How did you prepare for your first case competition?

Question

Hi everyone,
My name is Thomson, and I am currently a first-year student at BCIT in Vancouver. This January, I will be competing as a Business Strategy delegate in the JDC West Case Competition.

Since I am a first-year student competing against experienced teams from schools like UBC, SFU, and UofA, I want to aggressively close the experience gap. Our team just finished our first practice case studies, and it's clear that we are cooked. I would love to get your full perspective and comprehensive advice on a few things:

If you had a tight timeline to train a first-year undergraduate team on business strategy cases from scratch, how would you structure the weekly study blocks and practice cases?
What are the most impactful strategy frameworks that you have seen professionally?
Do you have any tips and tricks that you wished you knew it sooner?

Thank you in advance for your consideration. :>

Answer 1

You're less far behind than that first practice case makes it feel. A rough first attempt is normal, and the gap to experienced teams usually comes from repetition and honest feedback rather than talent.

With roughly two months until January, I would split each week into three blocks. Early in the week, run one skill drill together, such as reading a case fast and agreeing on the core question, or building a quick financial model behind a recommendation. Midweek, do one full timed case in the format your competition uses, including the presentation. At the end of the week, review it properly: where you lost time, which slide didn't support the recommendation, and who should own what next time. Keep a running list of those mistakes and check whether they come back.

On frameworks, I'd avoid memorising a list. Learn a few building blocks well, like profit drivers, market attractiveness against your ability to win, and a simple implementation and risk plan. Then build a structure around the specific question each case asks, because judges notice when a team forces a template onto a problem.

A few habits are worth building early. Put the recommendation on your first content slide. Split roles within the first ten minutes of prep, so nobody spends half an hour on a section you'll cut. Rehearse the Q&A as seriously as the deck, since judges' questions are where thin reasoning shows. If you can, ask a professor or a past competitor to judge one of your practice runs.