Candidate Academic Background System
(CABS) Help

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Working with the Candidate Academic Background System

General Information

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A Few of Life's Little Mysteries Explained

I got a message that the server was too busy to listen to me. What do I do now?
Try this remedy, then email me if still unsuccessful:
  1. Click the "Back" button to return to the form you entered your data in. The data should be visible.
  2. Open a New Window (Ctrl-N) and click the "Back" button to return to the Main Page.
  3. Continue work on other sections in the new window.
  4. Periodically try to resubmit your data to the server. Close that window when you succeed. Otherwise, click back to your intact data.
  5. If the problem persists, log out and return to the CABS at another time.
Why are you asking me all these questions?
To ensure the most appropriate match between your academic program and your background, we need further information about your preparation. We also want to determine if you are eligible for validation testing to earn credit for courses you might otherwise be required to take. For these purposes, complete and accurate information on your academic preparation is essential.
Take your task seriously. Enter the information requested to the best of your recollection. If you are unsure how to respond, research your answer and enter it later.
Why do I have to enter information I've already submitted in my transcripts?
Transcripts are used for the admissions process, but they are not accessible to the academic personnel who administer validation and placement.  In addition, transcripts are printed, not machine-readable. The few minutes you take to provide this information saves us many hours of tracking down information and increases the reliability of placement results.
Why should I furnish data if I don't care to validate the courses?
  1. We use the data you furnish us for planning and statistics as well as validation and placement.
  2. Your goal and ours is to ensure you take the courses most appropriate for your preparation and abilities.
  3. You do not know yet whether and how validation might benefit you. The coursework matrices for most majors do not include room for many electives. Later on you will appreciate the scheduling flexibility which validation provides.
Special Information for AOL Customers
A few America On Line customers have reported problems submitting information on certain forms. The error message typically includes words like "the program does not support this protocol". Similar problems have rarely been reported by users with other ISPs.

If you experience this problem...

  • Try submitting the missing information from another location (school, library, friend's house) that does not connect via AOL.
  • Please follow these guidelines to help us diagnose and resolve the problem:
    1. First, copy the entire error message to the clipboard (Windows: Ctrl-A Ctrl-C).
    2. Click your browser's back button to return to the screen you tried to submit.
    3. Click the "Feedback to Webmaster" link and paste the error message in body of the message (Click in message area; Windows: Ctrl-V).
    4. Before sending the email message, click on "Help", then "About AOL" to find the browser version information.
    5. Report whether it says "For Windows" or "For Windows 9x" and the version number.
    6. Press Ctrl-R and copy the Revision number to the email message.
    7. You may submit the information to the Webmaster via email. Make sure you include all the data requested.

Thank you for helping us resolve this issue!

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Tips

  • Each time you use the CABS, you must log on to the system.
    • Use your six-digit candidate number starting with "3" and your last name as shown in official USNA correspondence.
    • If your last name contains a hyphen, a period or an apostrophe, that character may have been replaced with a space or omitted.  Please try different variants of your name if you do not succeed at first.
  • If you cannot log on after several tries, click here to send email to the Webmaster. Be sure to include your full name, candidate ID or social security number, as well as your email address and telephone number. He will verify the correct form of your name as shown in the login database.
  • Occasionally candidates receive the notification letter before the login database has been been updated. The Webmaster will notify you by email when you can log on.
  • To add a school or college to the dropdown lists...
    1. Click "Submit" to save data already entered in the form you are working on.
    2. Return to the Main Page (even if informed that your data is incomplete), then click "Edit School Data / Email Address".
    3. Edit and Submit the school data.
    4. Return to the page you were working on only via the Main Page (this gets you an updated copy of the entry form).
    5. If your corrections do not appear on the list, "Reload / Refresh" your screen display (F5). If they still are missing, you probably forgot to click "Submit" on the "Edit School Data" form. Please try that again.
  • To print out a page for reference, proofreading or filing with your records, click the "File" menu (upper left) then Print, or else click the Printer icon. If a dialog box appears, click "Ok". Ctrl-P should also do the trick. (Note: there must be a printer attached to the system and it must be on.)
  • Click the "Back" button (Shortcut: Netscape Alt-←, IE Backspace) to...
    • preview a page and return to the Main Page without entering anything
    • cancel input you have just made.

