If you’re reading this, you might not know what JDCC is, but it’s the biggest case competition in Canada, and guess what? My team and I placed FIRST against teams from eight other top business schools across Canada!
But here’s the catch.
We had to solve a business case in just THREE hours, with absolutely no internet access. That’s right, no Google, no ChatGPT, no AI. In the big year of 2026?!
Now imagine a bunch of extremely competitive business students who have spent nine months practicing, researching, and presenting more cases than they can count, all for one competition where a single case determines the outcome of months of hard work.
Sounds fun, right?
Well, that was us!
We were three girls in second year competing against students in their third and fourth years, many of whom had more experience and knowledge than us. But did that stop us? Absolutely NOT!
We put in extra time, research, and effort to make sure we could compete at their level, and now I’m here to share what we learned along the way.
First, Meet the Team!
I competed in the Business Strategy delegation alongside my amazing teammates, Saanvi and Anh.
I mainly focused on strategy, presentations, and making our slides. Saanvi also worked on strategy and had previously competed at JDCC, so she brought her experience and knowledge of the competition. Anh was our financial head, handling the numbers while also helping us with strategy.
Together, we made a pretty great team, if I do say so myself!
Now, competition day wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. We got a digitally focused case, and honestly, we weren’t experts in the topic. There were moments when we didn’t even understand half of what the case was talking about!
But somehow, we pulled it together.
So whether you’re preparing for JDCC, another case competition, or even a big presentation, here are 7 tips that helped us stand out!
1. Lead With Your Recommendation
One of the biggest things I learned is that having a great recommendation means nothing if you can’t explain WHY it makes sense.
When you first open a case, it can be overwhelming. There’s so much information, so many problems, and barely enough time to process everything.
My advice? USE FRAMEWORKS!
They’re especially helpful when you have no idea where to start. Use them to analyze the company’s internal challenges, external environment, and industry.
A lot of teams focus heavily on their recommendations, which is important, but don’t forget to show the judges how you actually got there.
And please, don’t just throw a SWOT analysis onto a slide because every business student knows what SWOT stands for!
Make sure your analysis actually contributes to your strategy.
Explain your recommendations step by step, show how they would realistically work, and use real-world examples whenever possible.
Also, add key takeaways throughout your slides! Judges are listening to multiple teams, so making your main points easy to follow is super important.
Remember, a good recommendation is great, but a recommendation that actually makes sense and is realistic? Even better.
2. Presentation and Confidence Are KEY
I cannot stress how IMPORTANT this is.
You could have the best strategy in the room, but if you don’t sound confident presenting it, why should the judges believe in it?
And trust me, confidence is so much more than memorizing your script.
Project your voice, stand tall, keep your shoulders back, and avoid unnecessary hand movements or swaying.
Make eye contact with the judges, even when your teammates are presenting. Don’t just stare at the screen waiting for your turn!
And my biggest tip?
Even if you don’t think your solution is the best one, BELIEVE IN IT!
You need to back up your recommendations confidently. The judges don’t know what’s going on inside your head, so don’t let your nerves tell them!
We practiced our delivery so many times, and I genuinely think it made a huge difference.
Also, a little reminder: you’re presenting to people, not robots. Smile, show some personality, and don’t be afraid to make your presentation engaging! P.S Practice not saying “um” “like” “uh” “sorry” during your presentation as well!
3. Practice Your Hand-Offs Between Speakers
Okay, this is something I wish more teams paid attention to!
Your presentation shouldn’t sound like three people awkwardly taking turns reading slides.
It should feel like ONE connected story.
Instead of saying, “Now Saanvi will talk about our industry analysis,” try something more engaging.
For example:
“Now that we’ve looked at what’s happening inside the company, let’s take a step back and see what’s happening in the industry.”
Or when introducing the problem:
“Before we dive into our recommendations, allow me to set the stage and walk you through what’s really going on.”
And my personal favourite for transitioning into financials:
“Now that we’ve walked you through our strategy and how we’re going to make this happen, let’s talk money, because that’s what we all care about!”
See what I mean?
They’re a little fun but still professional!
These small transitions make such a big difference in keeping the judges interested.
And PLEASE practice them beforehand. You don’t want to be figuring out who speaks next while you’re standing in front of the judges.
4. Do Your Research BEFORE Competition Day
Remember how I said we had no internet access?
Well, this is where research becomes your best friend.
Since you won’t be able to Google anything during the competition, you need to build your general business knowledge beforehand.
Research the competition sponsors and learn what their companies actually do.
Even if your case isn’t about a sponsor, research common industries and business challenges.
Since we were only in second year, there were SO many industries, business concepts, and laws we hadn’t learned about yet.
So we made a list of industries and important topics, divided them among ourselves, and researched them beforehand.
Think technology, finance, healthcare, retail, sustainability, marketing, and emerging trends.
Do you need to become an expert in every single industry? Absolutely not.
But knowing a little about different industries can save you when you open a case and have absolutely no idea what’s going on.
And because I know researching all of this can be overwhelming, I made a list of industries and topics you can look into before your next competition!
5. Tell a Story, NOT a Data Dump
This might be one of my FAVOURITE tips!
Storytelling is honestly one of the best ways to make your presentation stand out.
Think about it. The judges have been sitting in a room listening to team after team talk about numbers, strategies, and recommendations.
So why should they remember yours?
MAKE IT INTERESTING!
