Service Academy Admissions (USMA/USNA/USAFA) The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) Syllabus

The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) in Service Academy Admissions (USMA/USNA/USAFA), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   CFA Structure and Administration

   4 topics

   • Purpose and shared use across academies
     • Common CFA required by USMA, USNA, and USAFA
     • Predicting readiness for the physical demands of training
   • Authorized administration rules
     • Eligible examiners (physical educators, coaches, ROTC/JROTC instructors)
     • Same-session, fixed-order completion within roughly 40 minutes
     • Prohibited self-administration and integrity rules
   • Online submission of results by the examiner
   • Retake and validity-window policies
2. 2

   The Six CFA Events in Order

   4 topics

   • Upper-body and core events
     • Basketball throw from a kneeling position (distance in feet)
     • Pull-ups (men) and pull-ups or flexed-arm hang (women option)
     • Modified curl-ups (sit-ups) in two minutes
     • Push-ups in two minutes with proper form
   • Agility and endurance events
     • Shuttle run (timed 300-foot agility shuttle)
     • One-mile run for time
   • Correct form and disqualifying technique errors per event
   • Equipment and facility setup for each event
3. 3

   Scoring and Benchmarks

   3 topics

   • How CFA scores are interpreted
     • Sex-normed performance expectations
     • Competitive versus minimum-acceptable benchmark targets
   • Identifying a candidate's weakest event
   • How CFA feeds the whole-candidate evaluation
4. 4

   CFA Training Program Design

   4 topics

   • Event-specific training
     • Pull-up progressions (negatives, bands, grease-the-groove)
     • Push-up and curl-up endurance building
     • Throwing mechanics for the basketball throw
     • Mile-run pacing and shuttle-run agility drills
   • Periodization and a 6-to-12-week prep plan
   • Injury prevention, warm-up, and recovery
   • Test-day strategy and energy management across the six events

The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) flashcards for Service Academy Admissions (USMA/USNA/USAFA)

23 of 50 cards from the The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What does the acronym "CFA" stand for in service academy admissions?

   Candidate Fitness Assessment.

2. Which three U.S. service academies require the same Candidate Fitness Assessment?

   West Point (USMA), the Naval Academy (USNA), and the Air Force Academy (USAFA).

3. What is the primary purpose of the CFA?

   To measure a candidate's physical aptitude (strength, power, agility, and endurance) and predict their ability to complete an academy's demanding physical program.

4. How does the shared use of the CFA benefit someone applying to more than one academy?

   It is a single standardized test, so one administration's results can be submitted to each academy applied to rather than taking separate fitness tests.

5. Who is authorized to administer the CFA?

   A physical education teacher, a certified fitness trainer/coach, a JROTC/ROTC instructor, or a commissioned military officer.

6. Who is prohibited from administering a candidate's CFA, and can a candidate run it themselves?

   A relative or family member may not administer it, and a candidate may never self-administer; an impartial authorized examiner is required.

7. What is the rule about completing the six CFA events?

   All six events must be completed in a single continuous session, performed in the official order with only the prescribed rest periods.

8. How are CFA results officially submitted to the academies?

   The authorized examiner enters and certifies the raw scores online through the candidate's admissions portal (via an emailed examiner link).

9. Why is the candidate not allowed to enter their own CFA scores?

   To preserve integrity, the impartial examiner must independently verify and electronically certify the results.

10. Can a candidate take the CFA more than once?

    Yes; candidates may take it more than once and submit their best/most recent valid attempt.

11. For how long is a CFA result valid?

    It is valid for the current admissions cycle (roughly a year) and must be completed by the application deadline.

12. What happens if a CFA administration is interrupted or an event is left incomplete?

    Because the test must be done in one continuous session, an incomplete or invalid administration must be redone in full.

13. List the six CFA events in their official order.

    1) Basketball throw, 2) Cadence pull-ups, 3) Shuttle run, 4) Modified sit-ups (crunches), 5) Push-ups, 6) One-mile run.

14. Which three CFA events primarily test the upper body, and what quality does each emphasize?

    Basketball throw (upper-body power), pull-ups (upper-body strength), and push-ups (upper-body endurance).

15. Which single CFA event targets core/abdominal endurance?

    The modified sit-ups (crunches).

16. In the CFA, which event measures agility and which measures cardiovascular endurance?

    The shuttle run measures agility (speed with rapid direction changes); the one-mile run measures cardiovascular endurance.

17. In the basketball throw, what body position is required and why?

    The candidate throws from a kneeling position behind a restraining line, which isolates upper-body and core power by removing leg drive.

18. What technique fault disqualifies a basketball throw attempt?

    Crossing or touching the floor beyond the restraining line, or lifting off the knees/standing during or after the throw.

19. What grip is required for CFA cadence pull-ups, and what defines one valid repetition?

    An overhand (pronated) grip with palms facing away; a valid rep starts from a full dead hang with arms extended and pulls up until the chin clears the bar.

20. Which faults cause a pull-up repetition not to count?

    Kipping/swinging or kicking, failing to fully extend the arms at the bottom, or not getting the chin over the bar.

21. What is the correct body position for CFA modified sit-ups?

    On the back, knees bent about 90 degrees, feet flat and held down, arms crossed over the chest with hands on the opposite shoulders.

22. What makes one modified sit-up repetition count?

    The elbows touch the thighs/knees at the top, and the shoulder blades return to touch the floor at the bottom.

23. What defines a correct CFA push-up repetition?

    From a straight-body plank, lowering until the upper arms are at least parallel to the floor (about a 90-degree elbow bend), then returning to full arm extension.

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