Choosing the Right Event
Industry Buzzwords
Check out some common words that are specific to different industries. You never know when they may show up in an exam/role play or you may be able to use them (in the appropriate context) to wow your judge!
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT + ADMINISTRATION
HOSPITALITY + TOURISM
MARKETING
PLAY BINGO WITH THE MARKETING BUZZWORDS
CALL CARDS COMING SOON
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
FINANCE
Do you know a buzzword that you think everyone should know? Let us know!
Exam Blueprints
3 Reasons Why You Should Do A Written Event
With over fifty competitive events, choosing just one to participate in can be one of the most difficult choices to face in DECA. However, a choice that’s much less overwhelming to make but narrows down your choices greatly is whether you want to compete in a written or role play event. A written event involves writing a paper, submitted before competition, and presenting it to a judge. A role play event involves taking a test beforehand and then presenting a response to a scenario you are given at competition. Not sure about which one of these two event categories is best for you? Read on to find out three major reasons that written events might be the perfect fit for you!
You should do a written event if. . .
1) You present the best when you’ve had time to rehearse.
One of the biggest downsides to roleplay events is their on-the-spot nature: you have less than an hour to both brainstorm and deliver a top-notch presentation. On the other hand, if your presentations are best when you’re able to practice them beforehand, a written event allows you to do just that. You’ll be able to spend several months before competition perfecting your presentation so you know it’s the best it can be when you finally deliver it to a judge.
2) You’re a stellar writer.
Your competitive event should show off your best skills. If you have a special way with words, a written event is for you! Your awesome writer’s voice will help you to craft a paper that is both informative yet engaging - a winning combination.
3) You have a unique idea you know you can sell to the judges.
Whether it be a creative way to transform a business whose stock has been underperforming or an idea for the next big tech gadget, a written event is a great way to display a unique, game-changing idea. Use your paper as a tool to pitch your out-of-this-world idea to your judge.
Did any of those reasons sound just like you? If so, check out the DECA website’s competitive events page to find out more about what written events are available!
BY: ANYA KACKER
Related Resources:
Do's and Don'ts of Personal Financial Literacy
The Personal Financial Literacy Event measures the personal finance knowledge and skills a DECA member should possess, it is designed to measure your ability to apply reliable information and systematic decision making to personal financial decisions. You automatically have the advantage in this event when you have prior knowledge or experience whether it be from your personal finances or by taking finance-related courses. Since this is a role play event, you will be required to take a 100-question exam, have 10 minutes to prep time, and then 10 minutes to present your case study before a judge.
1. STUDYING
Let’s just be honest, studying is a major dislike amongst students, but to succeed in this event, studying is vital. Visit deca.org & texasdeca.org to see the hundreds of study materials that's been provided.
DO STUDY THE PRACTICE TEST – One of the best resources that we’ve been granted are the practice tests. These are questions that have previously been used and that you may see again on your actual 100 question exam, so it’s best that you familiarize yourself with them.
DON'T WASTE TIME – Competition season comes very fast so it's best that you give yourself time to prepare. Remember it is impossible to prepare when you procrastinate, You’re on the road to DECA glass!
2. TESTING
Taking 100-question exams in just 90 minutes isn’t an easy task. It’s important that you remain alert and use great test-taking strategies.
DO THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU’VE SEEN BEFORE FIRST – If you took the time to study the practice test, then you will notice that some of the questions are the same or very similar. Do those first so that you have time to focus on more challenging ones.
DON’T EAT A HEAVY BREAKFAST OR MEAL BEFOREHAND – When you eat heavy you get something I call “THE ITIS”. In other words, you get sleepy and instead of focusing on your test, you focus on fighting your sleep. Eat something light on your stomach like fruit or cereal.
3. ROLE PLAY
A role play can be very stressful, especially when it’s your very first time doing one. However, there are ways to get rid of the anxiety and give your judge the best role play they’ve ever seen.
Quick Tip: The very first thing you want to do is greet your judge by shaking their hand, telling them your name and what your role is given by the case study.
DO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS – The performance indicators are the specific topic questions that your judge will ask you, familiarize yourself with them so you know the type of questions you’ll be asked.
DON’T SAY “I DON T KNOW” – If you don’t understand a question, then that completely okay to ask your judge to clarify or explain the question to you. Remember you want to treat this like a job / professional career interview. Would you say I don’t know to a question asked by a future boss?
BY: TAE’ LYN NICHOLSON
How to Get a Higher Test Score
Take every practice test you can! You can find numerous online just by searching on the web “DECA (Insert Cluster Name) Cluster Practice Exams.” When taking these tests, I would make sure you understand why you got each question wrong. In my opinion, reading through the answers is far more significant than taking the actual test. If you don’t get a certain concept when testing, search for it online and take the time out to read articles or watch a couple videos. Your friends, family, and teachers are also great resources to use!