Instead of just reading off your slides, walk the judges through your recommendations like you’re telling them a story.
Use fictional characters or customer personas to demonstrate how your solution works.
Don’t just give them numbers. Show them what those numbers actually mean.
For example, instead of saying, “Our strategy will increase customer retention,” try:
“Imagine you’ve been a loyal customer for years, but suddenly a competitor offers you something better. What’s stopping you from switching?”
See how much more engaging that sounds?
Address the judges directly, use words from the case, and make each slide connect to the next.
The goal is to make the judges feel like they’re part of your presentation, not just watching another PowerPoint.
And please, don’t fill your slides with paragraphs. Nobody wants to read an essay while listening to another one!
6. Manage Your Nerves (Even When You Have NO Idea What’s Going On)
Okay, story time!
On competition day, my team and I opened our case and came across the term “agentic AI.”
And guess what?
We had absolutely NO idea what that meant. Like, genuinely.
The case didn’t explain much either, so you can imagine how stressed we were.
But here’s the thing.
Panicking wasn’t going to solve the case for us!
Instead, we worked together, tried to understand what information we did have, and connected the problem to concepts we had learned from previous cases.
We thought about companies we knew, similar business problems, and how we could approach the situation using our existing knowledge.
And clearly, something worked!
My advice is to not let an unfamiliar topic convince you that you’re going to lose.
Take a minute, break down the problem, and talk through your ideas with your teammates.
You don’t need to know EVERYTHING.
Sometimes, being able to think critically and stay calm under pressure is more valuable than knowing every business term in the world.
7. Make It Memorable (A Hook, a Visual, a Little Personality!)
If there’s one thing I want you to remember from this blog, it’s this:
GIVE THE JUDGES SOMETHING TO REMEMBER YOU BY!
Always start with a hook.
It could be a question, a surprising statement, or something that creates urgency around the problem.
For example:
“Have you ever wondered why companies spend millions on digital transformation but still struggle to keep their customers?”
Or:
“Small businesses are facing more challenges than ever, but what if their biggest opportunity is hiding in the problem itself?”
You want to grab the judges’ attention from the beginning.
And here’s a fun little thing we did.
WE WORE MATCHING SUITS!
We figured most teams would probably show up wearing black or navy, so we decided to be a little different and wear matching grey suits instead.
And honestly, I LOVED how it turned out!
Did our outfits win us the competition? Obviously not.
But did they make us feel confident, put together, and like an actual team? YES!
Did one of the judges compliment our matching grey suits? YES!
Sometimes, the smallest details can make the biggest difference. Plus, who doesn’t love a good matching outfit?
Now, What Would We Do Differently?
Okay, now nobody’s perfect.
As much as I’m proud of what we accomplished, there are definitely things I would change if we could go back.
1. Practice cases from other delegations.
We focused heavily on Business Strategy cases, but looking back, I would’ve loved to practice more Marketing, Finance, and Entrepreneurship cases too.
You never know what kind of business problem you’ll get!
2. Stop forcing everything into three prongs.
Business students LOVE a three-pronged strategy.
But honestly, not every business problem needs three recommendations!
Sometimes two strong recommendations are better than three average ones.
3. Research more unfamiliar topics.
After our little agentic AI surprise, I would’ve spent more time researching emerging technologies and industries outside our comfort zone.
You can’t predict the case, but you can definitely prepare for uncertainty.
4. Practice more under actual competition conditions.
Set a timer, turn off the internet, and present to people who haven’t seen your case before and a big crowd to ease the stress on day of.
Have them ask difficult questions too!
It’s one thing to know your strategy and another to defend it while someone is questioning everything you just said.
5. Leave more time to practice the actual presentation.
It’s SO easy to spend all your time analyzing and building slides.
But remember, your slides aren’t going to present themselves!
Give yourself enough time to rehearse and make sure everyone feels comfortable.
The Moment That Made It ALL Worth It
Okay, I have a little secret to share.
My entire team and I CRIED when they announced Schulich as the winners.
Like, actual tears.
After nine months of practicing, countless cases, moments of self-doubt, and all the stress leading up to competition day, hearing our school’s name announced for FIRST PLACE was genuinely unreal.
And you know what made it even more special?
We were the ONLY Schulich academic delegation to place, and we placed FIRST!
I genuinely can’t describe that feeling. You can watch the video here!
There’s something so special about working toward something for months and finally seeing all that hard work pay off.
JDCC taught me so much more than how to solve a business case. It taught me how to work under pressure, trust my teammates, present confidently, and believe in myself even when I had no idea what was going on.
And honestly, the memories and friendships from that weekend are things I’ll never forget.
I actually wrote a LinkedIn post right after the competition while all the emotions were still fresh!
Read my original JDCC experience on LinkedIn!
One Last Thing Before You Go!
If you’re preparing for JDCC or another case competition, I know how stressful it can get.
So to make your life a little easier, I put together a Competition Day & Weekend Checklist with everything you should prepare before the big weekend!
And if you ever have questions about JDCC, preparing for cases, or honestly just want to chat about the experience, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!
I’m ALWAYS happy to talk about JDCC and how much one competition weekend changed my university experience.
I hope these tips helped you in some way, and if you’re preparing for your next case competition, I’m rooting for you!
And if you enjoyed this blog, check out my About Me page to learn a little more about me and what I’m working on next.
See you in the next one!
Leave a Reply