Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) [MERGED]

[TreeSquid]

Good Afternoon,

I currently have my name in for AVN and have a re-write coming on January 4th. I did not do so well on the problem solving section, and I needed to improve my overall score. I just downloaded the "CFAT Trainer App" on the Google store and it is pretty great and helping tons!

My question is, does anyone know if the CFAT is based on score? or is it percentage? On the application is grades you, and gives you the percentage you achieved on the test, however it also gives a score. The score is what I think I should be keeping in mind but I just want some closure.  Sometimes I get a high percentage on a practice test, and the score is similar. Other times I have a low percent on the test, but my score is pretty high.

I looked through the forums and haven't really seen anything. Any information would be useful just for preparation sake.

Best Regards, Mike

 

[Rex12345]

I was wondering about the CFAT that if someone qualifies for all three trades they want like Infantry, Artillery, or Combat engineer, and their CFAT score is in the 30 percentile, will they get in? Or will they tell them their results were not good enough? This isn't my score, I was just wondering what happens if you pass your CFAT but you score in the 30 percentile or 20 percentile. Or let's say for Infantry if they score high in the Verbal and Problem Solving, and they score low in Spatial, are they still able to get in? Like I have stated these are not my scores, I have just had someone tell me they passed their CFAT but they scored within the 40 percentile.

 

[JToyts]

They'll let you know which jobs you qualified for based on your score. I myself applied for Combat Engineer, Infantry and Artillery and wrote the CFAT about a month ago. They said I passed it and qualified for all of my selected careers and that they'll be pursuing my first choice. So to answer your question, they'll let you know which ones you qualify for based on your score

 

[Rex12345]

They'll let you know which jobs you qualified for based on your score. I myself applied for Combat Engineer, Infantry and Artillery and wrote the CFAT about a month ago. They said I passed it and qualified for all of my selected careers and that they'll be pursuing my first choice. So to answer your question, they'll let you know which ones you qualify for based on your score

Congrats to you on passing your CFAT and qualifying for your chosen trades. Thank you for answering my question, I just had to ask because I have heard people say they did good in Verbal and Problem Solving but bad in Spatial, they qualified for the selected trades, but since they did bad on Spatial and good on Verbal and Problem Solving, they did not qualify for their choice of trade.

 

[JToyts]

Thank you and no problem! I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure its based on score so even if you do bad on the one section you can make up for it by getting more right in another section, as long as you meet the minimum required score for your chosen career then you'll be fine!

 

[sidemount]

The answer is it depends. All trades have a cutoff score, and its based on percentile. Some trades have an additional stipulation that you must score so well in certain areas of the cfat as well.
I dont have dwan access for a specific example however.

Keep in mind as well that many others are applying for the same job and the cfat is the main separator so just because you qualify does not mean you are competitive....so take it seriously and do well.


Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rex12345]

The answer is it depends. All trades have a cutoff score, and its based on percentile. Some trades have an additional stipulation that you must score so well in certain areas of the cfat as well.
I dont have dwan access for a specific example however.

Keep in mind as well that many others are applying for the same job and the cfat is the main separator so just because you qualify does not mean you are competitive....so take it seriously and do well.


Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

Thanks for clarifying, even though if you're not competitive enough but passed the CFAT, are you still eligible to gain entry into the armed forces?

 

[sidemount]

Eligable yes...but say there are 10 openings and 100 applicants that are all eligable, you want to have a really high score to be in the top 10 and get one of those openings. If not, you may not get a job offer.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rex12345]

Eligable yes...but say there are 10 openings and 100 applicants that are all eligable, you want to have a really high score to be in the top 10 and get one of those openings. If not, you may not get a job offer.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

I know what you mean. So basically for those 10 openings and the 100 applicants, if you're not competitive for those openings, that means you would have to wait for more openings before you get accepted?

 

[sidemount]

I know what you mean. So basically for those 10 openings and the 100 applicants, if you're not competitive for those openings, that means you would have to wait for more openings before you get accepted?

Bingo.
And if more people apply then you may not get in on the next round of offers if they score really well.

Case in point, i scored in the 60th percentile 14 years ago. At the time that was fine for the job I applied for and was offered a job about 3 months after applying. Fast forward 10 years and I was then  applying for in service officer selection (utpncm). I qualified for all the officer trades but was not selected as I was not competitive enough against the others who had applied as well. I rewrote the cfat, scored in the 92th percentile and was selected the next time I applied.

So like I said, it is worth it to practice and do well.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rex12345]

Bingo.
And if more people apply then you may not get in on the next round of offers if they score really well.

Case in point, i scored in the 60th percentile 14 years ago. At the time that was fine for the job I applied for and was offered a job about 3 months after applying. Fast forward 10 years and I was then  applying for in service officer selection (utpncm). I qualified for all the officer trades but was not selected as I was not competitive enough against the others who had applied as well. I rewrote the cfat, scored in the 92th percentile and was selected the next time I applied.

So like I said, it is worth it to practice and do well.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I just wanted to get some insight on because I am not that great at test, sometimes when I do tests I get Test Anxiety and it hinders me from doing well on certain tests, but I get what you said by even scoring low but qualify, you can still get in but you will have to wait longer for an opening. Thanks again.

 

[sidemount]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I just wanted to get some insight on because I am not that great at test, sometimes when I do tests I get Test Anxiety and it hinders me from doing well on certain tests, but I get what you said by even scoring low but qualify, you can still get in but you will have to wait longer for an opening. Thanks again.

No worries, if you havent already wrote it, there are lots of good study guides on this site. Concentrate on grade 10 math. Decimals to fractions and number patterns. Its really not that bad.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rex12345]

No worries, if you havent already wrote it, there are lots of good study guides on this site. Concentrate on grade 10 math. Decimals to fractions and number patterns. Its really not that bad.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

Yeah I got a few things to practice with like a book called Pass the CFAT and the CFAT Trainer APP on my phone. I seem to score in the 70 to 80 percentile on those practice tests, but when it comes to real tests the anxiety hits, lol.

 

[sidemount]

Yeah I got a few things to practice with like a book called Pass the CFAT and the CFAT Trainer APP on my phone. I seem to score in the 70 to 80 percentile on those practice tests, but when it comes to real tests the anxiety hits, lol.

I found math.com was really good at getting me ready for the math portion.
The cfat can be stressful....just take a breath, relax, and work through it.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Rex12345]

I found math.com was really good at getting me ready for the math portion.
The cfat can be stressful....just take a breath, relax, and work through it.

Sent from my Samsung S6 using Tapatalk

Thanks. The trades I really want to apply for are Infantry, Artillery, and either Combat Engineer or Mobile Support Equipment Operator. I don't know what the competition is like for those trades, but I will do my best to qualify for those trades.

 

[GINge!]

Hey Fellas, first time over in this part of Army.ca. Got a friend who wrote her CFAT today. She was trying for PSEL. Did not meet the cut off. That's the short version.

A bit more info - she has graduated with BA in Psych, was a former PRes Security Officer (Lt), passed FORCE, E-E-E French profile, has held TS clearance, and currently a project director managing 'large' budget for DND. She has also been out of highschool for 20+ years, and despite numerous practice tests and apps, did not meet the cut.

My question is..is this the end? I understand the value of a standardized test, but I do believe the CAF is mission out on someone who forgot how to divide a fraction or could not put the cube with right circles back together.

It got me wondering on a hypothetical...Let's say we have a civilian, he's a Radiologist. We're in critical short supply. Because this guy so specialized in his medical fields, he's forgotten some basic math rules too. Does the CAF forgo an opportunity to hire someone like that because of CFAT?

Thanks for any info, its been nearly 30 years since I wrote mine, and I'm 100% certain I could not pass it 'cold' now.

 

[mapledonutmouth]

Hey Fellas, first time over in this part of Army.ca. Got a friend who wrote her CFAT today. She was trying for PSEL. Did not meet the cut off. That's the short version.

A bit more info - she has graduated with BA in Psych, was a former PRes Security Officer (Lt), passed FORCE, E-E-E French profile, has held TS clearance, and currently a project director managing 'large' budget for DND. She has also been out of highschool for 20+ years, and despite numerous practice tests and apps, did not meet the cut.

My question is..is this the end? I understand the value of a standardized test, but I do believe the CAF is mission out on someone who forgot how to divide a fraction or could not put the cube with right circles back together.

It got me wondering on a hypothetical...Let's say we have a civilian, he's a Radiologist. We're in critical short supply. Because this guy so specialized in his medical fields, he's forgotten some basic math rules too. Does the CAF forgo an opportunity to hire someone like that because of CFAT?

Thanks for any info, its been nearly 30 years since I wrote mine, and I'm 100% certain I could not pass it 'cold' now.

So her CFAT result wasn't high enough for her trade? I pulled this from the Forces website.

REWRITES

Rewriting the test is only allowed in certain conditions. If you do not pass, you can request to rewrite the test after 3 months. You will only be allowed to write the test a third time if you provide proof that you are registered in a college or university program, and that you are passing courses without difficulty.

 

[DirtOnMyBoots]

When I saw the topic of this thread I visibly winced. I got to my CFAT 15 minutes early and had a 5 minute lecture on the importance of being 30 minutes early. With that said cancelling is one thing, completely missing it is another. While it probably didn't scream "responsible" to reschedule you certainly won't have any black marks on your application for doing so.

 

[MikeApplying]

Hi all, sorry for the CFAT question..I'm sure you get far too many as it is. I write the CFAT next Tuesday and I have spent the last 6 weeks or so preparing and reviewing math. I am confident about my ability to solve the sorts of problems on the CFAT problem solving section. But I am worried about the time constraints. I'm not that quick at math and I'm a lot slower reading off a computer screen than from paper. Are the questions long or require a lot of arithmetic? Or are the questions generally similar in format to the practice test? The practice test questions are usually a sentence or two in length, and I think I can handle that in under a minute but nothing more. Note that I am not asking anything about the content of questions so I hope I'm not breaking any rules. Any reassurance would help me get over some pre-test nerves. Thanks!

 

[mariomike]

Hi all, sorry for the CFAT question..

For reference, perhaps,

Length of CFAT questions

will be merged with,

Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) FAQ 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/23193.0
36 pages.

See also,

CFAT Math Specific Questions (Merged)
https://army.ca/forums/threads/26449.50
8 pages.

As always,  Recruiting is your most trusted source of information.