FBLA Role Play · ND
Network Design
Compete alone or with up to two teammates. 20 minutes to prep with two note cards, then 7 minutes to present. The judge plays the second party in the case and can step in with questions at any point. Your camera records the presentation so you can watch it back and score yourself on the 2026-27 national role play rating sheet.
20 minPrepRead the case and plan on two note cards
7 minPresentCase hidden. Camera and mic are recording
DuringJudge steps inThree things the judge may say or ask as you present
AfterReviewWatch yourself, mark moments, score the rating sheet
or pick a scenario
What the judges look for: Network Design knowledge areas
Show four or more of these areas in your answer to reach the top level on the rating sheet.
- Network Installation and Configuration — Discuss the functions of routers and modems in home and office networks; Describe the features of a SOHO router; Discuss configuration of software and hardware firewalls (e.g., rules, ACLs); and more
- Network Security and Recovery — Describe the purpose of disaster recovery plans; Select plans for disaster recovery and prevention; Describe network backup solutions (e.g., cloud storage, NAS, external hard drives); and more
- Network Administration — Discuss the need for network maintenance (e.g., audits, updates, backups, restores); Describe user account and permission management; Explain the purpose and use of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP); and more
- Network Planning — Match business requirements to appropriate network design decisions (e.g., topology, physical size, users); Discuss hardware and performance differences between network types (e.g., LAN, WAN); Describe the physical layouts of network topologies (e.g., star, mesh, bus); and more
- Network Protocols, Services, and Access — Describe different types of networks (e.g., LAN, WAN); Describe basic network security practices (e.g., encryption, VPN, packet sniffing, authentication); Describe common network attacks (e.g., phishing, spoofing, poisoning); and more