A practice score becomes useful when it changes your next study session. The total tells you how one attempt went; reviewing the individual answers tells you which skills need work. Use CFAT practice results to choose a small, specific task you can complete and check.
Keep your practice record separate from application decisions. Confirm your current requirements through official CAF joining guidance and your recruiter. A commercial practice score does not establish eligibility or predict an offer.
Record enough context to compare attempts
For each set, note the topic, number attempted, number correct, time used and whether you consulted notes or other aids. Record interruptions too. A quiet untimed attempt and a rushed attempt during a busy evening measure different conditions.
Compare sets with similar topics and difficulty when possible. Mark repeated questions so familiarity does not look like new learning. Correct guesses also need attention: write “guessed” beside them and check whether you can explain the answer afterwards.
Use the provider’s scoring instructions where available. For your own notebook, a simple count of correct answers is enough to start; avoid treating it as an official ranking or a career qualification.
Sort errors by what caused them
- Knowledge: you did not know the word, rule or method.
- Interpretation: you misunderstood the question or missed a condition.
- Execution: the method was sound, but a calculation or tracking step went wrong.
- Pacing: you rushed, stalled or left questions unfinished.
These categories are a practical review tool. One error can involve more than one cause. If you rushed because the method was unfamiliar, work on the method before shortening your time allowance.
For every reviewed answer, finish the sentence “Next time I will…” with a visible action. “Label total ratio parts before dividing” gives you something to practise and observe.
Turn one result into a weekly plan
Here is an original example. In a 20-question practice set, you answer 14 correctly. Of the six errors, three involve ratio shares, two involve overlooking a word such as “except” and one is a multiplication slip.
For the next week, schedule two short ratio sessions, one careful-reading session and a few multiplication checks within mixed practice. Keep a small amount of work on stronger topics. This allocation responds to the actual pattern rather than repeating an entire set immediately.
For ratios, your first target might be to explain how the total parts are found. For reading, your target might be to restate what the question asks before selecting an option. Check accuracy before trying to increase speed.
Retest with fresh questions and adjust
After practising the selected skills, use a fresh set under comparable conditions. Review the steps as well as the score. If ratio mistakes continue, examine whether the difficulty is recognising the whole, dividing into parts or checking the answer.
The UNC Learning Center recommends self-testing, explaining methods and spacing study across sessions. Use those habits to make your review active: attempt a problem, explain your reasoning and return to the skill after a gap.
Keep the next plan modest enough to complete. Use our preparation guide for your routine. Start Free Trial, then turn your first practice review into one clear study priority.