@@RobertVasquezJr-hh1hu failed at the body drag, but I’m honestly pretty excited to have made it so far. It was a practice event that cost nothing, so I’ll be going again in a week or two.
Sorry to hear that, but at least you know what to work on more specifically now. That’s great that you’ve been able to drop from 320 to 255! Keep up the good work!
@@KarryJones in my state, the practice exams are free. I was close enough without training to feel confident that I will pass after a few weeks of dedicated lifting and cardio. It is my determined purpose to one day say my best years are not behind me.
Update.. just got invited to a chiefs interview!! Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it!! I’m 50 years old and moving on! Thanks for all your videos..
I would say the stair climb and the force entry were the most challenging for me. Legs got tired on climb and arms on the force entry but never give up. Good luck to everyone and great video 😃
The stairs are timed in that, there’s a 20 second warmup period (50steps/min) then the 10:20 time clock starts and you have 3 more minutes (60steps/min). Other than that, there isn’t a time limit for any particular event, just the overall time.
@@joseluismartinez562 CPAT is a standardized test. It doesn’t matter where you take it, the events will always be in the same order, with the same distance between each event, with the same time limit.
Yup! Stairs and Dummy were the hardest parts of the test for me. But I just pull all my focus forward and came out at 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Not the most ideal timing, but at least I passed.
I passed my CPAT first try this weekend with an 8:52. I wanted be faster, but I'll take the pass. The stairs weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be, but I trained for them. I didn't feel *real* exhaustion until I hit the back half of the dummy drag. I then took *forever* to get through the ceiling breach and pull. Thank you for providing this resource for everyone!
So, the sweating at the beginning was just from helping reset the test for the candidates earlier that morning, haha. But yes, the test is much harder than it appears!
Great video guys! I’ll be doing this test in a week and a half in a bid to join my local volunteer FD. This is probably the best video I’ve found on this test yet, and you included some important details I haven’t caught in other videos
Just passed my CPAT today, wanted to stop and take a breath after the hose drag, but just kept going. A little sloppy too, but I still made it with 30 seconds to spare!
That’s great! It’s more of a mental test than you’d expect. It’s too easy to take a break, thinking that you have plenty of time to finish. Good job pushing through!
@@mattdawgg100 congrats man! Just a few questions if you don’t mind. I’m really interested in becoming a fire fighter. How do you like it? What’s your schedule over there and how do you feel about it? Over here in CT most departments are at a 24/72 schedule.
Failed today due to time. Failed on the last portion. I've passed the test before about a year ago. Went to emt and fire academy graduated and took the test again to get hired, but failed. Very annoying. Ill hit the gym harder for a month and go back and take it again.
@@KarryJones I think an issue with me is I panic. I can do the stair master at my gym for 5 mins with a 80 pound walk around after. But when I do the cpat at the beginning I start panicking and start breathing hard and my heart starts going harder. With me, it mostly seems like a mental thing unfortunately.
It is a great workout! A couple of kids in a sled might make a similar drag to the 165lb mannequin, and the kids would get a fun ride as a nice by-product!
That’s great! It all depends on your physical fitness and mentality going into it. I’ve seen as many as 20 out of 22 candidates fail on test day. That wasn’t a typical day, but it goes to show you not everyone who tries it will come close to passing.
@@KarryJones just wanted to provide reassurance to anyone feeling nervous like I was.. glad you posted this video with a walk through though, it really helped!
Thanks for the great video! I am currently training to enter the fire academy, and we need to complete the PAT. I am presuming it similar or nearly identical to the CPAT. Currently, I can clear without a vest around 190 steps in 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Do you guys happen to know what speed the stairmaster set on for the step portion of the test?
You’re welcome! The StairMaster has a specific CPAT sequence (⬆️, 91, Enter) that starts 20sec at 50/min then ramps up to 60/min for 3min. For a total of 230 steps in 3:20. Sounds like you’re basically there, but it’s totally different when you have to do it with an extra 75lbs on! So “CPAT” is a standardized test that’s the same no matter where you take it. If a specific recruit school has their own physical ability test, it may be similar to CPAT, but could vary quite a bit depending on how they have it set up.
I have 6 days to prepare for my CPAT... I'm 53 years old, and not in the best shape.... Plan on doing the stairclimber twice a day for the next 6 days. I can do it now, but have to hold on, so... wish me luck.
You have a lot of work ahead to only have 6 days to prep…but good luck on your journey. Just don’t go so hard that you get yourself hurt, and get plenty of rest before the test.
I would highly suggest training with a stairmaster and weighted vest, if you have access to one. That’s the one event that takes out the highest number of candidates. I know you don’t have much time left, but work on increasing cardio capacity. If you haven’t seen it, I do have a video with some exercise ideas geared towards the specific movements in CPAT: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lc2oERN4x7Q.html And tips for getting a better time: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QQqiuYPLBWM.html Also, get plenty of rest the day & night before and stay hydrated the morning of. CPAT is a mental challenge as much as physical. Keep pushing even when you’re tired and feel like stopping. It’s much easier to keep going than to stop and try to start back.
