Westford Academy’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) will be moving their preliminary testing for business knowledge from WA to University of Massachusetts (UMass) Lowell during the 2025-2026 school year. The change stems from the national organization’s goal of eliminating cheating during the testing process after previous incidents where students shared answers and used external sources during the exam.
The preliminary tests for DECA are composed of 100 multiple choice questions and make up one-third of a student’s total score, which is the deciding factor for whether or not a team goes to the state competitions. Qualification is not based on a fixed score, but instead depends on the district’s performance. The test assesses both basic knowledge of business and of the individual’s assigned cluster, or subtopic, such as hospitality, marketing, finance, and management.
According to senior DECA Co-President Sabah Chatiwala, UMass Lowell was chosen due to its proximity to WA and ability to hold all students taking the assessment. In 2024, the preliminary tests were held in the WA library. However, prior to last year, testing was held in DECA advisors Kathleen Lehan’s and Sara Ricard’s rooms.
“I’ve been monitoring tests over the last three years as an officer, and I haven’t really seen that much cheating,” Chatiwala said. “People here are really good about it, but I heard that there are a lot of schools that do have cheating going on.”
According to Chatiwala, students may feel more stressed during the test due to it having an atmosphere similar to an official exam.
“I think I just do better [in more formal environments] because I feel like it is more controlled. I know some people think it’s more comfortable in WA, so they do better here,” Chatiwala said. “But at the end of the day, it’s the same test.”
In the past years, the preliminary tests have been taken during the second week of December, while this year, testing will occur on Jan. 7.
“There is a slight benefit that comes from [the change] since students get almost an entire extra month to prepare for the test,” senior DECA Co-President Srisai Vuppuluri said.
Students will have the same amount of time as before, but due to the scheduling change, they will have less time to devote themselves to revising for the roleplay. Students used to have had a month to focus solely on their roleplay component, whereas now DECA members have seven days.
“I think the change is a good idea, as although it is a different environment and [it] might alter [the schedule], I think [the change] makes the test more fair,” sophomore DECA member Lekhana Muramalla said. “It’s unfair to the people who have studied a lot that the people who are cheating get the same score as them.”
According to Vuppuluri and Chatiwala, the change will cause DECA to spend more money due to bus expenses in order to transport over 300 students to UMass Lowell.
“I am not a huge fan of this change due to the money, as buses are very expensive and transporting more than 300 students is a huge challenge,” Vuppuluri said. “If not for that issue, I think it’s the best way for all students to have a fair testing environment and conditions.”
