LOA and CFA

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usma_2025

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Aug 24, 2020
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Hi all! I received an LOA back in August, and I will be taking my CFA today. I am fairly confident my LOA was based almost entirely on academics/leadership, as I had submitted neither personal statements nor the CFA when I received it and I have never made varsity in any sport. My problem is that my CFA is due October 15, but it's honestly nothing special (I am male; 65 ft B-ball throw, 5 pull ups, 9.2 shuttle run, 40 push ups, 65-70 sit ups, and my one solid event - 6:10 mile) - upper body strength has taken a while to build up, though I'm confident I'll get there before next summer

. I assume my CFA score will be below average, but, assuming I pass, does this affect the statement of the LOA at all? The letter states "You must send the Admissions Office your Candidate Fitness Assessment by October 15, 2020 or this letter will be withdrawn." I take that to mean that there is no longer any question as to my qualifications on West Point's end (i.e. minus getting a nomination and passing the medical), provided I do not fail the CFA outright - is that accurate?

Thanks
 
usma_2025 said:
Hi all! I received an LOA back in August, and I will be taking my CFA today. I am fairly confident my LOA was based almost entirely on academics/leadership, as I had submitted neither personal statements nor the CFA when I received it and I have never made varsity in any sport. My problem is that my CFA is due October 15, but it's honestly nothing special (I am male; 65 ft B-ball throw, 5 pull ups, 9.2 shuttle run, 40 push ups, 65-70 sit ups, and my one solid event - 6:10 mile) - upper body strength has taken a while to build up, though I'm confident I'll get there before next summer

. I assume my CFA score will be below average, but, assuming I pass, does this affect the statement of the LOA at all? The letter states "You must send the Admissions Office your Candidate Fitness Assessment by October 15, 2020 or this letter will be withdrawn." I take that to mean that there is no longer any question as to my qualifications on West Point's end (i.e. minus getting a nomination and passing the medical), provided I do not fail the CFA outright - is that accurate?

Thanks
Click to expand...
If you pass the CFA and submit it by the deadline, your LOA is still valid.

But it would be wise to do your very best - you never know if, when, or how those extra points might come into play.
 
jl123 said:
If you pass the CFA and submit it by the deadline, your LOA is still valid.

But it would be wise to do your very best - you never know if, when, or how those extra points might come into play.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Another question, though - can I resubmit a better CFA later, past the deadline, just to make my packet stronger even though I have the CFA in? Or do I only get the one chance? I suppose with the passing one it ideally doesn't matter, but in case I need to pursue a waiver or report CFA scores to my MOC a better score in a month could always give that little boost I might need.
 
Only USMA can answer your question. Please don’t rely on this forum for information that is this critical — go directly to the primary source.

Congratulations on the LOA. As you know, the letter is very specific about what conditions you must fulfill to turn it into an offer of appointment. So just go and do it. Be careful about overthinking things and worrying about things you can’t control. That only drives anxiety and contributes to poor performance. And with the CFA, you need to be very focused.

Get the CFA done. Do your best. Turn it in. If there’s a problem, USMA will tell you. Go from there. Meanwhile, as with any SA application — LOA or not — work on Plan B, C, D...
 
MidCakePa said:
Only USMA can answer your question. Please don’t rely on this forum for information that is this critical — go directly to the primary source.

Congratulations on the LOA. As you know, the letter is very specific about what conditions you must fulfill to turn it into an offer of appointment. So just go and do it. Be careful about overthinking things and worrying about things you can’t control. That only drives anxiety and contributes to poor performance. And with the CFA, you need to be very focused.

Get the CFA done. Do your best. Turn it in. If there’s a problem, USMA will tell you. Go from there. Meanwhile, as with any SA application — LOA or not — work on Plan B, C, D...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. I had contacted USMA a few days ago but they hadn't emailed back yet, and I wanted to see if anyone here knew about it. I'll not stress about super-specifics today - maybe I'll even do better than I had during practice on the actual test tonight.
 
usma_2025 said:
Thanks for the response. I had contacted USMA a few days ago but they hadn't emailed back yet, and I wanted to see if anyone here knew about it. I'll not stress about super-specifics today - maybe I'll even do better than I had during practice on the actual test tonight.
Click to expand...
Good luck today, hydrate, grab a banana, leave it all on the track, and know that you put your best foot forward. Congrats on the LOA.
 
In the past, you got one shot at the CFA and could only retake it if first was taken at SLE or with approval of RC - to pass if you flunked the first, not to get a higher passing score. I don't know if that policy has changed; your best source of information is your RC.

Medical waivers are more complicated and out of your control - worry about it if it materializes, not before.
 
If you have an LOA already, all you need to do is pass the CFA because you already hold a offer of admission contingent on qualifying academically, medically and physically (CFA). Your pull-ups and pushups are both on the low end, so the form on the video is going to be the deciding factor on if you fail or not but even if you do, one re-test is authorized.
 
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