Nomination Requires CFA

cj5026

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Joined
Oct 23, 2024
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Hey y'all! This might be a dumb question but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I am in the process of applying for my nomination, but my Congressman requires a completed and signed CFA as part of the application. I am in a very noncompetitive district, however I'm assuming I won't do the best on my CFA (I am continuing my training, and will submit a score to USAFA that I know will pass in the future). Would you assume that if I fail any one of the events, I would be intelligible for a nomination despite my grades and extracurriculars being good? I know this might be a hard question to get a concrete answer on, but I'm looking for some opinions of people who know much more than me.

Sorry if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and thank y'all for your time!
 
How do you know you will fail? Have you done a practice CFA? Waiting until the last minute almost never works out well.
 
Hey y'all! This might be a dumb question but I figured I'd ask anyways.

I am in the process of applying for my nomination, but my Congressman requires a completed and signed CFA as part of the application. I am in a very noncompetitive district, however I'm assuming I won't do the best on my CFA (I am continuing my training, and will submit a score to USAFA that I know will pass in the future). Would you assume that if I fail any one of the events, I would be intelligible for a nomination despite my grades and extracurriculars being good? I know this might be a hard question to get a concrete answer on, but I'm looking for some opinions of people who know much more than me.

Sorry if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and thank y'all for your time!
All it takes is one or two highly talented candidates and your district just went from non competitive to highly competitive. Assume the worst and do your very best! Don’t shoot for a passing score, shoot to maximize your score.

The CFA has a purpose and that is to screen out candidates that would potentially struggle with the physical demands of the Academy.

Best of luck!
 
How do you know you will fail? Have you done a practice CFA? Waiting until the last minute almost never works out well.
I don't know for sure if I will, but I'm assuming my basketball throw or mile might dq me. In the practice CFAs I've done, my basketbal throw seems to need a good amount of work. I wrestled for over 12 Years, but switched to a hypertrophy-focused style of training maybe about 2 years ago, so my cardio is not good anymore.
 
All it takes is one or two highly talented candidates and your district just went from non competitive to highly competitive. Assume the worst and do your very best! Don’t shoot for a passing score, shoot to maximize your score.

The CFA has a purpose and that is to screen out candidates that would potentially struggle with the physical demands of the Academy.

Best of luck!
I understand, but I was able to talk to my Congresswoman and the lady that is the head of the nomination board and she told me that my district doesn't use all of their nomination slots most years, and that's before they changed it from 10 to 15. That being said, I fully agree, and I'm trying my best to maximize my score. Thank you for your help!
 
I don't know for sure if I will, but I'm assuming my basketball throw or mile might dq me. In the practice CFAs I've done, my basketbal throw seems to need a good amount of work. I wrestled for over 12 Years, but switched to a hypertrophy-focused style of training maybe about 2 years ago, so my cardio is not good anymore.
"my cardio is not good anymore"

You do know that for the Academy the altitude is 7,258 feet above sea level - far, far above that of West Point or Annapolis?

(Remember that; it will come in handy one day. Inside joke - you'll see.)
 
"my cardio is not good anymore"

You do know that for the Academy the altitude is 7,258 feet above sea level - far, far above that of West Point or Annapolis?

(Remember that; it will come in handy one day. Inside joke - you'll see.)
Take a real time practice CFA to see how o w you do. Ther are no. I passing scores publicly available but you will see how you compare to the averages.
 
Not really sure what you are asking. SA's require you pass the CFA to be 3Q, so this is something every candidate needs to accomplish regardless of what the MOC NOM committee is asking. The CFA events are conducted in a specific sequence, so fatigue is also a consideration. You should be working to improve all aspects of your CFA performance even if the MOC NOM committee hadn't requested that information. Only slight difference might be you need to complete the CFA to match the MOC NOM application deadline. Each MOC NOM committee runs their own process, so none of us would know how CFA results might factor into who gets a NOM.
 
You are young and a former wrestler… get your nose to the grind stone. Push yourself. The CFA is not some crazy Olympic event, it’s not that hard. Maxing it is much harder than getting the check mark of a pass. When I hear candidates give excuses it’s because they aren’t training. I sit on a MOC panel conducted in Dec, the CFA is not required, but I do ask how they did. When I get the answer they haven’t completed it yet, I dig deeper. I ask what their practice test scores and when it’s scheduled. When I see them squirm I know they are not ready. Go for a run. Practice the test in sequence. This is one part of the app that is totally in your control.
 
@cj5026

First, welcome new member of a few days.

Second, if it sounds like you are getting some tough love from other posters, who are delivering sound advice, you are.

As long as you have known you were going to apply to USAFA, you had an opportunity to know about the CFA, do some self-assessment, focus will and skill on a training plan, and knocking it out. Your competition has been getting theirs done over this past summer or now. Do not invite Murphy’s Law to kick in and procrastinate to close to the SA submission date, causing things like illness or injury, sudden non-availability of your CFA administrator, family emergency, a problem with the venue, bad weather, etc., to happen. Then it’s hard to explain why you have had months and months and months to accomplish this. And did not.

