Free · No signup · 8-min prep pool per team

Policy debate timer with team prep pool

Free, tournament-grade Policy (CX) timer. All 12 speeches preloaded, 8-minute prep pool per team, and real-time sync between the judge's phone and the debater's display.

Open timer — no signup See the speech order

Works on any phone, tablet, or laptop

Why judges use DebateClock for Policy

Policy debate uses per-team prep rather than per-debater. Each team has one 8-minute pool shared between both partners across the full round. That's hard to track manually when speeches run 64 minutes of speaking plus CX.

DebateClock loads all 12 speeches with correct CX positions flagged, and the prep pool auto-pauses whenever a speech starts. Tap Start Prep — Aff or Start Prep — Neg and either partner's prep draws from the same pool.

Full CX speech order

All 12 speeches: 1AC through 2AR, with CX after every constructive. Correct timings preloaded.

Team prep pool

8-minute pool per team. Either partner can use it. Auto-pauses when speeches start.

Flex-prep friendly

Works for tournaments running standard NSDA timings or flex-prep variants. Add or subtract time on the fly.

Two-device sync

Judge controls from a phone. Debaters watch a full-screen countdown on a tablet or laptop.

Policy Debate speech order

Standard NSDA speech order. DebateClock loads this automatically when you select Policy.

#	Speech	Side	Time
01	1st Affirmative Constructive (1AC)	AFF	8:00
02	Negative CX of 1AC	CX	3:00
03	1st Negative Constructive (1NC)	NEG	8:00
04	Affirmative CX of 1NC	CX	3:00
05	2nd Affirmative Constructive (2AC)	AFF	8:00
06	Negative CX of 2AC	CX	3:00
07	2nd Negative Constructive (2NC)	NEG	8:00
08	Affirmative CX of 2NC	CX	3:00
09	1st Negative Rebuttal (1NR)	NEG	5:00
10	1st Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR)	AFF	5:00
11	2nd Negative Rebuttal (2NR)	NEG	5:00
12	2nd Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR)	AFF	5:00

Prep time: 8 minutes per team, shared between both partners across the entire round. Either partner can request prep at any point — the pool draws down regardless of who's using it.

How to run a Policy round

Set up takes under a minute:

Judge opens debateclock.org/app/ on their phone. A room code appears in the top-right.
Tap COPY to send the debater link, or have them scan the QR code on screen.
Select Policy Debate from the format picker. Tap Start to begin the 1AC.
When a team requests prep, tap Start Prep — Aff or Start Prep — Neg. Either partner can draw from the 8-minute team pool. The active speech auto-pauses.
Tap the next speech in the right-hand list to advance. Or use keyboard: → for next, space for start/pause, A or N for prep.

Frequently asked questions

What are the speech times in Policy debate?

Standard NSDA Policy uses 4 constructives (1AC, 1NC, 2AC, 2NC) at 8 minutes each, 4 cross-examinations at 3 minutes each, and 4 rebuttals (1NR, 1AR, 2NR, 2AR) at 5 minutes each. Each team has a shared 8-minute prep pool.

How does team prep work?

Each team has one 8-minute pool. Either the 1st or 2nd speaker can request prep time. When one partner uses the pool, it draws down for the whole team. It's not per-debater like in Lincoln-Douglas.

Does this support flex-prep?

Yes. Flex-prep formats just have a larger prep pool — adjust with the +30s button during the round, or use the reset to start over. DebateClock doesn't lock you into a single timing variant.

Can I use this at NDT/CEDA tournaments?

Yes. DebateClock is format-agnostic — it doesn't communicate with any tournament management system. It's just a timer. Free to use at any level of competition.

Does the judge need to install anything?

No. Open debateclock.org/app/ in any browser. Room code appears automatically. The debater gets the same link via copy or QR.