Retest CFA

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lolo1096

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My son received correspondence back from USMA to retake his CFA. They stated, "based upon the strength of your overall record, I am authorizing you to take the CFA again". How much improvement are they looking to see within a 1 month period?
 
Probably not much improvement needed. Your DS should reach out to his RC directly and promptly before he does his re-take to find out what is needed. This is his last opportunity to get it right.
 
dddad said:
Probably not much improvement needed. Your DS should reach out to his RC directly and promptly before he does his re-take to find out what is needed. This is his last opportunity to get it right.
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I think they want to see improvement in pushups, I added his scores below. He is a track and XC varsity athlete so his upper body strength is not the best but he has been working on it.
BB Throw: 57
Pull-up: 9
Shuttle Run: 6.8
Situps: 70
Pushup: 35
1 mile run: 5:59
 
lolo1096 said:
My son received correspondence back from USMA to retake his CFA. They stated, "based upon the strength of your overall record, I am authorizing you to take the CFA again". How much improvement are they looking to see within a 1 month period?
Click to expand...
Before I answer your question, wow what an amazing shuttle run and mile score. Pretty much everything but the Push-ups and Basketball throw are safe. I will say the bare minimum for push-ups is predicted to be around 35-45(But no guarentees, try your best to get into the 50 range). The reason they want your son to retake the CFA is because one of his scores do not meet the minimum(And because they see him has a potentially competitive candidate).

Here are my personal CFA score(which passed)
BB Throw: 72
Pull-ups: 7
Shuttle Run: 8.7
sit-ups: 67
Push-Ups: 55
Mile: 6:43

To improve push-ups, make sure he practices strict form. Tell him to do them everyday(but take 2 days of rest before the CFA) with a large volume. Focus on pacing, remember, you are allowed to rest in the "rest position" shown by the West Point Push-ups video. You have 2 minutes to aim for 45-60 push-ups, don't exhaust yourself in the first minute and really use every second.

But when in doubt, stick to the basics. Good sleep and nutrition will always be key factors in your athletic performance. Here is a video of me doing 51 push-ups.---> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MLoUAeOMbTB3pmC6DUQHGqBIgp8h1tim/view?usp=sharing

I know, I am not that good at push-ups. But notice how I utilize ALL of my time? A good game plan can add 2-8 push-ups to your 2 minute max, which in your case is a difference maker.

Tell your son I wish him luck, from one candidate to another.
 
I hit 34 push-ups and passed. The minimum is 30. It’s all form-based. More likely than not, your DS did 35 push-ups, but at least 6 of them were in improper form. West Point is very, very stringent on form. Make sure he goes all the way down, chest just touching the ground, to make that 90 degree angle with his arms. The difference between a passing and failing push-ups is very, very little. My state coordinator showed me on my video which ones passed and which didn’t, and it was very hard to tell from my perspective, but admissions has done it so much that they have the eye for it.
 
lolo1096 said:
I think they want to see improvement in pushups, I added his scores below. He is a track and XC varsity athlete so his upper body strength is not the best but he has been working on it.
BB Throw: 57
Pull-up: 9
Shuttle Run: 6.8
Situps: 70
Pushup: 35
1 mile run: 5:59
Click to expand...
This Stew Smith plan really worked for my son to increase his push-ups in a short amount of time:

Good luck! My son just was notified that his pull-up video wasn't good enough so he has to redo it. I assume that means that his other scores are passing?
 
Cmac154 said:
This Stew Smith plan really worked for my son to increase his push-ups in a short amount of time:

Good luck! My son just was notified that his pull-up video wasn't good enough so he has to redo it. I assume that means that his other scores are passing?
Click to expand...
Thank you this was very helpful.
 
Cmac154 said:
This Stew Smith plan really worked for my son to increase his push-ups in a short amount of time:

Good luck! My son just was notified that his pull-up video wasn't good enough so he has to redo it. I assume that means that his other scores are passing?
Click to expand...
I was in the same boat--had to redo my pullup video. I know I passed the CFA though, so I think as long as they did not ask you to redo the entire test, you are good to go.
 
DS improved to 42 push ups from the last CFA, and 1 more pull up (he had 10 days to train to increase push ups). Submitting videos tonight in hopes of positive feedback in the coming weeks or months. At least he can say he gave it a 2nd shot, improved and did his best.
 
DS has been asked to retest twice. There's only a week left. Everything else is checked and he has a nomination. Getting worried. So stressful.

Latest scores:

Pullups: 13
BB: 49 ft
Shuttle run: 9.05
Sit ups: 83
Push ups: 45
Mile: 7:03
 
lolo1096 said:
I think they want to see improvement in pushups, I added his scores below. He is a track and XC varsity athlete so his upper body strength is not the best but he has been working on it.
BB Throw: 57
Pull-up: 9
Shuttle Run: 6.8
Situps: 70
Pushup: 35
1 mile run: 5:59
Click to expand...
I agree it'll be nice to improve on pushups. Meanwhile, his Shuttle Run is impressive!
 
MomUSMA said:
DS has been asked to retest twice. There's only a week left. Everything else is checked and he has a nomination. Getting worried. So stressful.

Latest scores:

Pullups: 13
BB: 49 ft
Shuttle run: 9.05
Sit ups: 83
Push ups: 45
Mile: 7:03
Click to expand...
This looks like BB throw issue, possibly mile run as well? I originally said shuttle run but I editted my comment. I attached something DS used, totally unofficial, note that the so-called average is possibly outdated and averages may be higher now - so pls take that with a grain of salt. The maximum is still the same as the official doc.
 

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Bball WILL fail. Mile is totally fine. You need at least 50 for the ball. Train train train! You can do it.
 
Candd82026 said:
This looks like BB throw issue, possibly mile run as well? I originally said shuttle run but I editted my comment. I attached something DS used, totally unofficial, note that the so-called average is possibly outdated and averages may be higher now - so pls take that with a grain of salt. The maximum is still the same as the official doc.
Click to expand...
USMA2026Cadet said:
Bball WILL fail. Mile is totally fine. You need at least 50 for the ball. Train train train! You can do it.
Click to expand...
I thought it was the BB throw that was the most egregious. Will get DS to focus on BB for the next week, running out of time
 
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lolo1096 said:
I think they want to see improvement in pushups, I added his scores below. He is a track and XC varsity athlete so his upper body strength is not the best but he has been working on it.
BB Throw: 57
Pull-up: 9
Shuttle Run: 6.8
Situps: 70
Pushup: 35
1 mile run: 5:59
Click to expand...

I believe that he really only needs 3-4 GOOD pushups.

Watch the form videos OVER AND OVER and studied, because a GOOD 38 pushups is a passing number as long as other aspects are strong.

Keep pushing and good luck to your son.
 
lolo1096 said:
My son received correspondence back from USMA to retake his CFA. They stated, "based upon the strength of your overall record, I am authorizing you to take the CFA again". How much improvement are they looking to see within a 1 month period?
Click to expand...
My son recently received one too, what happened after you submitted the retake? Did he get an LOA to USMA?
 
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