Expert Overview

Business Professionals of America's Workplace Skills Assessment Program is a membership-based career and technical competition for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students, offering more than 90 individual and team events in finance, management, digital technology, marketing, healthcare, and design. Students advance from regional to state to national competition, where top-ten finalists are ranked in each event.

Format

Individual, Team

Judging Format

Jurors, Criteria based: Technical scoring of competitor projects and on site presentations review

Monetary

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

US, International

Discipline

FinanceBusinessManagementMarketing

Entries

40,085 (2018-2019 edition)

Percent Awarded

<1%

Important Dates

National Virtual Events Registration Deadline

December 1, 2026

National Leadership Conference National Conference Registration Deadline

April 1, 2027

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

Secondary Division Membership

$14

Associate Member Membership

$14

Individual Virtual Events

$10 per event

Team Virtual Events

$20 per team

per event

Esports Team

$50 per team

About

Students compete through BPA membership, joining a school chapter or the national virtual chapter. Events span certification exams, objective tests, presentations, and technical or research projects across eight career categories, in individual or team formats. Top regional performers advance to state conferences, and the best state performers qualify for the National Leadership Conference each May. Virtual national events let members compete without qualifying, for students facing travel or budget limits.

The program is intra-curricular, built around business and career-technical classrooms, so its value lies in demonstrating applied workplace skills rather than general academic distinction. Top-ten national placement in an event is the meaningful tier, while regional and state participation is accessible but local.

The program suits a student in a school business or career-technical pathway who wants skills-based competition and a route to a national stage.