By Gabriel Melo
Rouse High School
Mastering your career cluster exam is an often overlooked portion of qualifying for ICDC and becoming “the one”. A top score can make all the difference at both the state and international levels, with your cluster exam score being worth a third of your total score when compounded with your presentation (and written report for IMC) in any testing event. Maximizing your score can propel you to new competitive heights, maybe even helping you earn that ICDC Top 10 Test Score medal (and even better, glass!). Here are a couple of steps I recommend taking to increase your test score and master your cluster exam.
FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH YOUR CLUSTER EXAM’S STRUCTURE
As ICDC top 10 test scorers, my teammate and I found that knowing what sections will be tested on your exam and how much each section is tested is key to navigating your way through a DECA test. The exam blueprint is a great resource that goes into detail about what sections are tested for each cluster exam at the district, state, and international levels. The blueprint shows you the specific sections that will hold more importance on your cluster exam. Analyzing these sections and their order can help you better deduce what information you need to dedicate time to studying. Crucially, you need to know, and expect, to see certain concepts be asked on the test because you’ve familiarized yourself with your cluster exam’s structure. This basic knowledge can help guide your study sessions and determine your pacing on test day.
STUDY UP!
Simply knowing what questions are coming next won’t matter if you don’t know the definition of the answer choices or if you can’t conclude what the question is asking. DECA exams will test your business acumen, and for that, you’ll need to know your way around your cluster’s terminology. I recommend using Quizlet and doing a quick search for “DECA *insert cluster here* Terms Flashcards”. There will be multiple sets of hundreds of flashcards you can study for every cluster, so access to information won’t be an issue. And if for example, you’re a Marketing test taker struggling with the Finance section of the Marketing exam, that won’t be a problem either: just search for the finance flashcards and attack the terms you’ve been having trouble with! The best way to get terms nailed down in your brain is to write them on paper, as it has been proven that writing down information makes you more likely to remember it later (trust me). Make sure to revisit any terms you may be confused about and try to incorporate them in your presentations too! Using the terms you study in a presentational setting will help you grasp their definitions even better.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Just like any test, practice makes perfect when it comes to your DECA career cluster exam. Repeatedly seeing and answering questions over and over again will aid in your pattern recognition and help you understand the broader concepts behind each section of the exam. Each test is equipped with an answer key at the end of the document featuring detailed explanations of every answer choice and question. After taking a practice test, mark the questions you missed, then refer to your exam’s key to understand the concepts you originally answered incorrectly. You can find practice exams on DECA+, AnswerWrite, and even online by searching “DECA *insert cluster here* Exam PDF”. In conjunction with studying terminology and knowing your cluster’s exam structure, knocking out hundreds of exam questions will give you the best preparation for test day. More importantly: don’t burn yourself out! While it is important to keep practicing, cramming the night before the test and losing out on important sleep is a no-go. Consistently practicing questions plus habitually studying for a short time daily will be the most effective method to retain terms and concepts. Be prepared well in advance and take those practice tests early!
By following these steps, you’ll be much better prepared to tackle your exam on test day and ace it. Not only will exam mastery guarantee a top score, but gaining knowledge of your cluster’s concepts and terminology will take your presentations to the next level. Good luck this DECA season and I can’t wait to see you all become the one!