Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) [MERGED]

[Se7eN]

Hi,
    Well I feel like a right moron right now. I just failed my CFAT. I cannot belive it actually. I have a 92% avg in English and a 78% in math. When I was given the practice problems it said it would be a simple test and I was informed there would be no real need to study. But I failed and I am real confused, anyone else had this problem or am I unique? It seemed the practice questions I was given were not even representitive of the test. 

 

[PTE Fader]

While we were instructed not to specifically discuss the test, you could have filled in the wrong square and gotten all the questions following it incorrect. Even still, you wern‘t supposed to study them, since they determine what you‘re best suited for without preparation. What did you apply for, if i may ask?
...
Furthermore, how old are you/what grade are you in?

 

[Se7eN]

I didnt actually mean discuss questions i meant the test in general, pass/fail type thing not the specifics, at all. And Im 17, grade 11 pretty much honor roll except fo physics and math.

 

[fortuncookie5084]

Sounds strange to me, especially for someone applying to 031 INF. Those tests are used to help determine aptitude for technical trades. They went over them a lot more closely when I applied the first time as a Naval Combat Information Operator (purely information-related, technical MOC). You must ask them what went wrong, and have a talk with your unit recruiting people. If they‘re as helpful as those at my unit, they‘ll get to the bottom of this.

 

[Disturbance]

I came out of high school with an almost straight A average and when I tried to get into RMC and took the aptitude test they said I failed it to. I could have sworn I missed one and the rest were wrong but you cant look at it or even retake it for a year. However applying to be in the reserves 1.5 years later I did not have to take the test again because the score I had was good enough for the res. go figure.

During the test I felt kinda choked cause all the sequences and series stuff I hadnt learned yet and then the next week in school we were taught it go figure as well.

 

[bossi]

Everybody has a bad day, and some days are not good days to be bad days ... (hmmm ...).

It‘s doubly unfortunate that you were only taught some of the stuff too late (i.e. AFTER you wrote the test) - an abject lesson in why it‘s a good idea to finish school first (but, I digress ...)

When I was in recruiting (a long time ago) it was explained to me that mathematics is very important in the testing procedure (since every part of the military needs to work with numbers - bullets, bombs, or torpedoes). Accordingly, since you mentioned you hadn‘t learned some of the stuff until after writing the test, we can assume your math results were not as good as they might have been (and therefore, it‘s entirely possible this portion of the test dragged down your overall score).

A tough lesson to learn, I concede - but, it‘s better to learn it at a young age as opposed to later on in life when you‘re trying to support your family. Ultimately, you‘ll see this is just a speed bump on the highway of life ...

Hang in there.
M.B.

P.S. (I guess I should confess - I was a math whiz in high school, even winning the senior math award in Grade 9, which meant I beat the Grade 13 students, too. I was 19 when I applied, and in second year university - a huge difference between that and grade 11)


"There is always inequity in life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are wounded, and some men never leave the country ... It‘s very hard in military or personal life to assure complete equality. Life is unfair ..."
John F. Kennedy

"A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living."
- John F. Kennedy

 

[mlabonte]

Could anyone tell me how to prepare for this test. I am not asking you to tell me what is in it, because that would be cheating, but I know some people who failed it and they don‘t know why ( one hade a 90% average .) This test is very important and if you fail it, you have to wait 1 year to take it again. Is the examples that the recruiting site give on the CFAT are representitive of the test? I found IQ tests on the internet and I am doing them but I don‘t think this will help me prepare for the test.

thank you for your help

 

[Pikache]

You should have got an example pamphlet of CFAT if you picked up a folder with bunch of info on it.

If not, you should get one, just to get an idea of it.

It‘s not hard.

 

[mlabonte]

Thanks for your reply. What is in this pamphlet? Should of my recruiter given me one? Is the test the same for all applicants?

thanks again

 

[Pikache]

The pamphlet has examples of the questions found in the test of Verbal Skills (ie What is opposite of tight?) Spatial Ability (what shape would this pattern form if folded) and Problem Solving (What‘s next in the sequence 2,4,6,8...).

And you should ask your recruiter for one. It‘ll give you an idea of what to expect.

The test is same for all applicats.

 

[mlabonte]

Oh that thing! I have that pamphlet and they are really easy lol. I heard that the test does not have these kind of questions, but harder ones. Ah well, mabye I am being too hard on myself

thanks for your patience and your reply!

mlabonte

 

[Se7eN]

Hello,
Just wondering what I can study to help me get a better score on the CFAT. Are there any books or manuals that i can use to help me?

thanks,
JH

 

[Korus]

From what I hear you can‘t do much to improve your spatial ability; you‘re born with it, so either you got it or you don‘t....

 

[FredDaHead]

Actually I read somewhere (can‘t recall exactly where tho) that playing sports like hockey, basketball and such helps with spatial ability.

But it works on long-term, so if you‘re going for the test soon, there‘s nothing you can do, as far as I know.

Just random bit of info

 

[Se7eN]

really... well I play sports, but the questions about the boxes and the patterns on the boxes mess me up for some reason. If there are any books you could suggest that would be a great help.

thanks anyways
jh

 

[Christopher]

After a long wait, I‘m finally scheduled for my CFAT and interview.

What should I expect in the CFAT? Is it tough? Easy? I was never very good at calculations without a calculator, so will I need to brush up on multiplying decimals? Long division? Fractions?

 

[Bringer]

www.military.com has a quicky practice test for the ASVAB (American standardized test for their armed forces) which has got to be somewhat similar to the CFAT. There are only so many different ways to do these kind of things...

I‘m curious though, you mention a long wait to have your CFAT and interview scheduled. I went in last week to ask some questions and pick up an application packet, filled out the application and dropped it off, and had my physical fitness, CFAT, and interview all scheduled for just a week later. Is that unusually fast?

 

[Etown]

I went in last week to ask some questions and pick up an application packet, filled out the application and dropped it off, and had my physical fitness, CFAT, and interview all scheduled for just a week later. Is that unusually fast?

Hells yeah! It took 4 weeks for me to get a call just to schedule my tests and that was pretty fast.

 

[Bert]

I used this link and the associated tests for CFAT practicing.

http://www.jobs.gc.ca/menu/ui_examinfo_e.htm

The CFAT testing isn‘t so bad but its nice to prepare for that kind of test. I‘d recommend doing the government online sample tests and get practiced up.

A trick to the CFAT is judging your time and doing what you can in the time alloted. Use the time they suggest for each test. See where you lost time and don‘t waste time on questions you cannot answer. Do them when the questions you can answer are done.

After the alloted time and the test, check your score. If you notice you had problems with a particular type of problem, like percentages or fractions, you‘ll know where you‘ll need to focus and improve. The government on-line samples give a good overview of aptitude testing.

Another tip is to RELAX during the test.

Good luck.

 

[Joel85]

They specifically tell you before you write the test to "NEVER DISCUSS THE TEST WITH ANYBODY WHO WASN‘T IN THE ROOM WHEN YOU WRITE THE TEST", so you wont get speficics on the test.