2025-2026 Competitive Events Guidelines

Computer Applications (High School)

Computer Applications challenges members to demonstrate their proficiency in using a variety
of software applications to manage and communicate business information. Through a
production test, members apply skills in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation tools
to complete real-world business tasks efficiently and accurately.

Event Overview

Division High School

Event Type Individual
Event Category Production
Event Elements Production Test

Educational Alignments

Career Cluster Framework Connection Management & Entrepreneurship

NACE Competency Alignment Career & Self-Development, Communication,
Critical Thinking, Technology

Knowledge Areas
• Spreadsheet Functions and Formulas
• Creating and Formatting with Word Processing
• Developing Slides & Presentations
• Integrating Spreadsheets and Word Processing
• Integrating Presentations and Spreadsheets

Production tests are based on the knowledge areas and competencies outlined for this event.
Detailed competencies can be found in the study guide included in these guidelines.

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Computer Applications (High School)
Section
• Each chapter may enter a maximum of three (3) members in each event.
• In each section, members placing in the top five (5) with a final score of at least 30
will represent their section at the State Leadership Conference.

State
• The top four (4) places in state competition will represent California at the National
Leadership Conference.
• Middle school members who place in the top four cannot compete at the National
Leadership Conference, per national guidelines.

California FBLA Guidelines (Section and State)

• Registration: The local chapter adviser must register competitors in Blue Panda by
4:59 p.m. Pacific on December 19, 2025 (section) and 4:59 p.m. Pacific on February
20, 2026 (state).
• Test Proctors: Production tests must be proctored, and a test proctor must be
specified during conference registration in Blue Panda. This person must be a
certificated teacher or a school staff member. This can be an adviser but not a parent.
• Allotted Time: Time must run continuously and cannot be broken into multiple
sessions. Once an event has begun, the clock may only be stopped for repair of
technical problems outside the members’ control.
• Test Submission: Completed tests must be uploaded electronically for grading by 4:59
p.m. Pacific on:
o January 9, 2026 (Southern section)
o January 16, 2026 (Bay, Central and Northern sections)
o January 23, 2026 (Gold Coast and Inland sections)
o March 6, 2026 (state)
• Academic Integrity: Per the National Center, documents produced for this event must
be prepared by the competitor without help from the adviser or any other person.
Also, all tests and any materials printed during the testing session must be destroyed
immediately after documents have been uploaded for grading. The online competitor
and proctor certification forms must be submitted with the tests. Missing certification
forms will result in disqualification.

Required Competition Items

Items Competitor Must Provide Items FBLA Provides
• Fully powered device for production test, • Production test tasks
including all needed programs installed for the
production test
• Internet access for submission
• Printed Production Test Reference Guide
• Photo identification

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2025-2026 Competitive Events Guidelines
Computer Applications (High School)
Event Administration
• Identification at Check-in: Competitors must present valid photo identification
(physical or digital) that matches the name on their conference name badge.
Acceptable forms include a driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, or school ID.
• Test Duration: 2 hours
• Format:
o This event consists of a production test that is proctored and completed at the
school site prior to the Section Leadership Conference and State Leadership
Conference.
o Competitors will complete a set of tasks aligned to the event knowledge areas
and competencies.
o An objective test is no longer part of this competitive event.
• Materials: The Production Test Reference Guide, available on the Competitive Events
section of the FBLA website ([Link]), may be used during the test. All other
reference or study materials are not permitted at the testing site.

Scoring
• The rating sheet will be provided along with the production test.
• At State, if there are more than 15 entries:
o Entries will be randomly assigned to a section.
o Normalized production scores will determine the top winners.
• If there is a tie, the rating sheet will be used to break the tie. The competitor who
earns the highest score earliest in the order of the rating sheet will be ranked higher.

Penalty Points
• Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Code of Conduct or the Honor
Code.

Recognition
• The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum
number of winners for each competitive event is 10.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable
accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted
through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All
requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to
determine eligibility and appropriate support.

Electronic Devices
• Unless approved as part of a documented accommodation, all cell phones,
smartwatches, electronic devices, and headphones must be turned off and stored
away before the competition begins. Visible unauthorized devices during the event
may lead to disqualification.

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Computer Applications (High School)
National

Required Competition Items

Items Competitor Must Provide Items FBLA Provides
• Fully powered device for production test, • Production test tasks
including all needed programs installed for the • Internet access for
production test submission
• Printed Production Test Reference Guide
• Conference-provided nametag
• Photo identification
• Attire that meets the FBLA Dress Code

Important FBLA Documents

• Competitors should be familiar with the Competitive Events Policy & Procedures
Manual, Honor Code, Code of Conduct, and Dress Code.

Eligibility Requirements
To participate in FBLA competitive events at the National Leadership Conference (NLC), the
following criteria must be met:
• Membership Deadline: FBLA national membership dues must be paid to the specific
division by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 1 of the current school year.
• Repeat Competitors: Members may only compete in an event at the NLC more than
once if they have not previously placed in the top 10 of that event at the NLC. If a
member places in the top 10 of an event at the NLC, they are no longer eligible to
compete in that event at future NLCs, unless the event has been modified beyond a
name change. Chapter events are exempt from this procedure.
• Conference Registration: Members must be officially registered for the NLC and must
pay the national conference registration fee to participate.
• Official Hotel Requirement: To be eligible to compete, competitors must stay within
the official FBLA housing block.
• State Entry Limits: Each state may submit up to four entries per event.
• Event Participation Limits: Each member may participate in:
o One individual or team event, and
o One chapter event (e.g., Community Service Project or Local Chapter Annual
Business Report).
• Participation Requirement: To be eligible for an award, each competitor must
complete all components of the event at the National Leadership Conference.
• Identification at Check-in: Competitors must present valid photo identification
(physical or digital) that matches the name on their conference name badge.
Acceptable forms include a driver’s license, passport, state-issued ID, or school ID.
• Late Arrivals: Competitors will be allowed to compete until such time that the results
are finalized, or participation would impact the fairness and integrity of the event, as
determined by Competitive Events staff. Five penalty points will be assessed for late
arrivals in any competitive event.

