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Know your score before the judge does.

DecaLive grades your DECA paper or pitch deck on the 2026‑27 evaluation form, criterion by criterion, and shows the fixes worth the most points before entries are due.

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Grading opens Oct 26. Sign up now and your first full report is free.

Business Services Operations Research

Draft 3 · 19 pages

Estimated score

82/ 100 est.

  • Executive summary9/10
  • Research methods11/15
  • Findings and conclusions7/15
  • Proposed strategic plan14/15

Top fixes, ranked by points

  1. 1

    Findings and conclusions

    Back “most customers” with the share and the question

    +4 pts
  2. 2

    Research methods

    Explain why your sample stands in for real customers

    +3 pts
  3. 3

    Proposed strategic plan

    Match the budget on page 16 to the timeline

    +1 pts
Illustrative example. Every score is an estimate, not an official DECA score.

Upload, fix, and prepare

Three steps you'll repeat with every draft until entries are due.

  1. 01

    Upload your draft

    Drop in your paper or deck as a PDF, from a laptop or a phone. Page count, slide size and required sections are checked in seconds.

  2. 02

    Fix what's worth the most

    Every criterion gets a level, points and the evidence behind them. The fixes come ranked by how many points they can add.

  3. 03

    Prepare for the judge

    Each report lists the questions a judge is most likely to ask about your own research and numbers, and what a strong answer covers.

See exactly where your points went

Every criterion on the evaluation form gets a level, points, the line from your entry that earned them, and the one change that would raise it a level.

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Criteria

Illustrative example

  • Most customers said they would come back more often if prices were lower.

    Page 11

    The conclusion rests on “most customers” without the share or the survey question behind it, so a judge can't tell how strong the finding is.

    To reach the next level

    Report the percentage and the question it came from, then tie the conclusion to that figure.

  • We surveyed 112 members of the booster club using a 14-question online form.

    Page 6

    The method and sample size are clear, but the paper doesn't explain why booster-club members represent the business's customers.

    To reach the next level

    Explain how respondents were chosen and why they stand in for the customers you're studying.

  • Phase 2 launches a punch-card loyalty program in March, owned by the marketing lead.

    Page 15

    Each action has a timeline, an owner and a link back to a finding, which is what the top level asks for.

    Keep it there

    Already at the top level. Keep the budget on page 16 consistent with this timeline.

Catch penalty points before a judge does

Page and slide limits, required sections and readable files are checked before grading. Problems that would stop your entry are flagged right away, and penalty risks are marked with the rule they break.

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Compliance check

Illustrative example

  • 19 numbered pages

    Limit is 20, not counting the title page and contents

  • Readable PDF, 2.4 MB

    Text found on every page

  • Statement of Assurances not found

    Penalty risk · required for every entry

  • No “Research Methods” heading detected

    Penalty risk · required section, checked on pages 4–8

Blocking: grading waits Penalty risk: grading continues

Rehearse the questions your judge will ask

From Nov 19, a practice judge that has read your entry asks about your weakest points, follows up once like a real judge, then tells you what a stronger answer would cover. It never hands you the words.

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Practice · Question 2 of 5

Opens Nov 19

Judge

Your survey reached 112 booster-club members. How do you know they reflect the business’s customers?

You

Most of them shop there every week, and the owner told us they’re her regulars.

Judge

What share of them had actually bought from the business?

After the session: points to cover

  • How respondents were selected
  • The share who are real customers, with a number
  • One limitation of the sample, and how you handled it

Time left until the submission window opens

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days

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hrs

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min

Texas DECA written entries are due Friday, November 13 to Wednesday, November 18. Check your school's internal deadline too: it's often earlier.

Grade every draft before it counts.

You get one real score a season, at districts, after your entry is locked. Get the others before then.

  1. Oct 26Grading opens
  2. Nov 13–18Texas DECA submission window
  3. Nov 19Judge practice opens
  4. Dec 7–8District 5, Round Rock

Built for this season’s forms

Every evaluation form changed for 2026‑27. Tools built on last season’s forms are grading against rules that no longer apply.