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System and Browser Requirements

  • Most pages work with Microsoft Internet Explorer ver. 6 or higher (later versions preferred), as well as current versions of Firefox, Netscape, Safari and Opera.
  • The Mathematics Placement and Validation Exams requires a minimum of Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7 or Firefox 1.x.
  • JavaScript and "Cookies" or "Session Cookies" must be enabled
  • Disable any popup blockers in your browser for usna.edu
  • Color display with at least 256 colors is required; more colors preferred
  • Most pages are relatively small (5-13 KB) and should download in less than 15 seconds each even for slow modem connections. Longer times may be due to heavy server use or Internet traffic congestion. If you experience delays, try again when there is likely to be less traffic.

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Working with CABS Pages and Forms

Some of the webpages on this site use tabs. Click on each tab in succession to see all the information presented / requested. Click Show All to see all the information on the page at once, e.g. to verify that you have entered all necessary data or to print out the page.

Click on tabs to view content
Forms Background Academics Validation Show All

Web pages that ask you to enter information are called forms. Each place you enter information is called a field. There are 5 kinds of entry fields, each with its own quirks. Practice using these entry types here.

Mouse-free Shortcut: when you have entered data in a field, press the Tab key to jump to the next field. You'll see a dotted line around the new "active" field. To Tab backwards, hold down the Shift key while pressing Tab.

Radio Buttons
Click any circle to select. This deselects the other options in the group. CABS requires you to choose an option wherever there is a group of radio buttons.
Yes
No
Maybe
Mouse-free Shortcut: Tab to the choice you want, then press the Spacebar to select it.
Check Boxes
Click any square to select it, click again to deselect it. Any other options are unaffected. CABS does not require you to select checkboxes if the statement does not apply to you.
I sure am glad school's almost over.
I just can't wait to report to USNA
Mouse-free Shortcut: Tab to the choice you want, then press the Spacebar to turn it on / off.
Dropdown (Option) Boxes
Click the arrow on the right side of the field to display the choices, then Click on the appropriate option. If there are too many choices to display at once, a scrollbar appears next to the list.
CABS requires you to choose an option from a dropdown box if you have entered information in a related field.
Select the best option:  
Mouse-free Shortcut: Tab to the dropdown box, then press the down arrow until the option you want is displayed. Alternatively, press the first letter of the word you want to choose. If more than one word begins with that letter, press the letter until you see the choice you want.
Text Lines
Enter text from the keyboard. If there is already text in the field that needs editing, either use the Delete key or highlight and type over it.
While the amount of text required usually fits into the space provided, you can continue typing after the field appears full.
Please enter your name:
Mouse-free Shortcut: Press down the Shift key, then press End to highlight all the text for overwriting.
Text Areas
Enter longer amounts of text from the keyboard.
If there is already text in the field that needs editing, either use the Delete key or highlight and type over it.
Please enter your life story:
Mouse-free Shortcut: Press down the Shift key, then press End, then down arrow to highlight all the text for overwriting.
Buttons
Click a button to initiate an action like logging in, submitting information you have entered, sending feedback to the Webmaster, or displaying a pop-up like this Help window.
Important buttons in CABS include...
  • "Submit Entries" saves the information you have input on a form and returns you to the Main Page.
  • "Return to Main Page" goes back directly, without submitting any changes you have entered (available only after you have submitted data with errors).
  • "Privacy Act Statement" allows you to read your rights.
  • "Help" shows this screen.
  • "Close" takes away a pop-up window like this one.
  • "Logout" saves your status and closes the session so that no one else can access your data.
Mouse-free Shortcut: Tab to the button you want, then press the Spacebar.

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Click here to report problems or send suggestions to Webmaster.
Revision: 15 April 2009
URL: http://cabs.usna.edu/candidatehelp.html