Knowledge Tests > Help

[LineInTheSand]

Perhaps a cadet or alum can tell me, are knowledge tests "indoc" for the school year, cadets memorize about the Air Force? Would this be the equivalent of studying for Boards? I'm kind of confused on how "invasive" this apparent hardship is on cadet lives.

 

[Pima]

Coddling AFA cadet???? I am just letting a parent know that the process is difficult and the transition will have growing pains. It is early in the semester and some cadets will need to adjust to make it thru. Not usually at all. This is the AFA portion of this forum

Originally Posted by Bullet
Let me remind you instead that you're talking about an organization FULL of 18 year olds also just fresh form their parents protection, 18 year olds who are manning a post, or driving a HUMVEE on a very isolated and dangerous road in some not-so-friendly neighborhood, or on a flight line at 0230 making sure his jet is fixed and ready to support those other 18 year olds on the ground tomorrow because without that air support they may not make it home

YOUR Response...not my words...

I never said they should receive slack because they are young. Stop putting words in my mouth. But with that in mind it is tough for some USAFA cadet to make the adjustment.Keep in mind that we are talking about 17/18 year olds not 21/22 year olds. Maybe that is why they are currently learning to follow

You are right, but you keep forgetting about the 18 yo enlisted member in Korea or Germany is going through the exact same growing pains as an AFA cadet.

UM...maybe I am wrong, or reading your post incorrectly, but doesn't the AFA teach cadets LEADERSHIP, not following? Or are you saying enlisted are followers?

Thank you for reminding me that as an AF O5 retired wife, and an O1 AF Mom, my voice doesn't matter.

Your words...

This is the AFA portion of this forum

Tapping out, because according to you my DS's experience does not matter at all because he did not attend AFA.

Best wishes to your DS, hope he does well.

My intention was honorable. I was saying that this skill will matter for their AFSC school.
There are financial risks later on.
~~~~ Take the starter loan, the fine print is there. Separate from the AF it will jump to @19%.
Go rated and this is the 1st day at IFS and UPT.

I am disheartened because aseanag your posts illustrate that you have a bias.
~~~ This is the AFA forum...IOTW, shut up and color if you have no relationship to the AFA.
~~~ Not giving respect to the enlisted members. Enlisted members are also 18, just like an AFA cadet. Life is not easy for them either.

I am truly sorry we got in the dirt, and lost sight of the OP's post. However, I hope that they now see that learning how to pass this "menial" test is more about the future, than academic skills. Can we all say WCS for appointments? Time Management?

I hope that shellsea all works out. However, I will also say WHEN it does work out, remind her that AFA grads are not the majority, and respect those that took another path. I.E. Colin Powell was not a WP grad. It is a team effort.

 

[LineInTheSand]

I think any Air Force officer here, who has experienced life as an Air Force Academy cadet and Air Force officer will tell you, the 18 year old enlisted guy or gal in the REAL Air Force is experiencing a different kind of stress than the 18 year old cadets at USAFA.

Yes, it is stressful to go to an academy, but the larger service also has its share of stressors. I would venture to guess (oh wait, it's not a guess) that the stresses the seamen on my first ship experienced were just as real, and often more "life and death" than the stress I experienced my first year at USCGA (and certainly more stressful than my parents, who did not serve in the military, could have known).

That's not to OVERLY minimilize the stresses of a cadet, but any parent who thinks that it's the same kind of stress, of that the stress a cadet or midshipmen experiences is more critical than the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are experiencing in the REAL services (as opposed to the academy life) are sorely mistaken. Again, academy life is certainly stressful, I agree with that. But please, it is not life-and-death. There are PLENTY of 18 year olds in those situations... today.

 

[aseanag]

YOUR Response...not my words...


You are right, but you keep forgetting about the 18 yo enlisted member in Korea or Germany is going through the exact same growing pains as an AFA cadet.

UM...maybe I am wrong, or reading your post incorrectly, but doesn't the AFA teach cadets LEADERSHIP, not following? Or are you saying enlisted are followers?

Thank you for reminding me that as an AF O5 retired wife, and an O1 AF Mom, my voice doesn't matter.

Your words...

Tapping out, because according to you my DS's experience does not matter at all because he did not attend AFA.

Best wishes to your DS, hope he does well.

My intention was honorable. I was saying that this skill will matter for their AFSC school.
There are financial risks later on.
~~~~ Take the starter loan, the fine print is there. Separate from the AF it will jump to @19%.
Go rated and this is the 1st day at IFS and UPT.