Learn your vocab! All of the DECA Exams you take will be heavy with vocabulary, and so it is essential that you understand all terms possible. I personally find it very helpful to search for glossaries on the web - I know Quizlet is a very helpful tool! Just a simple “DECA (Insert Cluster Name) Vocabulary” search on the web can land you hundreds of terms! Another thing I would do is to go through a list of all the Performance Indicators in your event and write down every term you are unfamiliar with. When studying your vocabulary, I would make sure you really understand the terms rather than just the definition. Take some time to set up a schedule and memorize roughly 20 terms a week. Review the terms you previously learned and try to employ them in sentences to increase retention. The vocabulary you learn will not only assist you when you take your test but when you do your Roleplays - judges are very impressed when they hear these terms!
Know your exam! You can find breakdowns of every DECA Cluster Exam here. This is an amazing resource primarily because it tells you what concepts to focus on the most. The instructional areas provided on the chart are broad categories you need to understand before you take your test.
Try to convince your chapter to get Competition University! Competition University is a website that is designed to train DECA members in any competitive event. It has all the DECA resources ready to go, will teach you performance indicators, and go over practice tests with you.
Use the official DECA Images Resources. DECA Images sells competition materials you can purchase online. This includes things such as flashcards, tests, and much more. This is a great way to study, as you know these resources are reliable since they come from DECA themselves.
For any other resources, visit www.texasdeca.org! Texas DECA provides a wide array of materials to help you succeed as a DECA member, whether it be competition, chapter management, or leadership development. Also, please let Texas DECA know if you have any requests for a new resource to be made
BY: DHRUV GOMBER
Related Resources:
Glass Class - Competition
Related Resources:
Texas DECA Champions' Resources
Resources for Written/Prepared Events
This page is currently under rennovations. Please check back soon for updates and information.
SAMPLE PREPARATION CALENDARS FOR YOUR EVENT
Integrated Marketing Campaign Events
operations research events
Professional Selling + Consulting Events
Project Management Events
entrepreneurship events
INNOVATION PLAN
INDEPENDENT BUSINESS PLAN
BUSINESS GROWTH PLAN
START UP BUSINESS PLAN
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN
FRANCHISE BUSINESS PLAN
Selling and Consulting Events
Financial Consulting (FCE)
(SAMple competitive event page, all events coming soon)
For 2022-2023 you will assume the role of a financial consultant to a local bank.
The bank is looking to close some of its brick-and-mortar locations and transition more of its services to an online/virtual platform. The bank is seeking your recommendation on what services could be transitioned to an online-only banking platform without compromising customer service to its customers.
Related Resources:
Competitive Events Update
Get a head start on the 2024-2025 competition season with DECA's competitive topics and resources for business operations research, professional selling, hospitality and tourism professional selling and financial consulting.
BUSINESS OPERATIONS RESEARCH EVENTS
The 2024-2025 topic for each career category is the development of a strategic plan to enhance or introduce the use of AI in an existing business or organization. Participants will collaborate with a local business or organization to analyze current AI strategies and practices. Participants will then develop and present a strategic plan for AI usage.
FINANCIAL CONSULTING (FCE)
For 2024-2025, you will assume the role of a financial consultant who works with student-athletes. A potential new client, a college-level athlete who is receiving money from NIL (name, image and likeness) deals has scheduled a meeting with you to learn about how to get started with basic investing. The client would like you to explain different investing options to develop and build a financial portfolio.
HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM PROFESSIONAL SELLING (HTPS)
For 2024-2025, you will assume the role of a sales representative for a company specializing in sustainable products. The purchasing manager for a local hotel chain has scheduled a meeting with you to learn about sustainable product options that can be integrated into any of their departments.
PROFESSIONAL SELLING (PSE)
For 2024-2025 you will assume the role of a sales representative of a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. A local small business owner has scheduled a meeting with you to see the potential benefits of adding a CRM platform to reach current and potential customers. The owner wants to learn how your CRM platform will engage customers to positively influence buyer behavior, build brand loyalty, and meet the business's goals.
Related Resources:
Entrepreneurship Challenge
Case Study Challenge
DECA Presentations
Click on the presentation name above to jump to that section.
COMPETITIVE EVENTS 101
PREVIEW
What does this presentation include?
*The Google Slides and PowerPoint versions each have presentation notes in the notes section of each slide*
INTRO CHAPTER MEETING
PREVIEW
What does this presentation include?