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Computer Applications (High School)
• Event Schedule Notes:
o Some events may begin before the Opening Session.
o All schedules are posted in local time for the NLC host city.
o Schedule changes are not permitted.

Event Administration
• Production Test Time: 2 hours
• This event consists of a production test that is proctored and completed on-site at the
National Leadership Conference (NLC).
• Competitors will complete a set of tasks aligned to the event knowledge areas and
competencies.
• The Production Test Reference Guide, available on the Competitive Events section of
the FBLA website ([Link]), may be used during the test.
Scoring
• The rating sheet will be provided on-site along with the production test.
• Normalized production scores (using standard deviation, if multiple sections are used)
will determine the top winners.
• If there is a tie, the rating sheet will be used to break the tie. The competitor who
earns the highest score earliest in the order of the rating sheet will be ranked higher.
• All judging decisions are final. Results announced at the National Leadership
Conference are considered official and will not be changed after the conclusion of the
National Leadership Conference.

Penalty Points
• Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Code of Conduct or the Honor
Code.
• Five points are deducted if competitors do not follow the Dress Code or are late to
their assigned presentation time.

Recognition
• A maximum of 10 entries (individuals or teams) may be recognized per event.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• FBLA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing reasonable
accommodations for competitors. Accommodation requests must be submitted
through the conference registration system by the official registration deadline. All
requests will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be required to
determine eligibility and appropriate support.

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Electronic Devices
• Unless approved as part of a documented accommodation, all cell phones,
smartwatches, electronic devices, and headphones must be turned off and stored
away before the competition begins. Visible devices during the event will be
considered a violation of the FBLA Honor Code.

Study Guide: Knowledge Areas & Competencies

A. Slide Deck Applications
1. Use software to create a slide deck with multiple types of slides incorporating
effective use of text, graphics, fonts, animation, and transitions.
2. Design engaging slide presentations using features such as diagrams, customized
visuals, animations, backgrounds, interactive elements (e.g., action buttons,
hyperlinks), multimedia (e.g., audio and video), and speaker notes.
3. Insert and adjust visual aids—such as images, charts, icons, and infographics—
within slide content using modern layout and formatting tools.
4. Create original visuals using digital drawing tools, clip art libraries, and imported
graphics from design software or mobile apps.
5. Edit, crop, and export images in appropriate file formats (e.g., PNG, JPEG, SVG) for
presentation use across platforms.
6. Design and format presentation slides with multimedia elements such as text,
images, audio, and video.

B. Spreadsheet Applications
1. Create, edit, save, and print spreadsheets using functions (e.g., SUM, AVERAGE,
MIN, MAX, COUNT, IF, AND, PMT, FV, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, TODAY, etc.), formulas,
and data tools within spreadsheet software.
2. Organize and modify worksheet structure by inserting, deleting, moving, and
copying rows, columns, and ranges.
3. Generate and customize charts and graphs with appropriate titles, legends, and
formatting to visually represent spreadsheet data.
4. Rename, reorder, and link multiple worksheets within a workbook to create
integrated, multi-sheet projects.
5. Enhance the visual design of spreadsheets by applying fonts, colors, cell styles, and
alignment tools for improved readability and presentation.
6. Create and manipulate pivot tables to summarize, analyze, and present data trends
using sorting, filtering, grouping, and calculated fields.

C. Word Processing Applications

1. Use the Production Test Reference Guide to create a variety of documents.
2. Use help features and reference materials to learn software and solve problems.
3. Create, save, and retrieve word processing files.
4. Demonstrate the use of character formatting features (bold, underline, italics, font
styles and sizes, superscript, and subscript).
5. Demonstrate the use of paragraph formatting features (tabs, indentations, line
spacing, and enumerated items).

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Computer Applications (High School)
6. Demonstrate the use of page formatting features (margins, justification, vertical
placement, orientation, page breaks, headers, and footers).
7. Demonstrate document editing skills using spell/grammar check, thesaurus,
search/replace, and other document properties.
8. Create documents using mail merge features.

D. Application Integrations
1. Create integrated projects by combining content from word processing,
spreadsheet, and slide deck application tools.
2. Collaborate using word processing, spreadsheet, and slide deck applications by
inserting, reviewing, and responding to comments and tracked changes.
3. Embed charts or tables from a spreadsheet into a document or slide deck.
4. Link live spreadsheet data to word processing or slide deck applications.
5. Generate a report using spreadsheet data and summarize in a slide deck
application.
6. Create a unified project across all three applications.

E. Formatting, Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, and Proofreading

1. Apply consistent formatting and layout techniques to letters, reports, tables,
spreadsheets, charts, and graphics.
2. Produce professional documents using correct grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and style.
3. Use built-in editing tools (e.g., spelling and grammar check, editor suggestions, and
comments) to review and revise content.
4. Apply rules for capitalization, punctuation, and number formatting while
proofreading and editing documents for accuracy and clarity.
5. Export or save documents in appropriate formats (e.g., PDF, DOCX, CSV) for
sharing, printing, or submission.

The Study Guide represents all knowledge areas that may be covered in the production
test.

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