Check out these interviews with some of our past Texas DECA Champions to get some tips and tricks on how you can better your role plays/presentations!
Student Testimonials
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
Branding Guidelines
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
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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
5 Preparation Tips for District Testing
All Texas DECA Districts will host testing in less than two weeks! Members will be able to compete in role play events, run for district office, and network with members. Keep in mind that you need to “pass” this test in order to QUALIFY for potential advancements for State CDC. For example, if you score a 35%, you will not be able to advance to State no matter how well your role play may have been. Below are tips for preparation and testing itself:
1) STUDY!!! You won’t do well if you don’t try. Practice using tests from previous years. Some questions are recycled. Don’t procrastinate!!!
2) Set a reasonable goal! Write out your goal on paper. Goal setting is important and will motivate you to work hard leading up to testing.
3) Keep track of time. Remember that you are taking a timed test, so bring a watch that doesn’t make beeping noises or doesn’t have an alarm. Smart Watches are not allowed!
4) Stay hydrated and eat well. Sounds obvious, but you need to seriously keep yourself healthy if you want your brain to perform at its best for testing.
5) Get lots of rest! As always, you function best when you are well rested and have sufficient energy. Don’t stay up all night cramming or playing video games.
BY: EMILY NGUYEN
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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
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Why You Should Compete in a Role Play Event
Roleplays are the perfect way to test your skills of improvisation and quick-thinking or just confidence improvement! If you’re willing to take on the challenge of spontaneity, roleplays are the optimum type of competition for your DECA experience.
Test your knowledge!
Given performance indicators and a scenario, your true knowledge about your competitive event is being put to the test! This best indicates your strengths and weaknesses, helping you build your knowledge and experience of working in the business world. Not only does this improve your skills and application, but also allows you to showcase your abilities on the tested subject. Roleplays really give you a chance to put your best foot forward, if you’re willing to work for it!
Build your confidence!
Learning to present or speak in public can be intimidating and embarrassing, however, roleplays are the icebreaker to gaining confidence in your presentations. Roleplays give you a safe environment to practice your presentation, in a one-on-one environment with the judge. This allows you to have a more intimate environment, giving you tense, yet secure, conditions to grow your confidence skills. A large factor in roleplays includes your confidence levels: handshake, eye contact, posture, and overall engagement. These confidence indicators can boost your presentation, and teach you valuable lessons for future interviews where confidence is key! Considering the factor of improvisation and spontaneity, with practice, roleplays help teach confidence even when you feel overwhelmed in an interview.
Give you an accurate image of real-life situations!
Taking on a hypothetical role and purpose in these interviews allows you to not only assert confidence but gain knowledge of how your skills are applicable in the business world. All roleplays have a situation that is likely to occur in your future of conducting business, whether it comes to customer satisfaction or managing resources. Roleplays give you an accurate representation of problems that employers face and allow you to explore the options of solutions. Not only will this increase your score in a DECA competition, but furthermore prepare you for your future in the business world. Practicing creating new ideas and solutions with originality and leadership in a roleplay inclines you towards being more successful in the future when you approach a similar situation.
BY: MADELINE SEVERSON
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Industry Insight
Check out these resources to see what a career in each of these fields could look like!
FINANCE
Jobs for Graduates with a Finance Degree
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-jobs-for-finance-majors-2064048
What can you do with a finance degree?
https://www.gmercyu.edu/academics/learn/careers-in-finance
Interesting Finance Careers You Didn’t Know Existed
https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/resources/getting-started/interesting-finance-careers-you-didn-t-know-existed
12 Interesting Jobs in Finance
https://www.bentley.edu/news/12-interesting-jobs-finance
HOSPITALITY
Careers in Hospitality
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/hospitality-job-titles-2061496
Potential Jobs with a Hospitality Management Degree
https://www.kent.edu/ehhs/fla/hm/15-potential-jobs
Getting started in Hospitality
https://www.livecareer.com/resources/jobs/search/hospitality
4 Steps to Getting a Job as a Hotel Manager
https://blog.capterra.com/4-steps-to-getting-a-job-as-a-hotel-manager/
Get Your Foot in the Door in the Hospitality Industry
https://www.facebook.com/notes/academy-of-learning-career-college/going-into-the-hospitality-industry-5-tips-to-get-your-foot-in-the-door/10154504451454373/
10 Reasons Hospitality Jobs are Great
https://www.caterer.com/advice/10-reasons-why-hospitality-jobs-are-great
MANAGEMENT
Careers in Management:
http://www.careers-in-business.com/management/; https://thebestschools.org/careers/management-careers/
What can I do with a major in Management & Leadership?
https://business.ku.edu/what-can-i-do-major-management-leadership
What to know about a career in management:
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/is-management-for-me-2275352
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Using Key-Word Dropping to Your Advantage
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Sample Cover Letters
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Guide to Personal Branding
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Career Aptitude Tests
16 Personalities
This site provides a “personality” (or preference) assessment that returns a 4-letter code similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Users will answer questions and be provided with detailed free information about their type with the option to explore all 16 types. There is a strong “Our Theory” page that describes how the assessment was created and where to go for additional information.
assessment.com (MAPP)
The MAPP is an interest survey designed by the International Assessment Network in Minneapolis, MN. A free sample MAPP Career Analysis is provided to help individuals identify their preferences for working with people or things, and other job characteristics; it also suggests some occupations that match these preferences. The resulting report is sent to the user via e-mail, outlining his or her “natural motivations and talent for work” and matching these to five occupational descriptions from O*NET.
ASVAB Career Exploration Program
The Department of Defense provides high schools with the Career Exploration Program as a career planning and exploration program. This is free to the schools and students and can provide career path information that students may not be considering. It includes an aptitude and interest assessment with links to occupations.
CareerOneStop Self Assessments Pages
This site has free online self-assessments for interests, skills, and work values. Users who take the assessments can print and/or save their results and compare with occupational information.
cddq.org
In addition to the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), this site includes seven more free assessments designed to assist individuals in the process of making a career decision by helping them clarify difficulties and providing a framework for career decisionmaking organized into a three-stage process. Information about and access to Making Better Career Decisions (MBCD), an Internet based career planning system, is provided. There is a special section of the website with information specifically for career development practitioners.
GSP Life Plan
Career, education, finance, leadership, and personal plans for success for students. Start with the assessments and learn how to create smart goals and action plans.
O*NET Career Exploration Tools
These instruments will help individuals identify their work-related interests, what they consider important on the job, and their abilities in order to explore those occupations that relate most closely to those attributes.
O*Net Interest Profiler
The O*Net Interest Profiler is an assessment of client interests based on Holland’s theory (RIASEC). This page has direct links to the four forms of the interest profiler including a 60- question web-based version, a 30-question mobile-friendly version, a paper and pencil handscored version, and downloadable software.
personal globe inventory
This interest assessment was created by Arizona State University to help students and clients match interests scores to occupations and college majors.
student interest survey for career clusters
A career guidance tool that allows students to respond to questions and identify the top three Career Clusters of interest based on their responses. This pencil/paper survey takes about fifteen minutes to complete and can be used in the classroom or for presentations with audiences who have an interest in career exploration. The survey is available in English and Spanish and can be viewed and printed.
work importance profiler
What's important to you in a job? Discover how much you value achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support, and working conditions in a job. Get a list of jobs that reflect your values.
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Texas DECA W-9
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LEAN Business Model
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