The FBLA role play rating sheet explained, category by category

An FBLA role play is scored on one page. Judges don't award points for sounding smart or for a clever opening line; they fill in seven rows, each with four levels and a point range. If you know what each row asks for, you can plan your 20 minutes of preparation around it and stop guessing what the judges want.

This guide walks through the 2026-27 role play rating sheet, as printed in the Entrepreneurship and International Business guidelines (updated August 2026). Other role play events can differ, so open your own event's guidelines on fbla.org and compare before you rely on any detail here.

How does an FBLA role play round work?

The rating sheet makes more sense once you know the round it scores. At the National Leadership Conference:

• Teams of one to three compete. Everyone on the team has to take part in the presentation.
• The objective test comes first. The top 15 teams, ranked by their team-averaged test score, move on to the role play.
• Preparation lasts 20 minutes, with a one-minute warning. The team shares one copy of the scenario, and it stays in the prep area.
• Each competitor gets two notecards, and you can write on both sides. They're collected when you finish.
• The presentation lasts 7 minutes, with a one-minute warning. Judges may ask questions while you present.
• Nothing else comes in with you: no technology, reference materials, visuals or props.
• Only the role play score decides the winners. Test scores are used to break ties.
• Penalties: five points come off for a dress code violation or for arriving late to your assigned time.

What are the seven rows on the FBLA rating sheet?

The total is 100. Every row has the same four levels: Not Demonstrated, Below Expectations, Meets Expectations and Exceeds Expectations. On a 10-point row those are worth 0, 1 to 6, 7 to 8 and 9 to 10. On a 20-point row they're 0, 1 to 9, 10 to 16 and 17 to 20.

Notice where the weight sits. Rows 2, 3 and 4 hold 60 of the 100 points, and all three are about analysis and content. Delivery and questions together are 30. A polished speaker with a thin answer can't outscore a team that actually works the problem.

How is each row scored?

Row 1: Understanding the scenario (10 points)

The judges want two things here: a short summary of the situation and a clear statement of the problem you're solving. Doing one of them lands you in Below Expectations. Doing both reaches Meets. To reach Exceeds, the judges have to see real command of both, which in practice means a summary that picks out the details that matter and a problem statement precise enough to guide the rest of your answer.

Try this: in your first 30 seconds, name the person you're talking to, restate the situation in two sentences and say "the problem we need to solve is..." out loud. Judges shouldn't have to infer it.

Row 2: Alternatives with pros and cons (20 points)

This is one of the two biggest rows, and it's where many teams lose points by jumping straight to their answer. Listing options without weighing them stays in Below Expectations. Meets requires at least two alternatives with their pros and cons analyzed. Exceeds asks for several alternatives, each with more than one pro and more than one con.

Try this: on your notecard, draw a small grid of three options with two pros and two cons each. Present them quickly, then explain why you're choosing one. Covering the options you rejected shows the judges you thought about the problem rather than grabbing the first idea.

Row 3: Solution and implementation (20 points)

A recommendation alone isn't enough. Without a plan for carrying it out, this row stays in Below Expectations. Meets requires a logical solution plus an implementation plan. Exceeds adds two things: the solution has to be feasible for this business, and you identify the resources it needs.

Try this: after you name your solution, answer four questions in order: who does it, what happens first, when it happens and what it costs or requires (people, money, tools, time). Those last details are what separate Meets from Exceeds.

Row 4: Knowledge areas (20 points)

Each role play event lists knowledge areas in its guidelines. This row counts how many of them you show. One or two is Below Expectations, three is Meets and four or more is Exceeds.

Try this: before conference, write each of your event's knowledge areas on a card with three terms or ideas you could use from it. During prep, circle the four areas that fit the scenario and plan one sentence that uses each. Saying the area's vocabulary out loud makes it easy for judges to give you credit.

Row 5: Organized delivery (10 points)

A team that clearly didn't prepare earns nothing here. Prepared but jumping around is Below Expectations. A logical order reaches Meets, and a logical order with well-built, clearly stated points reaches Exceeds.

The guidelines also say what the presentation should contain: introduce the team, describe the situation, give your recommendations and close with a summary. That's a ready-made structure.

Try this: use the same order every time you practice: introduction, problem, alternatives, solution and plan, summary. Assign each teammate a section so hand-offs are planned, not improvised.

Row 6: Confidence, body language, eye contact and voice (10 points)

The row names four skills: confidence, poised body language, engaging eye contact and effective voice projection. Showing one or two is Below Expectations, three is Meets and all four is Exceeds, when they make the whole presentation stronger.

Try this: record a practice round on a phone and score yourself on each of the four skills separately. Most people find one weak spot, often eye contact that drops to the notecards.

Row 7: Answering questions (10 points)

Judges may ask questions during your 7 minutes. Not answering scores zero, a partial answer is Below Expectations and a complete answer is Meets. Exceeds goes to a complete answer given while engaging the judges, treating the question as part of the conversation.

Try this: answer in three steps: a direct answer in one sentence, one reason, then a link back to your solution. Practice with a partner who interrupts you, so a question in the middle of your plan doesn't throw you.

Where do teams usually lose points?

• Skipping the alternatives. Going straight to one answer caps Row 2, the largest row tied with two others.
• A solution with no plan. "We recommend a loyalty program" without who, when and what it needs stays low in Row 3.
• Generic business talk. If you never touch your event's knowledge areas by name or idea, Row 4 suffers.
• Uneven teams. Every member has to take part. Plan who speaks when.
• Running out of time. Seven minutes goes fast. Practice with the one-minute warning so your summary never gets cut.

How do you practice with the rating sheet?

1. Read your event's guidelines and copy its knowledge areas onto cards.
2. Do timed rounds: 20 minutes of prep with two notecards, then 7 minutes of presenting. Keep the clock strict.
3. Score each round on all seven rows, with the point ranges above. Write down which level you reached in each row and why.
4. Fix the row that costs the most. A team stuck at Below Expectations on Row 2 has more to gain there than from polishing delivery.
5. Review FBLA's own samples. FBLA shares sample role plays with members and advisers in FBLA Connect, and they show the style of scenario you'll get.

How can you practice FBLA role plays with CompPrep AI?

CompPrep AI has an AI judge for FBLA role plays that keeps the event's clock, with an automatic stop or a relaxed mode, plays the person in your scenario and scores you on the rating sheet. A face-to-face mode listens and asks out loud, with feedback on pace, filler words and eye contact.

There are also practice tests built like FBLA's objective tests, with explanations, plus lessons and flashcards per topic. Start at FBLA role play practice, see the FBLA events page, or read FBLA objective test topics for the test that decides who reaches the role play.