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Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) [MERGED]

  • Thread starter Thread starter Se7eN
  • Start date Start date
MikeApplying said:
Hi all, sorry for the CFAT question..I'm sure you get far too many as it is.

Yes, as you can see - thirty-six pages in this thread alone, and more in the Math-Specific one.

Please take some time and explore existing threads. Start with the stickied ones at the top of each forum. They are stickied for a reason.
 
First off, I cannot and will not tell you anything about the aptitude test itself, it would be a crime to do so. But I do want to share my experience preparing for the test. I was very nervous to write it, and I'm sure there are other people who, like me, are nervous test-takers and are feeling the same.

I wrote the test yesterday and qualified for all the occupations I applied for. I achieved it by STUDYING. I hear many people say things about their approach and they often fall into one of two categories. There are the (i) "It's an aptitude test, there's no real way to prepare for it" sort of people and there are the (ii) "You shouldn't try to prepare it for it because then they won't get an accurate idea of how capable you are and you'll get offered a trade you can't handle" sort of people. IMHO these are both very wrong attitudes to take. It's an aptitude test, not an IQ test. Study.

That leads me to my next point - study materials. I looked at a lot of internet sources and apps and considered a few books, but there are three sources in particular that I believe helped me a lot. Number one is the book 501 Math Word Problems. It was definitely worth the 20 or so bucks I spent on it. Just search it on Amazon or something. This book will lead you through mathematical word problems that range in difficulty and complexity, and give a comprehensive set of answers to all the questions that not only tell you the right answer, but explain how to get there. Working through about 60-70% of this book before I wrote the test really helped me a lot to sharpen my problem solving skills. I'm a whiz at algebraic word problems now, where you're given a scenario and have to come up with an equation and solve to find the answer. Yet before, if you were to show me one of those problems I'd just shrug. For vocabulary I used an app called Vocabulary Builder by a company called Magoosh (for Android, I don't know if it's available for iPhone). The app gives you vocabulary flash cards and quizzes you until you get them all right, and moves you through a number of different difficulty levels. For spatial, I used an app called 3D Cubes. It's a really simple app (again, for Android) that gives you folded and unfolded cubes with different patterns and asks you to indicate whether the folded cube can be made from the unfolded pattern. I believe this app helped me to develop and strengthen my perception of spatial relationships.

But it's not just about what you study, but how you study. Study consistently. Don't just sit down on Saturday afternoon and hit the books for five hours and then do nothing through the week. That won't cut it. Do an hour every day, it's much more effective.

Finally, one of the biggest things I learned you need to get good at to be successful is executional efficiency. What I mean is, just because you understand a problem doesn't mean you can quickly and efficiently solve it. For the CFAT, you're going to have to work quickly and efficiently. Admittedly, I focused too much on learning to recognize certain kinds of problems and solve them and not enough on solving them quickly. Don't just aim to sharpen your problem-solving skills, aim to gain speed an accuracy. If you're like me and you're not so good at math, this will be difficult. But it's very doable! You may surprise yourself with how much progress you make if you study consistently rather than in bouts.

Good luck to all those writing the test. Hopefully nothing I said here breaks any rules. Godspeed!
 
I passed mine yrs ago.. if you have studied your problem solving and math, you shouldnt have to much of a problem. Get some good sleep the night before and try not to be nervous. Go in with confidence. I failed the 1st time from being to nervous. The 2nd time i passed. I had more confidence that i can do it.

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MikeApplying said:
First off, I cannot and will not tell you anything about the aptitude test itself, it would be a crime to do so. But I do want to share my experience preparing for the test. I was very nervous to write it, and I'm sure there are other people who, like me, are nervous test-takers and are feeling the same.

I just added thirty-six pages to your thread, just to keep things all nice and neat and in one place 'n' all.

I kept the title from the other thread, though, to make it easier for all of the people who know where to look already.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Loachman
 
Ryan_T said:
I passed mine yrs ago.. if you have studied your problem solving and math, you shouldnt have to much of a problem. Get some good sleep the night before and try not to be nervous. Go in with confidence. I failed the 1st time from being to nervous. The 2nd time i passed. I had more confidence that i can do it.

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Nerves can be a real problem. I was extremely nervous, I don't know how I managed to pass on the first attempt. People should realize that being too nervous can give you a serious short-term cognitive deficit and lead to failure. It doesn't mean you aren't capable, just means you need more confidence.
 
MikeApplying said:
Nerves can be a real problem. I was extremely nervous, I don't know how I managed to pass on the first attempt. People should realize that being too nervous can give you a serious short-term cognitive deficit and lead to failure. It doesn't mean you aren't capable, just means you need more confidence.
I agree. I had more confidence on my 2nd attempt.

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How does the CFAT scoring work? I've selected 3 trades listed below, and only qualified for boatswain. The captain at the recruit centre said I bombed the English and the spatial part, but I did decent on the math part which boosted my overall mark up. I'm planning to apply to RMC in my grade 12 year (if I can get in) if I only qualified for boatswain, and not my 2 other selected trade. Does that mean I did horrible? And probably will have to take the CFAT again in order to go through the ROTP program?
 
Please READ the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) FAQ Thread and other CFAT related threads.

No need for yet another CFAT thread.

Topic Locked
 
Eric16 said:
How does the CFAT scoring work? I've selected 3 trades listed below, and only qualified for boatswain. The captain at the recruit centre said I bombed the English and the spatial part, but I did decent on the math part which boosted my overall mark up. I'm planning to apply to RMC in my grade 12 year (if I can get in) if I only qualified for boatswain, and not my 2 other selected trade. Does that mean I did horrible? And probably will have to take the CFAT again in order to go through the ROTP program?

