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Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) [MERGED]

Koss ... just check out the threads about the aptitude test.  You will see that there is a wide variation in opinions about the level of difficulty of the test.  I agree with Mr. O'Leary, how you do depends on many factors.  There is great advice in other threads on preparing for the test.  I hate it when someone chimes in with 'it was not hard at all'.  Not that relevant to others taking the test.  Good luck with the re-write.
 
Agreed. Mentioning that "it is not that hard at all"..serves no purpose but to boost your self esteem and/or lower that of the applicant who was unsuccessful. Not a good characteristic to have in the CF.

Just try'er again. This is also why it is an aptitude test. You can only study to a certain extent. I remember the spatial part is one part that Im not sure how one could study for, but the other parts yes. Dont worry, just try again, begin your run at the CF with not giving up and you'll be on the right track.

cheers
 
well, in the chance that this might help people out, my experience is this:

I'm an Alberta high school graduate, took all "univeristy prep courses" if you will. Had a 70% in english, a 64% in bio, a 94% in social studies, and a 54% in math. Have done about 3 months worth of a business course at a technological institute here in Alberta. This course is super easy, I have done about 0 (yes, zero) days of studying and am getting by with a 75% average, so you can't throw the whole "smart enough for college" deal at me.

So yeah, with that "experience" under my belt, I managed to do fairly well on the test, although I don't really know what my mark was. All I know is that I knew all the mathematical and problem sovling content on the test, and when it comes to the English and Spatial parts of the test, you either have it or you don't.

What I did to prep was the weekend before the exam, I just did online IQ quizzes. Don't pay too much attention as to what your scores are, just get familiar with the types of approaches to the various questions. Also, if you don't read much, start. Pick up books on Canadian military history or something that you are interested in, and just read. Its the only way to understand words, other than the "read the dictionary" approach.

So there you go. That's my 2 cents.
 
Koss

Practice these sample tests, study on what you find hard, repeat the tests until your comfortable, and try
the CFAT again.   Practice and get help on what you find difficult.

https://psjobs-emploisfp.psc-cfp.gc.ca/psr/applicant/applicant.callpage;PsrSessionID=DM0VXZHTZn0CpQvL12Lbv8pfqG8x!-922299847?pages=applicant/info/helpTestInfo

PS> The link isn't post friendly so you may have to cut and paste the entire URL.
 
I'm sorry that you had this result. At least now you have a better idea of what to expect from the test, and possibly even what you need to work on. Good luck when you go to retake it. :)
 
amazing......

40 pages and this thread is still going in circles with the same old shyte !!

:crybaby:
 
gregorydewolfe said:
taking my test for the 2nd time in 8 days...very worried that I'm going to not do so great like the first time even though I feel much more prepared this time, I still worry about that math section and those stupid boxes in the spacial section which I couldn't find any practice tests on that look like the ones on the test.   If I don't pass this time I don't know what to do.   It's been all I can think about lately.   I hate my job so much, it makes me study harder, I just hope the studying is going to pay off and that I'm doing math questions close to what's on the test.   Can't do much to prepare for the word meanings since I dont remember what the questions were but I am reading wordsmart but it's like reading a dictionary.  

2nd time in eight days! What are you talking about?  First, you have to wait three months to retest and secondly, you don't need to pass the test as a DEO unless you got the lowest score in CFAT history? I think spacial is either something you use in baking, plastering or surgery, perhaps you are thinking of spatial?

Can't do much to prepare for the word meanings since I dont remember what the questions were You just wrote the test eight days ago!

 
Ok well first of all you sound like a big ***hole and 2nd you don't know how to read.  I said I'm taking the test for the 2nd time, in 8 days.  And yes I meant spatial Mr. Perfect spelling king.  Why would you bother even responding to what I wrote?  Are trying to look cool or smart?  I can assure you that you didn't come off as either one.  And I didn't say I didn't pass last time and what you wrote doesn't make any sense.

You don't need to pass the test as a DEO??

What are you talking about, I didn't say I was a DEO I said I was trying to get in as a DEO...once again you can't read.  I'm surprised they let you on this board if you answer everything negatively and condescending, who needs to hear that?  Not me. So do me a favor and don't respond.
 
Ok well first of all you sound like a big ***hole and 2nd you don't know how to read.  I said I'm taking the test for the 2nd time, in 8 days.  And yes I meant spatial Mr. Perfect spelling king.  Why would you bother even responding to what I wrote?  Are trying to look cool or smart?  I can assure you that you didn't come off as either one.  And I didn't say I didn't pass last time and what you wrote doesn't make any sense.