Okay, that’s water under the bridge. It is right now, near end of October.

You asked if the MOCs requirement for a completed CFA will potentially block a nomination for you. While I don’t agree they should require that before the SA deadline, they are free to run their evaluation and selection process as they wish. That’s an easy way for them to put your application on the “non-compliant” discard pile in the first run-through. Do your best to not risk that. Presumably you have also applied for your 2 Senators and the VP noms, where the group of applicants is likely to be much larger. You cannot bet you’ll get a “we don’t have too many people applying, so we’ll just give this one to the one who didn’t get their CFA done yet.”

@NavyHoops makes an excellent point. You were an athlete for many years. Many SA candidates are the same, from different sports that perhaps do not align well with the CFA, which is a progressive test of overall fitness and stamina. Have you done inventory CFAs exactly as the test is given? Pinpointed weak spots very specifically? Sought out coaches in those areas to suggest focused training? Researched online resources on CFA preparation and form? Stew Smith is a USNA grad, former Navy SEAL and USNA staff member, now a fitness pro who specializes in military and first responder physical readiness. His website and YouTube channel are full of techniques and training tips. All questions rhetorical.

My first, and memorable boss, was fond of saying, “Ensign, you might have good reasons for doing/not doing X, but you have no <>+}.!¥*{£_~¥+ &?.: excuse.”

1730040152413.jpeg
 
You are young and a former wrestler… get your nose to the grind stone. Push yourself. The CFA is not some crazy Olympic event, it’s not that hard. Maxing it is much harder than getting the check mark of a pass. When I hear candidates give excuses it’s because they aren’t training. I sit on a MOC panel conducted in Dec, the CFA is not required, but I do ask how they did. When I get the answer they haven’t completed it yet, I dig deeper. I ask what their practice test scores and when it’s scheduled. When I see them squirm I know they are not ready. Go for a run. Practice the test in sequence. This is one part of the app that is totally in your control.
Thank you for your advice, and I 100% agree. I have been doing practice tests, going on runs, and training nearly daily, but I always know I can go harder at the end of the day. Thank you for the advice and motivation!
 
Not really sure what you are asking. SA's require you pass the CFA to be 3Q, so this is something every candidate needs to accomplish regardless of what the MOC NOM committee is asking. The CFA events are conducted in a specific sequence, so fatigue is also a consideration. You should be working to improve all aspects of your CFA performance even if the MOC NOM committee hadn't requested that information. Only slight difference might be you need to complete the CFA to match the MOC NOM application deadline. Each MOC NOM committee runs their own process, so none of us would know how CFA results might factor into who gets a NOM.
I am aware that a CFA is needed for the SAs, but a completed candidate fitness assessment form is also part of the packet I am submitting to my MOC as part of the applicaiton, along with my essay, ACT scores, etc. I know that despite not being listed, there are minimums that result in a "fail" of the CFA if you do not reach them for any event. I was wondering that if I slightly fail one event, would that exclude me for a nomination. I know this is a sort of dumb question that is difficult to answer, but I do not know how common it is for a completed CFA to be required in the nomination application. I hope this cleared up my question, and thank you for your response!
 
I mean, a “slight fail” on one event of the CFA would also preclude you from an appointment at the SA as well.

You need to pass it eventually to be considered for an appointment even if you already had a nomination.
 
@cj5026

First, welcome new member of a few days.

Second, if it sounds like you are getting some tough love from other posters, who are delivering sound advice, you are.

As long as you have known you were going to apply to USAFA, you had an opportunity to know about the CFA, do some self-assessment, focus will and skill on a training plan, and knocking it out. Your competition has been getting theirs done over this past summer or now. Do not invite Murphy’s Law to kick in and procrastinate to close to the SA submission date, causing things like illness or injury, sudden non-availability of your CFA administrator, family emergency, a problem with the venue, bad weather, etc., to happen. Then it’s hard to explain why you have had months and months and months to accomplish this. And did not.

Okay, that’s water under the bridge. It is right now, near end of October.

You asked if the MOCs requirement for a completed CFA will potentially block a nomination for you. While I don’t agree they should require that before the SA deadline, they are free to run their evaluation and selection process as they wish. That’s an easy way for them to put your application on the “non-compliant” discard pile in the first run-through. Do your best to not risk that. Presumably you have also applied for your 2 Senators and the VP noms, where the group of applicants is likely to be much larger. You cannot bet you’ll get a “we don’t have too many people applying, so we’ll just give this one to the one who didn’t get their CFA done yet.”

