Service Academies Admissions Requirement

1 Candidate Fitness Assessment Instructions Service Academies Admissions Requirement Satisfactory completion of the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) is one of the requirements for admission to the United States Air Force, Military and Naval Academies . The CFA is a test of strength, agility, speed and endurance. It is used to predict a candidate's aptitude for the physical program at the Service Academies . The results of this test are very important in the overall assessment of your Admissions file, so you should become familiar with the six events in the CFA. and practice. The examination consists of the following events: basketball throw (from kneeling position), pull- ups or the flexed-arm hang (women's option), a shuttle run, modified sit-ups (crunches), push-ups and a one- mile run. A low overall score or a poor score in an individual event may be disqualifying. Advice to the Candidate In order to qualify for admission to the Service Academies , you must take the CFA. You should remember that your score is a combination of your best efforts on each of the six events.

2 Strive for excellence and the highest possible score. You should strive to meet or exceed the average scores listed in Table 2. Your examination may be administered by any physical education teacher, Service Academy Liaison Officer or AFJROTC Instructor. Any active duty commissioned officer may administer the CFA for Service members. It determine if a candidate possesses the stamina and is your responsibility to arrange for a qualified person to movement skills required to successfully complete the conduct your examination. physical program and perform the duties required of Give your examiner the CFA Score Sheet you printed commissioned officers in the uniformed services. The from your online status page and ask them to record your six test events of the CFA are administered consecutively performance on the CFA Score Sheet. The examiner with specified start, finish, and rest times. Candidates returns the Score Sheet to you for entry into the online should attempt to do their best on all six events, keeping CFA form.

3 In mind that the events are sequenced to produce a cumulative loading effect. In other words, after For the Examiner completing the first five events, it is doubtful a candidate The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) was will score his/her personal best on the 1-mile run. This developed to successfully measure and evaluate a has been considered in the development of the scoring candidate's potential to engage the physical program at standards, which will be used to evaluate performance in each of the six events. Candidates' raw scores will be the United States Service Academies . The CFA consists converted to scale scores (0-100 points) based upon their of six (6) physical and motor fitness events that are performance on each event. The 100 point maximum designed to measure muscular strength and endurance, score, by event and gender, are listed in Table 1 below. cardio-respiratory endurance, power, balance, and A candidate who achieves the 100 point level on any of agility. When administered together as a single battery, the first five events should not attempt further repetitions these six test events will help the Admissions Committee as this will not improve his/her score.

4 TABLE 1. Maximum performance scores by event and gender. Basketball Shuttle Modi ed Pull-Ups Push-Ups 1-Mile Run Throw Run Sit-Ups Male 102 18 95 75 5:20. Female 66 7 95 50 6:00.. TABLE 2. Mean entering candidate performance scores by event and gender. BB. Pull-up Shuttle Crunch Push-up 1 Mile Throw Male 66 12 84 65 6:43. Female 42 3 79 41 7:43. Test Administration Duties of Test Personnel The CFA is an important component of the Admissions The test administrator will prepare the test site with the process at each Service Academy and is used to required equipment in advance of testing (Figure 1). The determine if candidates can meet the physical rigors of test administrator and assistant(s) will have a printed military life. The test must be administered properly and copy of the event order/instructions and will be totally to standard to accurately reflect a candidate's physical familiar with all testing procedures and time limits. The and motor fitness and to be fair to all candidates.

5 The test administrator will announce the event instructions CFA must be administered by a physical education immediately before each event is performed. Test teacher (hereafter referred to as the test administrator) administrators will have a clipboard and a pencil to from the candidate's high school, Service Academy's record the results on the candidate's scorecard and must Liaison Officer or AFJROTC Instructor. The test must maintain strict professional standards. be administered according to the directions with strict adherence to the time schedule. At the completion of Equipment testing, both the candidate and the test administrator he following list of equipment is required to administer must sign the score sheet. By signing the CFA score the CFA: sheet, the candidate and test administrator are affirming 1 sit-up mat the test was administered to standard and the scores 1 100' tape measure accurately reflect the candidate's physical performance. 2 stop watches (minutes/seconds/tenths).

6 Practice tests are encouraged to familiarize the candidate 1 regulation men's basketball with the pace and stamina required to complete the 1 pull-up bar entire test battery. However, the officially reported score 1-mile flat running surface must come from a single test administration. Candidates should wear clothing and shoes that are Thank you for your assistance in helping the Service appropriate for physical training such as shorts, T-shirts, Academies Admissions offices obtain important test socks, and running shoes (tennis/basketball shoes are not results that will help determine a candidate's recommended for the one-mile run). Any item that gives qualification. a candidate an unfair advantage is not permitted during the CFA. Wearing devices such as weight belts or elastic Support Personnel bandages may or may not provide an advantage. Additional personnel will be needed to facilitate the However, for standardization purposes, such additional administration of certain events, in particular the equipment is not authorized unless prescribed by medical basketball throw.

7 It may also be prudent to have control personnel. The only exceptions are appropriate cold and/or medical personnel on site during the test; weather apparel while running outdoors. however, they are not required. At a minimum, the test administrator will have an emergency action plan for getting medical help if needed. Figure 1.. Test Site THE MAXIMUM FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL. From a conceptual standpoint, the CFA is designed to EVENT. OTHERWISE, DO YOUR BEST ON. be administered in two adjacent venues: an indoor EACH EVENT. AFTER YOU COMPLETE EACH. gymnasium and an outdoor track. The gymnasium will EVENT, THE TEST ADMINISTRATOR WILL. be of sufficient size to permit testing the basketball RECORD YOUR RAW SCORE. IF AT ANY. throw. The space needed is approximately 100 linear TIME YOU CANNOT CONTINUE TO MEET. feet (slightly longer than a regulation basketball court). THE TIMED REQUIREMENTS, THE TEST. The pull-up bar will be of sufficient height WILL BE TERMINATED.. (approximately 8') that the candidate's feet will not touch the floor at full extension.

8 The bar diameter will be Testing Instructions no greater than two (2) inches. The test administrator The following paragraphs describe the will prearrange the first five (5) events prior to the start equipment, facilities, personnel, instructions, of the testing. administration, timing techniques, and test administrator's duties for each event. The one-mile run (1MR) is the last event administered in the CFA. Although it may be administered in an Basketball Throw indoor gymnasium or stadium, an 8-minute time period The basketball throw measures ability to generate has been allotted for transition to an outdoor track. shoulder girdle power and total body coordination Regardless of the one-mile run course, the running and balance from a stationary position. surface will be flat and free of debris. In either the indoor The candidate must: or the outdoor facility, it is imperative the one-mile Keep his/her knees parallel to and behind the distance be measured accurately. baseline and on the floor during the event.

9 May use a mat to cushion the knees. Test Procedures In an overhand throwing motion, throw a men's On test day, the candidate should be encouraged to basketball as far as possible (Figure 2). The non- spend 20-30 minutes in active warm-up and stretching throwing hand may be used to steady the ball prior to beginning the test. The test battery must be before throwing, but only one hand can be used to completed according to the timeline instructions and throw the ball ( no two-handed throws) (Figure candidates are not permitted to warm-up, rest, or practice 3). other than during the time officially allotted. The test administrator will read the instructions printed here in large type verbatim to the candidate: YOU ARE ABOUT TO TAKE THE UNITED. STATES Service Academies ' CANDIDATE FIT- NESS ASSESSMENT. THIS TEST WILL MEASURE. YOUR MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND. ENDURANCE, CARDIORESPIRATORY. ENDURANCE, AND MOTOR FITNESS. THE. RESULTS OF THIS TEST WILL BE USED IN THE. Admissions PROCESS AT EACH Service .

10 ACADEMY BY DEMONSTRATING YOUR LEVEL. OF PHYSICAL AND MOTOR FITNESS. LISTEN. CLOSELY TO THE TEST INSTRUCTIONS. YOU. MAY CEASE WORK WHEN YOU HAVE SCORED Figure 2. Testing Sequence: The test sequence will follow the order of the events listed below. The order of events cannot be changed. There are no exceptions to this sequence of timing Test Start Events Testing Time Rest Total Time Time Basketball 0 Minutes 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 5 Minutes Throw Cadence Pull- 5 Minutes 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 10 Minutes ups Shuttle Run 10 Minutes 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 15 Minutes Modified Sit-ups 15 Minutes 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 20 Minutes Push-ups 20 Minutes 2 Minutes 8 Minutes 30 Minutes One Mile Run 30 Minutes Until Completed Until Completed . Cadence Pull-ups Cadence pull-ups measure muscular strength and endurance of the shoulder and back. The candidate must: Mount the bar with a pronated grip (back of the hands facing the candidate) with arms fully extended in a dead hang (Figure 5). Not swing, kick, or bicycle legs during upward movement.