Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) [MERGED]

[OceanBonfire]

I'll give you my CFAT score so you can make a decision: 49/60.

I got an offer for one of the 30-or-so spots in my chosen occupation against thousands of applicants.

 

[durran3]

Unfortunately the recruiter didn't give me my grade - I kept asking for it but he said its confidential

 

[TechCrmn]

Hey guys hope all is well

I gave the CFAT earlier in January and was told that I passed and qualified for a DEO.

I applied for Pilot and ACSO and currently undergoing medical (needed a few things from my family doctor). When I went for the Interview the Officer doing the interview said that even though my CFAT score was 'Above Average' It was still on the lower end and that It would be hard for me to compete with other officers who would be applying for the same role as me.

He mentioned that ALL officer roles are extremely competitive whether I applied for Intelligence officer, logistics, ACSO or anything and that It would be close to impossible for me to become an officer with my current CFAT Score even though I passed for DEO. He said that I can get into any NCM role and told me to consider going the NCM route.

I just wanted to know from anyone that was in recruiting whether I should stick to DEO and apply for an officer anyways or take the recruiters word and apply NCM

I am not a recruiter but I have worked at a school and met many new recruits who settled for a trade they didn't initially want and soon after were trying to leave their current trade for their original choice or another more appealing trade, this transition process can be difficult at best once enrolled.

My advice to you would be to apply for Pilot or ACSO if that's what you really want and you have time to wait a bit if you are not selected right away. Keep in mind that although you may not be the most competitive, you are still eligible, and right now the forces is in dire need of both Pilots and ACSOs so who knows. If waiting is not a luxury you have, then I would take the recruiters advice and join as an NCM as this is probably the quickest way into the forces.

Keep in mind that a military career is long, 25 years minimum to get a full pension, therefore waiting an extra 6 months to get into a trade that you want and will enjoy for your entire career is hardly a setback. Even if you hold out and don't get what you want, at least you can say you tried and then proceed with the NCM route. It is possible to change trades and become an officer once enrolled but this can take some time and is not a guarantee. Personally, if I had a degree I would surely attempt to enroll as an officer in the trades I wanted before accepting the NCM route, unless of course there was an NCM trade you specifically wanted or if you are not interested in a leadership/management role. If you have any questions about specific Officer / NCM trades, just ask and I'm sure there's lots of people here that can answer your questions.

Hope that helps!

 

[Pusser]

Keep in mind that a military career is long, 25 years minimum to get a full pension,

Be careful with the terms you use.  A "full pension" is not defined anywhere in the appropriate documents.  Any pension that has not been reduced (e.g. due to breaking terms of service, marital breakup) could be described as a "full pension" as you would get everything you are entitled to based on the formula:  2% X years of service X average of best five years" salary.  What I suspect you really meant was that should be entitled to an "immediate unreduced annuity" after 25 years, meaning you could start collecting a pension at that point (prior to that, you would have to take a deferred annuity or a return of contributions).  To maximise your pension, you need to serve at least 35 years.

 

[TechCrmn]

Be careful with the terms you use.  A "full pension" is not defined anywhere in the appropriate documents.  Any pension that has not been reduced (e.g. due to breaking terms of service, marital breakup) could be described as a "full pension" as you would get everything you are entitled to based on the formula:  2% X years of service X average of best five years" salary.  What I suspect you really meant was that should be entitled to an "immediate unreduced annuity" after 25 years, meaning you could start collecting a pension at that point (prior to that, you would have to take a deferred annuity or a return of contributions).  To maximise your pension, you need to serve at least 35 years.

The point of mentioning the pension was just to convey to the OP that that under normal circumstances a person expecting to make a career in the military would serve at least a 25 year term under the current contracts before they would receive a pension; and therefore any decisions made prior to joining related to trade choice shouldn't be taken lightly as they could potentially be spending that amount of time in the trade they choose to accept.

The OP is asking advice on what they should do with respect to trade choice based on the options given by the recruiter, not about pensions. Although the information you provided is certainly correct, it is probably not important to the OP at this point.

 

[mariomike]

The OP is asking advice on what they should do with respect to trade choice based on the options given by the recruiter, not about pensions.

As long as we are being technical, the OP is asking for advice from a Recruiter,

I just wanted to know from anyone that was in recruiting whether I should stick to DEO and apply for an officer anyways or take the recruiters word and apply NCM

 

[TechCrmn]

As long as we are being technical, the OP is asking for advice from a Recruiter,

Yea I realize that, that is why the first five words of my initial post were "I am not a recruiter" lol what's your point?

 

[da1root]

I ( a non-Recruiter ) would seriously consider his advice, as he is the one who knows you, and your file, better than anyone here.

