Personal Financial Literacy

About this event

Personal Financial Literacy (event code PFL) tests the money skills a K-12 student should have and whether you can use reliable information and a systematic process to make personal financial decisions. It is designed for DECA members enrolled in personal finance or financial literacy classes. Unlike most DECA events, the content comes from the National Standards for Personal Financial Education published by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition, not from the business administration performance indicators. Round by round: you take a 100-question, multiple-choice financial literacy exam covering six areas: earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit and managing risk. Then you get a written scenario with three performance indicators, 10 minutes to prepare notes, and up to 10 minutes with a judge who plays a business executive and asks the printed follow-up questions. Finalists get a second role-play. For the 2026-27 district level DECA has announced the role-play instructional area is Managing Risk. Scoring: the role-play evaluation is out of 100 points and is weighted twice the exam score; the exam score carries forward into the finals. The judge scores the three performance indicators, the solution (unique, practical, effective), three Career Competencies and overall impression. No printed references or visual aids; a four-function calculator is allowed during the exam and prep.

What judges score

What's on the exam

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