Who's Done CPAT? What Can I Do To Increase My Strength?

[Guest]

I am taking the CPAT in Daytona Beach on April 5. Any words of advice on how to best prepare for the exam?

I been running, working out and getting myself in as best as shape as I can. I took a 7 minute firefighter combat challenge and passed that with flying colors today.

Just looking to see whos done the CPAT and what I can do to increase strength.

[DFD801 0]

The first station, the stair master, is the hardest part of the test. You'll be wearing a 50lb. vest with an additional 25lbs. attached. Leg strength and endurance is the key to getting through it so your efforts of running and lifting (if you worked your legs) should help you out. People who go to a CPAT unprepared come off the stair master with their legs totally exhausted and end up not being able to finish. With only a week left before your test, you're cutting it close if you still need to prepare. Below is a link to the Connecticut Fire Academy CPAT. You'll find some tips there. Good luck.

http://www.ct.gov/cfpc/cwp/view.asp?a=826&Q=246722

[helicopper 1,050]

Is this a pre-requisite to hiring of FF?

Does Westchester use the same in its civil service testing/hiring process?

[fjp326 42]

Is this a pre-requisite to hiring of FF?

Does Westchester use the same in its civil service testing/hiring process?

Westchester uses the CPAT at the end of probie school. You are required to pass in order to keep your job. It is a state run test and is not that difficult if you are in half decent shape. Like stated above practicing on some stairs is a good idea.

[Guest FFNick]

Did they require you to do the test familiarization prior to taking the CPAT? I'm pretty sure that in CT you can not take the CPAT unless you've had the course preview and received the fitness guide.

Best of luck with it, I hope it works out for you.

Edited March 28, 2008 by FFNick

[Guest]

I started working out over 2 years ago in order to loose weight to get into the fire academy here in Florida. Was successful in loosing 60 pounds, passed the academy and just kept working on strength.

I was just seeing what else is there to do besides what I have already been doing.

The CPAT is part of a civil service exam for Volusia, Flagler and Orange Counties (Daytona Beach, Orlando is where these counties are.)

They give us three opportunities to take it over 3 months because CPAT is new for our area. So hopefully I get it on the first shot. We will see. But I been preparing by working my legs hard.

[efd184 59]

Westchester uses the CPAT at the end of probie school. You are required to pass in order to keep your job. It is a state run test and is not that difficult if you are in half decent shape. Like stated above practicing on some stairs is a good idea.

The county now uses the test just to get hired and then again at the end of school.

As for tips?

Get a weight vest today and get your *** to a gym with a stair master or find a parking garage at least 4 stories and start walking up the stairs!

[fjp326 42]

The county now uses the test just to get hired and then again at the end of school.

As for tips?

Get a weight vest today and get your *** to a gym with a stair master or find a parking garage at least 4 stories and start walking up the stairs!

YFD has not yet used the CPAT as an entry test , although there is a test scheduled for I think June and I don't know what method of testing will be used. I personally like the older method, it is more competitive. Either way good luck to all candidates.

[MGMedic 0]

FDNY uses CPAT

[Rimrockny24 0]

FDNY uses the CPAT however they use there own modified version if I remember correctly. I believe that the only difference is that they require the people taking the test to do a longer time on the stair mill.

[FirNaTine 370]

Wouldn't it make more sense for West.Cnty.Depts. to use the CPAT initially as part of the agility, instead of at the end of the Academy. Weed out those who can't pass it early on, not after 13 weeks of instruction.

[fjp326 42]

Wouldn't it make more sense for West.Cnty.Depts. to use the CPAT initially as part of the agility, instead of at the end of the Academy. Weed out those who can't pass it early on, not after 13 weeks of instruction.

The test that YFD uses is a very competetive timed test. It counts as 50 percent of your test score. Candidates with the better times get the higher scores. If you can do well enough on that to get hired, you will have no problem with the CPAT.

[M' Ave 1,466]

FDNY uses the CPAT however they use there own modified version if I remember correctly. I believe that the only difference is that they require the people taking the test to do a longer time on the stair mill.

I believe the extended time on the stepper is for medicals, not the CPAT. For the CPAT it's the standard 3:20. If you're in the kind of shape you should be for a fire academy then the CPAT should be a cake walk.

Carry weights, walk stairs. That's the best bet. Remember, the whole test can't be longer than 10:20, so you only have to kill yourself for that long. Shouldn't be too hard.

[x635 4,066]

The MOST important part about CPAT is ENDURANCE- that's what the test is looking at, to see if you have the strength and stamina to work a fire scene.

You want to cross-train for the CPAT to build endurance.

Buying the weight vest at http://www.weightvest.com is a great start. It's also a great tool to stay in shape after CPAT. (Caution: DO NOT run with the vest unless you want to destroy your knees!)

Kepp yourself well hydrated and full of good carbs. Find a parking garage or other tall public facility, and hit the stairs. Push until you're completly exhausted. Start with a weight your comfortable at, and then keep adding until you're at 75 lbs. Even though you're only on the stairmill for 3 minutes, do as long as you can with the 75, then shed to 50 until you're exhausted.