  • Four levels on every form

    Novice, Developing, Proficient and Exemplary, scored the way the new forms score them.

  • Pitch decks graded as decks

    All 20 slides read as images, so charts, layout and the story between slides count, not just the words.

  • The 50/50 split

    Written entries now count for half your score, so every written point matters as much as the presentation.

It coaches. It never writes your entry.

DECA allows AI for feedback and asks members to disclose it. DecaLive stays on the right side of that line.

  • Fixes say what to change, not the words to use

    Your entry stays your work, in your voice.

  • Every score is an estimate

    Not an official DECA score. The report says so, every time.

  • Your entry stays private

    Never shared with other students and never used to train AI models.

Every prepared event with a paper or a deck

All 21 DECA high school prepared events for 2026‑27: 15 written entries and 6 pitch decks.

Written entries

Up to 20 numbered pages, plus title page and contents

Business Operations Research

  • BORBusiness Services Operations Research
  • BMORBuying and Merchandising Operations Research
  • FORFinance Operations Research
  • HTORHospitality and Tourism Operations Research
  • SEORSports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research

Project Management

  • PMBSBusiness Solutions
  • PMCACommunity Awareness
  • PMCDCareer Development
  • PMCGCommunity Giving
  • PMFLFinancial Literacy
  • PMSPSales Project

Entrepreneurship

  • EIBIndependent Business Plan
  • IBPInternational Business Plan
  • EBGBusiness Growth Plan
  • EFBFranchise Business Plan

Pitch decks

Up to 20 slides, as a PDF

Entrepreneurship

  • EIPInnovation Plan
  • ESBStart-Up Business Plan

Integrated Marketing Campaign

  • IMCEEvent
  • IMCPProduct
  • IMCSService

Stock Market Game

  • SMGStock Market Game

Start free. Upgrade when you're revising.

Pro is for the weeks you're revising: a weekly allowance of every kind of judging, for one event.

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See what a judge would see.

  • 1 presentation judging every 2 weeks
  • 1 role-play practice every 2 weeks
  • 1 written entry or deck judging every 2 weeks
  • 1 view of judge questions every 2 weeks
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DecaLive Pro

$12per month

For the weeks you're revising. Cancel anytime.

  • 4 presentation judgings a week
  • 8 role-play practices a week
  • 4 written entry or slide deck judgings a week
  • Every draft saved, with its report
Start with a free report

Limits are rolling: each use frees up again 14 days later on Free and 7 days later on Pro. Your Pro allowance belongs to one event, so switching events doesn't reset it.

For advisors: chapter licenses are coming

A chapter workspace will put every member’s drafts and scores in one place, so you can see who’s behind without reading every page. It arrives after the student launch. Until then, each member can start with a free report.

  • Every member's latest score
  • Who hasn't uploaded yet
  • Read-only reports with comments

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official DECA score?

No. Every score is an estimate of what a judge would give, based on the 2026‑27 evaluation form. DecaLive is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DECA Inc.

Will DecaLive write or rewrite my entry?

No. It grades, explains and asks questions. Each fix describes what to change, never the replacement text, and the practice judge names the points to cover rather than giving you answers.

Can I use it under DECA's rules on AI?

DECA allows AI for feedback and brainstorming and asks members to disclose it. Every report includes a short note on that disclosure requirement.

What do I upload?

A PDF of your entry, up to 30 MB. Papers can be up to 20 numbered pages plus the title page and contents. Decks can be up to 20 slides, including the cover, contents, bibliography and appendix.

How long does grading take?

Compliance results show up first, in seconds. The full report takes a few minutes. You can leave the page while it grades; the report is saved to your project.

Can my teammates use it too?

Yes. Teams of up to 3 share one project, and each member can upload drafts.

Who can see my entry?

Only you and your teammates. Files are stored privately, never shared with other students and never used to train AI models. Deleting a project deletes its files and reports.

Can I cancel Pro?

Yes, anytime, in one click from the billing page.

Your entry, scored before it’s due.

Grading opens Oct 26, 18 days before the submission window opens. Your first full report is free.

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