Candidate Fitness Assessment

About the Candidate Fitness Assessment

The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) is one of the requirements for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. 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.

CFA Instructions

The CFA examination consists of the following events:

 

  • Basketball throw 
  • Cadence pull-ups or flexed-arm hang 
  • 40-yard shuttle run 
  • Modified Situps 
  • Push-ups 
  • 1-mile run 

 

View the videos below for demonstrations of the events.

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 Prepare for the CFA by practicing the six test events.

Once you have become proficient in each event, practice them in consecutive order with start and end times specified in the Candidate Fitness Assessment Instructions.

Running, general conditioning exercises and competitive sports will also strengthen your abilities.

 

Candidate Fitness Assessment FAQs

It is your responsibility to arrange for a qualified person to conduct your examination, and an additional person to make a video of the required events. See below for approved test administrators. Your test administrator cannot be a relative or coach. You should enter the contact information for your test administrator online via your candidate portal. Your test administrator will receive an email with a link to the site where he/she will record your performance. 

The following can administer the CFA:

  • Physical Education Teachers
  • Military Academy Liaison Officers (MALOs)
  • Field Force Representatives
  • U.S. Military Officers or Non-commissioned Officers (all branches)
  • Professors of Military Science
  • J/ROTC Instructors
**NOTE: Coaches and relatives cannot administer the CFA!**

Satisfactory completion of the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) is one of the requirements for admission to the United States Military, Air Force, Naval, and Merchant Marine academies. It is used to predict a candidate’s aptitude for the physical program at the service academies.

Although the CFA is pass/fail, you should strive to do your best in all six of the events. 

Maximum Performance Scores on the Six CFA Events

Events Basketball Throw Pull-Ups Shuttle Run Modified Sit-Ups Push-Ups 1-Mile Run
Male 102 feet 18 7.8 seconds 95 75 5:20
Female 68 feet 7 8.6 95 50 6:00

 

The order and time allowance are as follows:

Event Begin Time Duration Rest Time End Time for Event
Basketball Throw 0:00 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 5:00
Cadence Pull-Ups 5:00 2 Minutes 3 Minutes 10:00
Shuttle Run 10:00 2 Minutes  3 Minutes 15:00
Modified Sit-Ups 15:00  2 Minutes 3 Minutes 20:00
Push-Ups 20:00  2 Minutes 8 Minutes 30:00
One-Mile Run 30:00 Until Complete - End of Run Event

 

Take your medical exam as soon as possible. It can take several months to get qualified, if more information is needed. If you haven’t been scheduled by DoDMERB by the fall of your senior year, contact the Admissions Office.

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