You‘ll go to the recruiting office and fill out some forms so the recruiters know who you are and know how to get in touch with you. You‘ll also make appointments for your tests.
The first test is your Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT). The test will be like a high school exam: no talking or looking at other people‘s papers, and make SURE you follow the instructions properly. It will be divided into 3 parts: Reading comprehension, spacial awareness, and problem solving. The reading comprehension is pretty easy... if you can understand this post, you shouldn‘t have a problem
The spacial awareness section is pretty cool. Remember in elementry school when you had to cut out a shape, fold it, glue it, and make a cube? Its like that, only you get to do it in your head and choose if the shape will look like A), B), C), or D). They‘ll try and mess you up by makeing one side of the shape stripped and the other spotted. The problem solving section of the CFAT will be math questions similar to: "What is 25%? a) 1/5 b) 1/4 c) 1/2 d) 1/6". There will also be questions that have complicated instructions, to test your ability to understand what people are telling you. Everything is multiple choice, and will probably be in a "Scan-tron" fill-in-the-correct-dot type format. None of it is really THAT hard. Just make sure you get a good nights sleep beforehand and relax!!!
The second test is really an interview. You‘ll sit down with an officer and he‘ll ask you why you want to be in the military and so on. Hang out around this forum and read the news articles that people often post here. The officer will want to see that you‘re up on current events, especially ones that are concerning the CF. Where has Canada deployed soldiers? What about that would-be bomber in Afghanistan? Whats going on in the Congo? Stuff like that. Be humble, but let them know you‘re into military-type stuff. You‘ll also be asked if you‘ve done drugs, been involved with the law, or have problems getting along with people - minorities in particular. They‘ll want to know about your hobbies and MAKE SURE you‘ll be able to give examples of where you‘ve shown leadership and responsibility. Be freindly and polite, dress in business attire, and do whatever else you‘d think is good for a job interview. The most important thing is to BE HONEST!!! You‘re better off admitting that you smoked a joint at a party, rather then letting the recruiters find out for themselves. Don‘t try and fool them, because they‘re psychologists and professional brain-pickers. Don‘t try and beat them at their own game.
The medical test is a no brainer. They‘ll want to know your medical history and if you‘ve had all your shots. You‘ll do a drug test, check for colour blindess, and check your vision. They‘ll do a physical, tap you and ask if it hurts, and tap you on the knee to test your reflexes. You‘ll do a hearing test where you put on headphones and press a button when you hear the beep. You‘ll also be weighed and your height will be measured. This is all simple stuff.
The last test is a PT test to see if you‘re in good enough shape. You‘ll need to do pushups the RIGHT WAY: Hands directly under your shoulders, fingers forward, and your chest has to touch the ground. The minimum is 19, but everything is competitive. Make sure you can do alot more. I did 42 and the tester said that was pretty good. You‘ll also do Sit Ups. The instructor will hold your feet down while you bend your knees at 90 degrees and pump it like Sly in Rocky 3. You‘ll have 1 minute to do as many as you can. The minimum is 19, if I remember correctly. Again: you‘re competing with other potential recruits so do you max. You‘ll also have to do a Grip Test. You‘ll be asked to squeeze this metal thing with one hand, then the other to reach a combined strength of at least 75 pounds. I don‘t really know how you‘d train for this, besides spending quality time Palmela Handerson. Ask if you can make the gripping part of the metal thing wider, so you can use more hand muscles and get a better score. You‘ll also have to do a step test. The hardest part about it is not laughing. They‘ll play some really cheezy Barney the Dinosaur type music while you step up and down 3 stairs with the beat. The song will go "Up two three, down two three, up two three, down two three" for a minute or two for each level. They will take your heart rate before, during, and after the test to see if you can run properly. There are 3 levels, but I‘m not sure if you have to complete the first or the second in order to pass. Make sure you don‘t drink any coffee or smoke before the test, because caffeine and nicotine will speed up your heart rate and throw off the results. The best way to prepare for this is to run alot in the weeks and months before your test. From what I‘ve heard (which may or may not be accurate) at the end of Basic you should be able to run 6km in 1/2 hour. At the end of Infantry School you should be able to run 10km. If you want to go to Jump School you‘re looking at 16 km. You should also get a Chin up bar because even though its not part of the recruiting phase, it will be a part of Basic and Infantry School. Chicks like big biceps, which is also cool. You‘ll need to do them with palms facing forward and you have to go all the way from hanging with straight arms to your chin raised above the bar. Don‘t count any reps where your legs are swinging. I‘ve heard that 6 reps is good to start, but - like always - more is better. If you‘re a smaller guy, like myself, 10 reps shouldnt be much of a problem. You can get a chin up bar for $20 at a place like Fitness Depot. I got one that fits in the doorframe of my room, similar to the way the bar for a shower curtain works. The fitness test isnt a problem if you‘ve been training beforehand. Just remember: This test is the same no matter what job you‘re applying for. Things get harder when you go to Infantry School so don‘t just pass, do as much as you can and then more. Your life will just be that much easier come crunch time.
After you pass all this, you‘ll get to sit on your a$$ for a few weeks as your file gets sent all over the place to be done with who knows what. Hopefully, you‘ll get an offer of enrollment and a date for your swearing in ceremony. This whole process could take a matter of weeks, or it could take months. Its one of those many things that I don‘t really understand, but reminds me of that movie "Brazil". From here on, I can‘t help you any more because this is as far as I‘ve gone myself.
I got my offer of enrollment a couple weeks ago and my Swearing In Ceremony is coming up soon. I‘ve applied for Infantry as an NCM and eventually I‘ll be put in 3RCR. The above info is pretty up to date. I may be wrong about some of the stuff, but I think I‘ve been pretty thorough. Corrections are appreciated!!
PS - If this is all accurate enough, maybe the administrators would want to pin this thread somewhere. Everyone asks about this stuff.
