he has this in the BAG.. it took him 3 tries to pass. He was shocked it is not easy and because he waited this was the last thing he had to complete his application. Do not wait - I repeat do not wait. It got super cold and rainy and then we had fires and air quality was terrible and he ended up having to do his and pass with bad air quality while battling the Flu. Also, find out if the person giving you the test will allow you to take it and not submit your results until you pass. Some proctors will not.

 

[brovol]

If I meet anyone who can chuck a basketball the max distance of 102'-0", I will buy them lunch.
I have to see it first, however!

It's not a Chuck; it's a sling (like a standing or kneeling javelin), and believe it or not it is doable. A couple of years ago there were some YouTube videos of people doing it, and I can tell you that before my son injured his clavicle in a soccer game he was very close to maxing it. Every weekend we went to the middle school (where my wife worked), and practiced the CFA. We also practiced during the week when he had the chance, and he did pushups, pullups and situps at least every day. He improved in everything by a lot, except the shuttle run. He improved there but couldn't get under a certain number. He was actually a fast runner, but that short shuttle was tough for him. He ended up, after the injury got better, maxing in pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups, coming only a few seconds from maxing the the mile run, got a good score on the basketball throw (I can't remember what it was), and a better than average shuttle.

You can improve on that CFA if you want to. Competitive kids love the challenge.

 

[AlwaysAProudParent]

Good advice from above " train in order or the test ". As for pull ups . when my DS did the testing here in NJ sponsored by the NJ WP TEam Pull ups were as follows. Start from a dead hang. Pull up on the go word from the test administrator with you head straight and over the bar up to your Adam's apple. The down to dead hang and wait for command to pull up again. It seemed to be about 1 second dead hang per rep

Shocked to say out of the 20 plus candidates the average was 3, I was just standing there saying O Boy that horrible to myself . As for my DS he maxed the PullUps . I counted at least 7 throwing up during the run or getting leg cramps and some were recruited athletcs. What sport not sure but again clearly not in the shape required. . Clearly they did not train or in the order needed to make it through. DS ran 5:51 with a wrapped hamstring and it was 80 degrees. My advice have someone administer it to you and try it like it was your last chance to baseline yourself. And look for the optimal weather for yourself when its time to record it.