Being that you've selected 3 NCM trades and you were told that you only qualified for 1 of them, if you're trying to go ROTP you are going to have to write the CFAT again as Officer occupations require a higher CFAT score than most of the NCM occupations.
 
Hello All,

I just wrote the CFAT this morning and received a response within two hours. I am surprised at how quickly they got back to me. The bad news is I do not qualify for my chosen trade based on my results, which is ATIS tech. The trades I do qualify for, I have no interest in. Basically they are Infatry, Crewman, Boatswain, Medical Assistant, Mobile Support equipment, Operator, Combat Engineeer, Artillery, Int OP, Cook, and steward.

I am trying to figure out where I went wrong. I left about half of the questions blank on the vocabulary part of the test as I marked them to go back to then ran out of time. I don't know if that worked against me or not.

Also when I filled out the substance use form, I was completely honest and admitted to drug use that I did over ten years ago. Nothing major but things like shrooms and ecstacy. Did I screw myself by being this honest? I figure its better to be honest than to lie.

The whole thing is a blow to the self esteem. I feel like I would be a good fit as an ATIS tech as I have been in the field of IT for over 10 years and am currently a network administrator.

Anyway, just wanted to rant and get others feedback.

Thanks,

 
Blank answers are always wrong. Best guess answers are 50/50. Fly through the ones you definitely know, go back and best guess the rest. A lot of vocabulary questions answer themselves if you break the word down into components. If you don't like the trades offered, wait a year and reapply, or take one as a foot in the door and attempt remaster later.
 
Kat Stevens said:
Blank answers are always wrong. Best guess answers are 50/50. Fly through the ones you definitely know, go back and best guess the rest. A lot of vocabulary questions answer themselves if you break the word down into components. If you don't like the trades offered, wait a year and reapply, or take one as a foot in the door and attempt remaster later.

Or go take an upgrading course (English) and ask for a rewrite.  I believe if you prove you have further educated yourself (course certificate/report/grade), they will grant you a rewrite.
 
Welcome to Army.ca, zodiac13

Please read through this thread, into which I have merged yours. There is little that has not been answered herein.
 
Hey fellow applicants,

Like many of you, I've been wondering about the various aspects of the application process.

If you're waiting to take the CFAT, you're welcome to ask me what I did to pass.
I qualified for all NCM and officer trades.
It involved selectively tackling what I needed to review (algebra and spatial skills) while using time constraints during practice tests to simulate exam day. It sounds like a no-brainer, but maybe there is something useful I can offer you. Feel free to ask anytime. 
 
Your offer is most kind.

There are seventy-nine pages in this thread, however. Unless somebody has read through them, they should not be asking a question that has already been answered, possibly multiple times. That's why some of these threads are as long as they are.

If you discovered a new/unique method, please share with all.
 
So I received the "Your application has been selected for further processing. Please contact the Canadian Forces Recruiting Detachment" email.  I emailed my local detachment and this is the email I got back in return. 

Mr. xxxx
You have expressed a desire to write the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) again.

Please note that the CAF is under no obligation to allow further attempts.  The onus is on you to report on the preparations you have made to successfully undertake another attempt so a request can be made on your behalf in the form of a waiver.
Info I require from you to justify this waiver is as follows:

a. substantiation / motivation for re-writing the CFAT again,
b. provide in chronological order your employment history and/or schooling/education since writing the first CFAT 08 July 2015 until the present date in the following format:

Activity / Start and End Time period / Full time or part time / Employer or Institution.

Note - Add in any times you were unemployed as well
c.  list the type of preparations and time devoted you have made to prepare such as aptitude practice sessions, tutoring, etc.  Include any further education completed (provide transcripts if not already provided).

You have already been briefed on the CAF re-test policy:
-              You may only attempt the test three (3) times; and
-              For a third (and final) attempt at the test, you must provide proof of additional mathematics or language courses completed since your previous attempt. You are responsible for the cost of any upgrading that is required.

Please note that the score on the latest CFAT attempt is the one that counts, even if it is lower than the first score
Please provide this information to me via this email address. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.


My problem is that I have never written the CFAT before.  It also states I have been briefed on the CAF re-test policy which I haven't. This is literally the first email from the CAF I have received that came from a real person.  I did apply in 2015, but I did not contact the recruitment center and did not write any test. I tried calling the office twice but got no answer, so I sent an email stating my concerns.  Has anyone else run into this before?
 
Joe86 said:
So I received the "Your application has been selected for further processing. Please contact the Canadian Forces Recruiting Detachment" email.  I emailed my local detachment and this is the email I got back in return...

As you've written, you've never taken the aptitude test before. This is the first email you've received from the CFRC.

Considering these two points, it's just an error. If you've replied explaining your concerns, all you can do now is wait for a response. You're fine. Errors happen.
 
Joe86 said:
My problem is that I have never written the CFAT before.  It also states I have been briefed on the CAF re-test policy which I haven't. This is literally the first email from the CAF I have received that came from a real person.  I did apply in 2015, but I did not contact the recruitment center and did not write any test. I tried calling the office twice but got no answer, so I sent an email stating my concerns.  Has anyone else run into this before?
I'm sending you a PM to deal with the issue further.
 
Just wondering what the minimum aptitude score is per section for this trade


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JMei001 said:
Just wondering what the minimum aptitude score is per section for this trade

Medical Assistant - Reserve
gQeline said:
how high of a score would i need to get on the CFAT


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