INTRO TO DECA
PREVIEW
What does this presentation include?
PRE-COMPETITION MEETING
PREVIEW
What does this presentation include?
HOW TO HOST A SOCIAL
PREVIEW
What does this presentation include?
Practice Testing
Competitive Event Allocations
all chapters will get up to 3 allocations per event. additional allocations will be scaled based on chapter size.
The allocation scale can be seen at the bottom of the page. Competitive event allocations are based on the HIGHER total number between the previous year’s final membership and the initial roster submitted by October 15th of the current membership year. See the chart linked below for your allocation based your previous year’s membership. Allocation numbers may increase based on membership numbers as of October 15.
Each individual in principles, personal financial literacy, individual series, or professional selling events counts as ONE allocation. Each two person team for team decision making events counts as ONE allocation. Each team of one to three people for the integrated marketing, operations research, entrepreneurship, or project management events counts as ONE allocation.
Allocations will be scaled based on the higher total number between the previous year’s final membership and the initial roster submitted by October 15th of the current membership year.
10-99 Members: up to 3 per event
100-149 members: up to 4 per event
150-199 members: up to 5 per event
200-249 members: up to 6 per event
250-299 members: up to 7 per event
300-349 members: up to 8 per event
350-399 members: up to 9 per event
400+ members: up to 10 per event
Principles of Business Administration Events (must be the first year on a DECA Roster)
PBM Principles of Business Management and Administration
PEN Principles of Entrepreneurship
PFN Principles of Finance
PHT Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
PMK Principles of Marketing
Financial Literacy Event
PFL Personal Financial Literacy
Individual Series Events
ACT Accounting Applications Series
AAM Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series
ASM Automotive Services Marketing Series
BFS Business Finance Series
BSM Business Services Marketing Series
ENT Entrepreneurship Series
FMS Food Marketing Series
HLM Hotel and Lodging Management Series
HRM Human Resources Management Series
MCS Marketing Communications Series
QSRM Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
RFSM Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
RMS Retail Merchandising Series
SEM Sport and Entertainment Marketing Series
Team Decision Making Events
BLTDM Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making Event
BTDM Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making Event
ETDM Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making Event
FTDM Financial Services Team Decision Making Event
HTDM Hospitality Services Team Decision Making Event
MTDM Marketing Management Team Decision Making Event
STDM Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making Event
TTDM Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making Event
Integrated Marketing Campaign
IMCE Integrated Marketing Campaign - Event
IMCP Integrated Marketing Campaign - Product
IMCS Integrated Marketing Campaign - Service
Professional Selling Events
FCE Financial Consulting
HTPS Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
PSE Professional Selling Event Personal
Business Operations Research Events
BOR Business Services Operations Research Event
BMOR Buying and Merchandising Operations Research Event
FOR Finance Operations Research Event
HTOR Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research Event
SEOR Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research Event
Entrepreneurship Events
EIP Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan
ESB Entrepreneurship Start-Up Business Plan
EIB Entrepreneurship Independent Business Plan
EFB Entrepreneurship Franchise Business Plan
IBP International Business Plan
EBG Entrepreneurship Business Growth Plan
Project Management Events
PMBS Business Solutions Project
PMCD Career Development Project
PMCA Community Awareness Project
PMCG Community Giving Project
PMFL Financial Literacy Project
PMSP Sales Project
Related Resources:
How to Prepare for District CDC
I’m pretty sure we can all agree on one thing here- preparation is a MUST at competition. Although it may be true that we all prepare in different ways, there are a few preparation tips that we all can practice. Let’s go through the top three together.
Tip #1: Get PLENTY of Rest.
I know, this is probably the most cliche of all competition tips. But here’s the thing about cliches- they’re usually ALWAYS on point. Sleep can go a long way, so make sure you’re asleep for at least eight hours the night before competition. Some people are under the false impression that cramming the night before competition helps, when in reality, this will only overwhelm your brain. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a trip back to science class.
“In the 1970’s researchers proposed the “Levels of Processing” theory. They argued that “deep processing” led to better long-term memory than “shallow processing”. Shallow processed information can be encoded by the brain based on the simple characteristics of the words, rather than the meaning. So the knowledge is only able to be stored in short-term memory stores, where it is only retained for a short period.”
Scientists said it, not me. Okay on a serious note, prepare and study months in advance, so the night before competition you can treat yourself to some beauty sleep. I promise, the next morning you will feel as confident as ever!