For the record Kincanucks is one of the few real experts on this board with regard to recruiting so you may want to withdraw this  before the mods take you apart.

mdh
 
What are you talking about, I didn't say I was a DEO I said I was trying to get in as a DEO

Are you for real?

DEO is Direct Entry Officer which is a CF entry plan so if you are trying to get in as a DEO then you are a DEO applicant and thererfore you don't need to pass the CFAT as you have already demonstrated an aptitudal ability by getting a degree.  Now do you have a degree and are you applying as DEO?

I know what the process is and KIM might be an expert but he's not a nice guy.  He made me feel worse about writing the test, not better

Well that didn't take much did it?

 
KIN:  sorry if I was being rude early, I'm not having a good day.  I'm affaid that I'm confused becasue when I wrote the cfat 3 months ago, I was told that I did pass but would need a high score to get the trade that I want.  I do have a degree in business but was told that I have to re-write which is next week
 
No problem we all have them. Are you applying for Aerospace Control Officer because that would explain the rewrite?
 
first choice was log officer.  so now, the only thing i can think of is that i did really really bad on the first test and i have to re write even though i have a degree because log wasn't on my list but i was also told that even if i scored high on the first test, i would be accepted as a logofficer because i dont have enough business expereince on my resume which i didnt understand because im joinging the CF becasue of that problem.  Does that make any sense to you?  I know I probably got a lot of the spatial questions wrong because i didnt know which way most of them folded to get the write answer.  I felt pretty dumb when I was told i had to re write.
 
It doesn't make any sense that you have to rewrite unless you did do really bad.  When a DEO writes the CFAT and does not get the minimum to be an officer but is fairly close then I tell them that they are not required to pass the test however, the better their score the better their chances are so some will choose to rewrite but it is up to them.  If a DEO does really bad on the CFAT then we have to inform higher of the result and they will decide whether the applicant has to rewrite or not.  Good Luck.
 
thanks Kin you have helped me answer questions that have been up in the air for the past 3 months.  The Captian who did my interview told me that I just need two more points on the 2nd test which i hope i get.
 
omg omg omg

i have a test next week. watching people fail makes me nervous. :crybaby: WHat should i do/
 
cry like a baby, chew your nails off, drink a helluva lot of rum, then go to bed. Works every time.
 
Hi there,

I've just registered with the Army.ca Forums for the purpose of posting the following message. I have read all 41 pages of this thread. Very interesting stories I've read. Now I've finally decided to share my own personal story with the members of this forum. I welcome all replies to my post. I especially welcome replies from past or current CF members who are experts on recruitment, so that they can offer me their expert opinion on my story. I would especially like to hear from mdh, as I've come to highly respect him and his opinions just by reading his postings in this thread.

Here's my story:
I have always been a military history and equipment buff. So logically, I decided to pursue an Infantry (I was always attracted to the Infantry) career in the CF. I started the process when I was just about to finish high school in 2002. I applied as a Reserve Infantry soldier with the Governor General's Footguards (in which one of my grandfathers served with right after WW2. My other grandfather served with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa around the same time). I was told by recruiters that the CFAT would be very easy. The 3 CFAT practice questions contained in the recruitment pamphlet are, in my opinion, misleading because they are much more difficult that the questions in the CFAT. After finding out that there would be a high school math part in the test, I got worried because math was always my weakest subject in high school. As a matter of fact, I failed Grade 8 and 10 math and had to go to summer school to pass them, which I did. I got even more worried when I was told that calculators were forbidden (although I was not very surprised since it was an aptitude test), as calculators, as far as I can remember, were permitted during every high school math exam that I ever took and that counted towards my final grades. The reason this worried me is because, as a result of calculators, my mental math calculation abilities are very poor. But since high school math was still fresh in my mind, I assumed that I would be able to pass the CFAT and thus wasn't too worried about it.

Well, the day of the test came, and before I knew it, I had breezed through the grammar part (with extreme ease I might add since grammar was always a strongpoint of mine), and had went through the spatial part with little difficulty (the last few questions were insanely hard). I was riding high as they say. Then I started the math part. I was totally shocked at how difficult the questions were (for me). I knew or remembered very few of the mathematical solutions needed to solve the problems in the test. I couldn't even make educated guesses to the questions as the correct answers were the exact answers to the questions. You really have to know the EXACT mathematical solution to EVERY question. Not only that, but you have to know how to put them into practice without the help of calculators. This test was the exact opposite of EVERY high school math test that I ever did that ever counted towards my final grades. Anyway, I managed to answer maybe 20 of the 30 questions. Throughout test, I frantically tried to find the correct answers to some of the questions by trying out different mathematical solutions on the blank paper that was given to me. But it proved to be futile because I remembered almost none of the solutions needed for correctly answering the questions. The test ended and I was the first one called up afterwards. I knew that was a bad sign. My fears were proven to be true when I was informed that I had failed the math part. I was told that I did very well in the grammar part (I was told that my mark was better than the average marks), averagely well in the spatial part, and not so good in the math part (I think I got something like 12 questions right). Because of my math score, my overall score was not good enough for the Infantry (that made me feel like a total retard). I was given my exact CFAT scores for all three parts but I don't remember them now.

I took the test again towards the end of my first year of college back in 2003. I applied as a Regular Infantry soldier with the RCR. This time I took the test in English (my maternal language is French and I always went to French schools). The same thing happened all over again. I knew I had failed it when I was the first one called up after the test. Once again, I aced the Grammar part, I did pretty good to ok in the spatial part, and I flunked (although with a slightly better mark which was due to guesswork) the math part. I was given my exact score on all 3 parts but I don't remember them anymore. I was told that I could take the test again after completing college.

I was completely unprepared for the first CFAT. There's nothing that I could've done there. But I could've prepared myself for the second one, which sadly I didn't. I sure wish I had found this thread after my first test or even before it. I had not studied high school math one bit for the second CFAT. I thought my first failure was something of a fluke. I was in denial that I had failed such a basic aptitude test, and convinced myself that studying for such a simple test was not necessary. I wanted to redeem myself in my own eyes by proving that I could pass the math part by not studying for it (since, after all, it was math that I had already seen and was supposed to be familiar with). I also convinced myself that another reason for my failure was that I was somewhat paralyzed by the difficulty of the questions. The element of surprise made me freeze up, I thought. I also attributed my failure in part to my spending too much time on individual questions that I obviously didn't know how to answer. In short, I tried to rationalize my failure. In fact, the real reson for my failure (which I finally came to admit AFTER failing the CFAT twice) was my lack of knowledge of high school mathematical problem-solving solutions.

I decided to give the CFAT another shot this past summer, but that this time I would seriously study up on my high school math before attempting it again. But unfortunately for me, the decision on whether or not I could retake the CFAT a third time had to be made high up the chain of command. They decided that I had not gathered enough official education since my last attempt. My 2-year Police Foundations college diploma was deemed to be not enough official education since I had only 1 year left on it when I tried the CFAT the second time. Add to that the fact that I had no math course at all in college. My pledge to seriously study up on my high school math before attempting the test again was also deemed not enough (which I understand could not have been taken very seriously due to my similar pledge after my first failure). The Army (I think) Captain that interviewed me to review my case when I inquired about taking the CFAT a third time was a really fair guy. I told him the above-listed reasons why I convinced myself that I had failed the first test and didn't study for the second test. I then told him the REAL reason why I had failed BOTH tests. He told me that he understood everything I said and that I deserved a second chance (or rather a third chance, depending on how you look at it). He told me that he admired my sincere devotion to join the military, and that by admitting to my mistakes and by demonstrating a serious will to study for the third test, he had been convinced to recommend for a third attempt. I will never forget what that guy did for me, and yet I can only remember his rank! He said that I had a 50/50 chance of getting approved. I didn't. He told me that in order to qualify for a third retest I'd have to get another diploma (college or university). But since I have no intention of going back to school, I can forget a career in the CF as an Infantry soldier.

For those of you who are wondering, the math part of the CFAT deals exclusively with ADVANCED GRADE 10 MATH. Trust me on that, it comes directly from the mouth of the above-mentioned Captain. I took REGULAR GRADE 10 MATH and I had to go to summer school to pass that!!! So the moral of this story is that studying is VERY VERY IMPORTANT! I can't stretch that enough. Some people don't need to study and some people THINK they don't need to study (like me). Unless you're 100% sure that you're a person who doesn't need to study, then I'd seriously recommend you'd study. What have you got to lose by studying? Better to be safe than sorry if you ask me. I'm one of the ones who's sorry. Oh well, at least I learned a valuable life lesson from all of this, even though it cost me a potential career in the CF as an Infantry soldier!!! I have nobody to blame for my failure but myself. I have finally come to terms with this failure. It's time to move on to something else I guess.

In conclusion, I apologize in advance for the extreme length of this posting. But it was necessary to correctly express myself. I can't begin to describe how much of a relief it is to share this story with people familiar with the CFAT. I thank you for letting me do so. I guess what I really needed was a shrink, but this will do just fine:)

Regards
 
Well I just wrote this morning. I would say it is right in the middle. Just make sure you relax, do the questions you know first and then go back and do the ones that are harder. Everyone can pass it as long as you have a grade 10 credit and remember what your taught. Best of luck to anyone writing it in th future. (by the way i got accepted for all trades  ;D )
 
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