I (a recruiter) concur with mariomike's post.  Honestly the individual interviewing you has the best knowledge of your file.

 

[Gorkavenko2011]

Hi man
I just applied for the infantry for reg.forces
Just have a question.How hard was the CFAT for you? Because my problem is English I’m not from Canada, but my math skills is very good and special ability I think will ok to. My CFAT will in one week very worry about that.

Thank you
Yevgeniy

 

[winds_13]

Hi man
I just applied for the infantry for reg.forces
Just have a question.How hard was the CFAT for you? Because my problem is English I’m not from Canada, but my math skills is very good and special ability I think will ok to. My CFAT will in one week very worry about that.

Thank you
Yevgeniy

Yevgeniy, I recommend taking the new (months old now) practice test on the FORCES.ca website and studying the portions that you have difficulty with. Keep in mind that it is a timed test without the use of a calculator.

Personally, I believe this will be better preparation than worrying about the impressions of others.

https://survey-sondage.forces.gc.ca/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=153262975110

 

[Gorkavenko2011]

Thank you for your advice sir.
I did that test couple of times, that said I qualified for some positions, which is really good.
So I’ll keep practising and we will see how I’m going to do on my real CFAT.
Good luck to me and all of you guys!!!

 

[Jonezy76]

I applied for Weapons Tech at 16 Service Company. I've taken the practice test twice. I know for a fact that I scored 60/60 on the last one. I scored 51/60 my first try.
Both times, at the end, it said the same thing.... "You may qualify for some positions.....etc..."
I did give feedback saying that it would be better if examples are given for which you'd qualify for. I'll just brush up on my algebra for the problem solving until I write the real test. That's where 7 of my 9 wrong answers came from. I've been out of school for 25 years and it shows.

 

[E.M.I]

Hi, I couldn't go for the aptitude test today as i was up all night from a fever due to a cold. I called the recruiting office in the morning and left a msg that i can not attend the test. What do i need to do to schedule it again? Will it be a problem because i couldn't attend it? I am really worried as i been looking forward to join the army .
Thanks

 

[BeyondTheNow]

Hi, I couldn't go for the aptitude test today as i was up all night from a fever due to a cold. I called the recruiting office in the morning and left a msg that i can not attend the test. What do i need to do to schedule it again? Will it be a problem because i couldn't attend it? I am really worried as i been looking forward to join the army .
Thanks

What you’ve done (leaving a message) is acceptable. However, if you don’t receive any sort of contact within a few business days, I’d contact your RC again and try to speak to a person directly to explain the situation. You should be able to reschedule, although I don’t know how long you’d have to wait.

 

[commander-cb]

My issue was slightly complicated.  The cfat is now a 2 part test. I was given a few days to prepare for a cfat that I already wrote. It seemed to me that I am being tricked into writing , rewriting the cfat with no notice. I still think they are going to make me rewrite ... without telling me I'm being forced to rewrite,  and the entire time being reassured that I will NOT have to rewrite. It feels ...like I'm being played.

 

[JesseWZ]

My issue was slightly complicated.  The cfat is now a 2 part test.

I think you have been mis-informed or misunderstood and should go back to your recruiter with your questions. The CFAT is not a two part test.

 

[winds_13]

My issue was slightly complicated.  The cfat is now a 2 part test. I was given a few days to prepare for a cfat that I already wrote. It seemed to me that I am being tricked into writing , rewriting the cfat with no notice. I still think they are going to make me rewrite ... without telling me I'm being forced to rewrite,  and the entire time being reassured that I will NOT have to rewrite. It feels ...like I'm being played.

Commander-cb,

You cannot be forced to rewrite the CFAT, applying to the CAF is an entirely voluntary process. In fact, you must specifically request to rewrite the CFAT, after a 30-day mandatory wait period, and provide justification on why you should be granted the opportunity to rewrite before potentially being booked to retake the test.

 

[canada56]

Sorry for my ignorance, as I am sure it has already been posted but I am new to the forum and still trying to navigate it. 

Can someone please tell me the complete layout of the CFAT?

i.e. How many questions in each of the three categories?
Are all three categories tested in the same group or are they separate?
How long for each category (or total)?
Is it written on paper or computer based?
...plus anything else crucial to understanding the structure.

Thanks

 

[sarahsmom]

There is an NDA attached to the CFAT. All we can say is that there are spatial, math and verbal questions. There is a time limit. No calculators allowed. And it is used to qualify for your desired trade. Every trade has a different score.

 

[dapaterson]

There is an official practice version of the CFAT available online at: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/dnd-mdn/documents/jobs/20170906-preparing-for-aptitude-test.pdf