CFAT or SEAF? Check the current Canadian Forces process
Brain Preflight · 2026-10-10
The CFAT was replaced by SEAF in general CAF recruitment. Learn why older aptitude-test guides can mislead and how aircrew selection differs.
Older CFAT guides can describe a previous process
The Royal Military College’s 2025–2026 recruitment brochure states that the Canadian Armed Forces replaced the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) with the Scored Employment Application Form (SEAF) in October 2024. Do not assume an old CFAT practice booklet describes the steps in a new application.
Check the instructions for your own application
Before paying for a course or scheduling weeks of test practice, confirm the assessment named in your recruitment instructions. Ask your recruiting centre if the wording is unclear. A practice app does not establish whether you must sit a particular test. The SEAF should not be presented as a renamed version of a timed cognitive battery.
Aircrew selection is a separate process
The Canadian Forces Aircrew Selection Centre describes aptitude testing for pilot, Aerospace Controller and Air Combat Systems Officer candidates using CFAST. This is distinct from the former CFAT. Use the centre’s current candidate information if your route includes aircrew selection.
What general practice can and cannot do
Brain Preflight includes mental arithmetic, reasoning, spatial and memory exercises. These can be used for general practice, but they do not complete a SEAF application or reproduce the CFAST. If you encounter a CFAT-labelled programme, treat that label as referring to the older test family, not proof of a current recruiting requirement.
Sources
Explore Brain Preflight on iPhoneIndependent app, not affiliated with the organisations named here.