@NavyHoops makes an excellent point. You were an athlete for many years. Many SA candidates are the same, from different sports that perhaps do not align well with the CFA, which is a progressive test of overall fitness and stamina. Have you done inventory CFAs exactly as the test is given? Pinpointed weak spots very specifically? Sought out coaches in those areas to suggest focused training? Researched online resources on CFA preparation and form? Stew Smith is a USNA grad, former Navy SEAL and USNA staff member, now a fitness pro who specializes in military and first responder physical readiness. His website and YouTube channel are full of techniques and training tips. All questions rhetorical.

My first, and memorable boss, was fond of saying, “Ensign, you might have good reasons for doing/not doing X, but you have no <>+}.!¥*{£_~¥+ &?.: excuse.”

View attachment 17084
I really, really appreciate the time you put into your response, and thank you for your advice. I understand that your questions are rhetorical, however I would like to note that I have been using Stew Smith's basketball throw video, along with a few others, to improve my weaker areas, but thank you for recommendation regardless. I don't know if I explained myself well, but I have scheduled a CFA to be done in the next few days (to submit to MOC, not USAFA), and I've been practicing for about the past month (not nearly long enough, I know). My plan is to continue training and re-take my CFA later in November / December when I am fully confident that I will pass, but your point about getting I'll or injured is a very real fear of mine. With that being said, I'm training even harder so I won't have to wait as long. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!!
 
I mean, a “slight fail” on one event of the CFA would also preclude you from an appointment at the SA as well.

You need to pass it eventually to be considered for an appointment even if you already had a nomination.
I am aware, which is why I am only submitting this CFA I'm taking to my MOC, not USAFA. I will only submit my CFA to the SAs when I know for a fact that I am passing. With that being said, I was wondering if that "slight fail" would be a make or break for the nomination in the same way it would be for a SA. Thank you for your response!
 
I really, really appreciate the time you put into your response, and thank you for your advice. I understand that your questions are rhetorical, however I would like to note that I have been using Stew Smith's basketball throw video, along with a few others, to improve my weaker areas, but thank you for recommendation regardless. I don't know if I explained myself well, but I have scheduled a CFA to be done in the next few days (to submit to MOC, not USAFA), and I've been practicing for about the past month (not nearly long enough, I know). My plan is to continue training and re-take my CFA later in November / December when I am fully confident that I will pass, but your point about getting I'll or injured is a very real fear of mine. With that being said, I'm training even harder so I won't have to wait as long. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!!
When is your USAFA deadline? Does your Congressman require that the CFA you submit for the nomination be the one you submitted to USAFA or just a practice? I only ask because USAFA is more strict on retakes than other SAs.
 
When is your USAFA deadline? Does your Congressman require that the CFA you submit for the nomination be the one you submitted to USAFA or just a practice? I only ask because USAFA is more strict on retakes than other SAs.
My USAFA deadline is Dec. 31. I don't believe it must be the one you've submitted to USAFA, all that matters is that it's an "official" CFA. I was looking into USAFA CFA rules, particularly about how you get one re-take if they notify you that you've failed, so my goal is to submit this CFA I have coming up purely to my MOC. I will submit my first CFA to USAFA when I know for almost a fact that I am passing (hopefully around Dec. 1st), and on the off chance I do fail, grind for one more month and submit a 100% passing retake before my deadline.
 
I really, really appreciate the time you put into your response, and thank you for your advice. I understand that your questions are rhetorical, however I would like to note that I have been using Stew Smith's basketball throw video, along with a few others, to improve my weaker areas, but thank you for recommendation regardless. I don't know if I explained myself well, but I have scheduled a CFA to be done in the next few days (to submit to MOC, not USAFA), and I've been practicing for about the past month (not nearly long enough, I know). My plan is to continue training and re-take my CFA later in November / December when I am fully confident that I will pass, but your point about getting I'll or injured is a very real fear of mine. With that being said, I'm training even harder so I won't have to wait as long. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!!
You have a plan - excellent. Now “Do” as Yoda says. Good luck!
 
You shouldn't assume your MOC will take a "practice" CFA for their requirement. You should absolutely get a clear response from them. Waiting until the last minute to turn this into USAFA is a bad idea, this happens every year, and every year something happens (sickness, weather, availability of proctor, etc). Also, there is no guarantee USAFA will ask for redo if you fail the first time. Take a practice CFA now.
 
You shouldn't assume your MOC will take a "practice" CFA for their requirement. You should absolutely get a clear response from them. Waiting until the last minute to turn this into USAFA is a bad idea, this happens every year, and every year something happens (sickness, weather, availability of proctor, etc). Also, there is no guarantee USAFA will ask for redo if you fail the first time. Take a practice CFA now.
I apologize, I might not have made my self clear. I am taking an official CFA at an AF Base, and that is what I'll submit to my MOC but not USAFA. For USAFA, I'm going to submit an official CFA about a month before my deadline when I am confident I am passing, and if not, I have one more month to make sure I pass with the retake USAFA should give (based on everything I've read). I fully agree that waiting until the last minute is a terrible idea. Thank you for your response!
 
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