Once you're strong on and conquered the weight vest portion, that's a tremendous advantage you've gained on the test. A lot of people say that the stairmill is what kills your energy.

FINALLY, and most importantly, REST AND EAT RIGHT for the couple days preceeding the test.

[ATCff 0]

PCFire2163 what have you been doing to stay in shape?

As stated before, when training for the CPAT you are looking at an endurance test. Everyone who has taken it has said the Stairmill is the hardest part, the rest is easy. The links that Seth and others have posted regarding the training is good, but not great. Just remember overall you want to be specific to the test, but also go beyond it. So if you are on the treadmill for 5 minutes for the test, then when you train you want to be on there longer. To be general stick to free weight exercises and core lifts that focuses on you having to stablize your body as you do the exercise.

[Guest]

If you have CPAT on April 5, it's too late now to do anything about it.

[STAT213 332]

I'll echo the sentiment of Clutch...I have proctored the NH CPAT (its a requirement to get placed on the state list and thus hired) for the last three years. People usually fail in one of three places. 1) Stair climbers claims the most victims, and most of the women. 2) Dummy claims the next group of folks usually thru exhaustion and 3) running out of time on the molitor machine.

The other thing that gets a few people is not knowing what they're supposed to do. The videos are available @ http://www.cffjac.org/jac/cpat/for_candidates/index.cfm . I would recommend watching and paying attention. We have had some people do some really goofy stuff like go in the tunnel and come out the same side, run right out of the building on the hose drag...crazy stuff all avoidable by following instructions and paying attention. Hmm...kinda like you are supposed to do as a probationary firefighter.

Good luck!!!

[x635 4,066]

If you have CPAT on April 5, it's too late now to do anything about it.

Although I agreee it's not much time that's left, one can still train intensively over the next couple of days, eat right, and hydrate, and then properly rest preceeding the test.

[FirNaTine 370]

The test that YFD uses is a very competetive timed test. It counts as 50 percent of your test score. Candidates with the better times get the higher scores. If you can do well enough on that to get hired, you will have no problem with the CPAT.

I have heard of some individuals who have failed the CPAT though and still were pushed thru. Personally, I feel the CPAT should be the Agility, along with the aerial climb, and swimming for that matter.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Westchester County uses the CPAT now as the agility with the exceptions being the cities that give their own tests...Mt. Vernon, White Plains, New Rochelle.

I can attest that any candidate who came to take the CPAT agility and failed...did not get pushed through.

I can also say I have never been involved in an academy where anyone failed and anyone that I know of that did fail it either passed it on the next try or a handful statewide who were released by their departments for failure to pass.

Westchester Civil Service offers a practice session prior to the actual test day and if I remember correctly its about 1 month prior to the actual test day.

The CPAT is becoming the largely accepted agility for hiring thoughout the country as more and more areas switch to its use.

I see no reason why any municipality to admisters a test couldn't come up with a scoring system for the CPAT based on time as well.

[JBE 328]

I've been doing circuit training with weights, 20 pound dumbells. Squats, lunges, presses, curls. I have also been doing a lot of weight training to build up strength. I have been hitting the stepper, without the vests, and building up my length of time on the stepper. My next step is running, and a lot of it. If anyone is on the FDNY list, the CPAT testing starts in April with the time trials. Good luck.

[Guest]

I been pushing myself with extra cardio, tredmill, stair climber, eliptical, lifting weights.

Basically the past 18 months of physical training.

The advice I was looking for was not really how to survive the stair master, just ways to improve my time on evolutions like the forcible entry, tool carry and the ceiling push/pull.

For a modified combat challenge I took for one civil service exam, I learned over time a good way to hit the Kaiser machine faster and more efficently.

[Guest]

Did they require you to do the test familiarization prior to taking the CPAT? I'm pretty sure that in CT you can not take the CPAT unless you've had the course preview and received the fitness guide.

Best of luck with it, I hope it works out for you.

In CT they have to give you 8 weeks and an orientation before they can allow you to take the CPAT the first time. After that there is no time requirement. They said that they do this to make sure everyone has a fair chance to workout and be prepared for the test. I think this was an excellent step to keep some of the B.S. out of it, that goes on with soooo many of these testing processes.

The CPAT is a toned down version of FDNY's agility. The stairmaster is by far the most difficult part where 70% of the people that fail, fail the stairmaster. After that you just have to push yourself to finish the rest of the test in time. My opinion is after the stairmaster you are allowed to run with the 1 3/4" handline but DO NOT run. Just pull the hose and save your energy for the rest of the test( which you are not permitted to run in). I have seen alot of guys fall when trying to run after the stairmaster and that will fail you. I have taken and passed the CPAT 4 times along with a few of my friends and this has helped alot of guys.

It is a huge mind over matter test and you must stay positive and push push push. In CT if we have a friend going to take the test that is having a hard time we will go to the testing center and stand near the fence in the lot to cheer him on. This also helps tremendously.

Good Luck to you brother!