Tip #2: Make Flashcards
This can work for both written and role plays! For role plays, making flash cards on key vocabulary terms will definitely help you in terms of presentation and allowing yourself to stand out among other competitors. On the other hand, for written, it would be in your best favor to NOT memorize your entire presentation, but rather make flashcards that will lead you to the right track. You can use these flashcards while you present in front of your friends, teachers, and families! Just make sure they’re not physically used during your role play. With this tip, you’ll be on your journey to success in DECA Competition.
Tip #3: Be Yourself.
Our last and final tip is to be yourself. Now I know what you’re thinking, “That was even more cliche than the first tip!” Okay, yeah. It kind of was. Just remember, even though technological terms and advanced speaking skills goes a long way- having a personality of your own is just as important. Remember- your judge is human, too. We’re all different variations on a theme. There is only one YOU. Nobody else is exactly like you, and that’s what makes us all unique. This is a factor that none of us should take for granted. When you make your first impression to the judge, make sure you’re promoting your brand positively and that you remain yourself the whole time. Hopefully this will ease out your nerves a little bit, and have you shine on that stage!
BY: RHEA ATHILAT
Related Resources:
5 Simple Competition Preparation Tips
1) Reach Out - One of the most important things in creating a successful project is networking. Contacting local business owners gives you the advantage of professional feedback and possible tips to ensure your further success!
2) Step Out of Your Comfort Zone - Winning projects are usually those that leave an impact on the judge. While preparing your presentation, think of creative or unconventional ways to capture your judge's attention and incorporate them.
3) Have A Good Partner Dynamic - This is something that is critical when working with a group. Choose partners that will work equally as hard, and will motivate you to win some DECA glass! Learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and utilize them during competition.
4) Don't Stop Preparing - There is always room for improvement in your paper, presentation, visual aids, etc. Ask teachers, industry professionals, or any other adult to critique your project and provide you with feedback. Use the feedback people give you to finetune your project and truly make it ICDC worthy.
5) Envision Yourself Winning DECA Glass - One of the best motivators is to imagine yourself, or your team, on that ICDC podium, grinning from ear to ear because you have just won some sweet DECA Glass! While it is hard, it is not impossible. Envisioning that "moment of glory" will help remind yourself that the work is worth it.
BY: SARAH JOSHI
Related Resources:
Why You Should Put in the Work for #DECAGlass
Around this time of year, many members in my chapter are beginning their competition preparation and they often ask the chapter officers “Why should I put in the work for DECA glass?” The generic response of many include:
-Free vacation
-Fun-experience away from school (except making up the missed work is not so much fun)
-Bolstering college resumes
However, these superficial reasons aren’t what develops winners of DECA glass, instead it's the reward reaped through perseverance and hard work. Whether you are running for office, competing in your respective event, or winning a D4DC scavenger hunt, that moment of glory on stage is unlike any other. I can say that there truly is nothing better than raising that DECA glass (or medallion depending on district awards ;) above you like Mufasa holding Simba in the Lion King as many competitors admire your success.
Last year, I advanced from the District 4 CDC to state. My upperclassmen friends had told me how difficult the road beyond state to ICDC would be, saying that “The other kids are getting almost perfect scores on their tests and role-plays and even if you are perfect, it’s still the luck of a draw”. I never had that officer to tell me that going to ICDC would be a feat someone like me could achieve. As a result, I prepared much less that I should have, taking about two practice tests and a couple roleplays. During testing, I rushed because of the seemingly nonexistent possibility of reaching ICDC even with a good test score. Given my pessimism, I went to state without pressure and with a cool aura around me. As a result, the role-plays I did at SCDC had turned out to be successful and I knew I had maximized both role-plays despite my lack of specialized preparation. My words flowed eloquently and the thoughts were conveyed cohesively as the analogies and jokes I mentioned spiced up the act for the judges. Still, I woke up on Awards Day thinking that the most I could’ve achieved was a pat on the back from my amazing advisor, Mrs. Ash, after she saw my score report. With my event being near the end of the ceremony, I remember the moment my name came upon the screen- at first, a moment of shock and non-realization but after comprehending it, a surge of excitement and happiness in my body. Running up to the stage and receiving congratulations from all the 170+ chapter members added to the emotion.
When I went to ICDC, I had some of the best times of my life and I met friends from across the globe that I’ll never forget. This time I made sure I was much more prepared for competition. Although many don’t reach ICDC, the learning opportunities through failure should be used as your motivation to keep moving forward and coming back stronger than next year. Therefore, when people ask why they should work to earn their DECA glass, I tell them about my once in a lifetime experience of holding that glass up and how it is achievable and realistic. It’s vital we express to our competitive members that this road is not only possible for them, but that their work and preparation will directly influence and better their chances of getting the famous #DECAglass.
BY: MICHAEL NGUYEN
Related Resources: