Speech times for every format
Every format runs on its own clock. Here are the standard speech lengths and prep allowances for the six formats this site supports. Leagues vary, so check your tournament's rules before you rely on these.
Policy
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Constructive | 8:00 |
| Rebuttal | 5:00 |
| Cross-Examination | 3:00 |
Prep time: 8:00. Usually 8 minutes per team, used in chunks across the round.
Lincoln-Douglas
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Constructive (AC) | 6:00 |
| Constructive (NC) | 7:00 |
| Rebuttal (1AR) | 4:00 |
| Rebuttal (NR) | 6:00 |
| Rebuttal (2AR) | 3:00 |
| Cross-Examination | 3:00 |
Prep time: 4:00. Usually 4 minutes per debater.
Public Forum
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Constructive | 4:00 |
| Rebuttal | 4:00 |
| Crossfire | 3:00 |
| Summary | 2:00 |
| Final Focus | 2:00 |
Prep time: 3:00. Usually 3 minutes per team.
Parliamentary
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Constructive | 7:00 |
| Rebuttal | 4:00 |
Prep time: 15:00. You usually get prep once before the round. How much depends on your league.
Congressional Debate
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Speech | 3:00 |
| Questioning Period | 1:00 |
Prep time: None on the clock. Congress has no official prep clock. Set your own time if you want to track prep between speeches.
World Schools
| Speech | Length |
|---|---|
| Substantive Speech | 8:00 |
| Reply Speech | 4:00 |
Prep time: 60:00. Impromptu motions usually get about an hour of prep. Prepared motions are a different story.
New to Lincoln-Douglas?
How an LD round runs, from the value and criterion to the last rebuttal.
Read the LD guideTime yourself against these
Knowing the limit is one thing. Hitting it is another. The timer has every one of these speeches preset, so you can practice landing inside the time you actually get.
Open the timer