Thanks, I hope it really helps people who are going to be taking the test. I tried to make it relevant to those who are taking it at Rocky Ridge, but also have enough value to benefit anyone across the country.
Hey, that’s great! CPAT is at Station 2 at 4870 Cahaba River Road. Look up their Facebook page for dates: facebook.com/people/Rocky-Ridge-Fire-CPAT/100063555880738/
There is a buzzer that goes off when you are done. I’ve seen it take as few as 3 hits and as many as 20. It all depends on how hard you swing and how accurate you place the blow. A hit in the center will move it much more than an off-axis hit.
Can you fireman’s carry the dummy? Ik it may seem like a dumb question, but as a former marine I feel like I could do better that way. So basically I’m asking does it have to be a drag or can it be a carry?
The CPAT manual specifically states drag. You are also required to use one or both handles of the harness, but that can be done by reaching up under the arms of the dummy if you wanted to.
@@KarryJones thank you I very much appreciate it. I fkn hate drags we used to do it during the CFT but it was under the arms. But regardless I feel like I got it. Used to doing ruck runs and shi like that.
@user-df4cc4lr8j I found it much easier to grab 1 handle @ the harness and pull the mannequin behind you at a crisp walk.. Much easier than waking backwards with baby steps using both handles. I was in the 1st group to run the CPAT in our department over 23 years ago... Thank goodness a captain's wife set up a practice course and offered an eight week class, including unlimited use of the CPAT equipment...she even got us community College credits. I also bought up 75# vest and did every work out wearing it before rookie school...probably why I needed bilateral knee replacement a few years ago. Lol!!
It all depends on your endurance level. If you have great cardio and decent strength, you may be ok. Best way to find out is call your testing location and see if you can do a practice test.
"Isn't hard" is definitely relative to how in-shape you are going into the test. I've seen as many as 20 out of 22 candidates fail on a single test day. It is a mental test as well as physical, so continuing to keep moving forward and pushing through is a must.
Just anything to add to your body weight. A backpack with weights is a great solution and probably slightly harder than a weight vest, since a weight vest keeps everything centered around your core. A farmer’s carry would work as well, as long as you can do it safely on the stairs.
@@jandzjamz6342 no problem! You may have already watched it, but I also have a video on my channel that has some great workout ideas for preparing for CPAT: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lc2oERN4x7Q.html
Definitely the stairs. Second to that the dummy drag. But the problem isn't the actual station, it's doing all of them back to back with only an 80 foot walk between to catch your breath.
Unfortunately I don’t think they collect that data. I can tell you from when I used to proctor tests, most of the time the females who showed up to take the test were prepared enough to pass on the first try versus quite a few males who thought it would be easy only to quit halfway through the test because they didn’t have the endurance.
@@KarryJones : You mentioned that most of the women that showed up were prepared enough but you didn't mention approximately how many actually passed. When you proctored the test, was their pass percentage above 75%, 50%, 25%? Or was it even lower...10%, 5%, 1%? I don't need an exact number, an approximation would be fine.
Yes. I’ve seen as many as 20 in a group of 22 fail. As long as you have good cardio and pace yourself, it’s not that bad. People tend to underestimate how tired they’ll be after almost three and a half minutes on the stairmaster with 75 extra pounds on, then aren’t able to mentally push through after that.
Took my first practice run today and was over by 25 seconds . Definitely feel like I could pass as I was familiarizing myself with the course mostly today. The official test is set for next Thursday 🫣🫣
That's not bad! Yes, now that you're familiar with the course, you should be able to go through faster next time. In case you haven't seen it yet, I have a few tips on how to improve your time: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QQqiuYPLBWM.html
It really depends on how good your cardio is. Each event by itself is fairly easy. But to do them all back to back with only a short walk in between, while wearing a weighted vest, will wear you down.
@Karry Jones Im coming off active duty Marines. My question is what determines pass or fail? Is it a time limit or failing events? If you're not allowed to run then what is the determining factor?
@_Sogo there is a 10’20” time limit to complete the course, but each event must be completed before proceeding to the next event. You will have a proctor walking with you the whole way to give instructions, so don’t sweat remembering everything. If you were just active duty Marines, you shouldn’t have any problem passing. The whole point of the test is just to make sure you’re physically capable of doing basic fireground tasks, not to see how physically fit you are. It’s just a pass/fail test that’s typically required before hiring and/or going to recruit school.
Last time the thing that got me was the breach not sure why but it was 15+ swings for every candidate. I failed on my last set of pull-down. Was the most disheartening thing to think I passed only for them to say I failed by seconds. Will be taking it again in 2 weeks whatever yall do. NEVER GIVE UP! it's only 10 push until your body has nothing to give.
Ah, that’s so disappointing! Good luck on your retest! Yeah, that breach can be a pain sometimes, I’ve seen it as few as 4 hits and as many as 25ish. The biggest thing is to hit it in the center so that it slides evenly on its rails behind.
@DeficatingBum you’re welcome! If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my video of CPAT tips for some other ways to shave off a few seconds: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QQqiuYPLBWM.html
Just passed today with a time of 9:12, would've been faster but I my feet got caught up on the dummy and ate pavement lol (I was using one hand and pulling it at first) just keep moving and you'll pass!