I am disheartened because aseanag your posts illustrate that you have a bias.
~~~ This is the AFA forum...IOTW, shut up and color if you have no relationship to the AFA.
~~~ Not giving respect to the enlisted members. Enlisted members are also 18, just like an AFA cadet. Life is not easy for them either.

Your first point make no sense to me. What I said does not support your response at all. Yes they are young, and yes they will need to adjust, but that is not coddling that is just a fact! Yes AFA is teaching leadership but the first year they are learning to follow. It a four year process. Never equated doolie year to being enlisted. This is strange, very strange.

Pima I never said your voice doesn't matter. I not sure how you took what I did say and interpret it as saying your voice doesn't matter. Please stop misquoting me.

I am sure that an enlisted 18 airman difficulties could give USAFA cadet pause in dealing with his k test issues. Just giving my 2 cents to a USAFA cadet parent about K test solutions.... everything else is irrelevant. K test is the issue of this post - not ifs, enlisted airmen, afrotc, ADAF.

Pima your posts shade a light on how you feel about USAFA. If very obvious and hard to understand.

 

[aseanag]

I think any Air Force officer here, who has experienced life as an Air Force Academy cadet and Air Force officer will tell you, the 18 year old enlisted guy or gal in the REAL Air Force is experiencing a different kind of stress than the 18 year old cadets at USAFA.

Yes, it is stressful to go to an academy, but the larger service also has its share of stressors. I would venture to guess (oh wait, it's not a guess) that the stresses the seamen on my first ship experienced were just as real, and often more "life and death" than the stress I experienced my first year at USCGA (and certainly more stressful than my parents, who did not serve in the military, could have known).

That's not to OVERLY minimilize the stresses of a cadet, but any parent who thinks that it's the same kind of stress, of that the stress a cadet or midshipmen experiences is more critical than the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are experiencing in the REAL services (as opposed to the academy life) are sorely mistaken. Again, academy life is certainly stressful, I agree with that. But please, it is not life-and-death. There are PLENTY of 18 year olds in those situations... today.

I totally agree with you. Come on people I never said that cadet stress is more that enlisted. I just said in there world it is stressful to them. They are young and it can be tough for them. But with all the stress there is growth and maturity.

 

[hornetguy]

Pima your posts shade a light on how you feel about USAFA. If very obvious and hard to understand.

Very wrong. Pima has always had very high regard for USAFA and I've never seen or heard otherwise. And I've known Pima for many years now.


Can we all just cut out the back and forth. It just looks silly on both sides.

 

[aseanag]

Very wrong. Pima has always had very high regard for USAFA and I've never seen or heard otherwise. And I've known Pima for many years now.


Can we all just cut out the back and forth. It just looks silly on both sides.

On my way out. Everyone can read and decided for themselves.

 

[raimius]

OK, everyone! Repeat after me, "WOOOOSAHHHH."









Feeling better now?
Good.

 

[raimius]

Knowledge tests do serve several purposes. They do prep cadets for future memorization tasks, like boldface/opslimits for aircraft. They also impart leadership and service history information, and provide a way to measure cadet performance. They also are there to add stress. Most of the academy's training programs use artificial stress to train and test cadets. It's the way the system works.

Something to think about:
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/archive/index.php/t-13718.html

So, are K tests really a big deal? In 10 years, will anyone care that you can get the punctuation correct in Schofield's quote? Probably not! They might care that you can remember stuff precisely though.

Accordingly, doing poorly on K tests may result in negative consequences. I'd expect failing 4 digs to be restricted or have some other punishment placed upon them. It happens. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. These are lessons in the famed "leadership laboratory." The tests are not life or death, and neither are the consequences. If you fail on something, figure out how to fix it. It might take a couple tries, but you can manage. Trust me.

...just don't do what some cadets in my class did and cheat to try to pass the K tests. That is a good way to get kicked out.