Guide
How to use the timer
This page walks through every control in the timer, what each preset contains, and how to set up visual alerts safely. It takes about five minutes to read.
1. Choose your event
From the home screen, pick a speech event or a debate format. Speech events run a single countdown. Debate formats load a fixed order of speeches plus, where the format uses them, separate prep-time pools for each side.
Speech presets
| Event | Preset length |
|---|---|
| US / International Extemp | 7:00 |
| Impromptu | 2:00 prep, then 5:00 speech |
| Original Oratory, Informative, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo, Program Oral Interp, Prose / Poetry, Declamation | 10:00 each |
Debate presets
| Format | Speech order | Prep pools |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln-Douglas | AC 6, CX 3, NC 7, CX 3, 1AR 4, 2NR 6, 2AR 3 | Aff 4:00, Neg 4:00 |
| Public Forum | Constructive Pro 4, Constructive Con 4, Crossfire 3, Rebuttal Pro 4, Rebuttal Con 4, Crossfire 3, Summary Pro 3, Summary Con 3, Grand Crossfire 3, Final Focus Pro 2, Final Focus Con 2 | Pro 3:00, Con 3:00 |
| Policy (CX) | 1AC 8, CX 3, 1NC 8, CX 3, 2AC 8, CX 3, 2NC 8, CX 3, 1NR 5, 1AR 5, 2NR 5, 2AR 5 | Aff 5:00, Neg 5:00 |
| Congressional Debate | Single 3:00 speech timer | None |
Numbers in the speech order are minutes.
Check your local rules first
These presets are common starting points, not official rules. Leagues, circuits, and individual tournaments set their own times, grace periods, and prep amounts, and they change them. Before a round, compare the preset with your tournament's published rules or ask the tab room. If they differ, follow the tournament, not the app.
2. Start, Pause, and Reset
- Start begins the countdown. The same button becomes Pause while the clock runs, so you can hold time for a judge's question or an interruption and resume from the same spot.
- Reset returns the current timer to its full preset length.
- Back from the timer returns to alert setup; use Back again to return to event selection.
For Impromptu, the timer opens in a prep phase. When prep reaches zero, a Start Speech button appears; you can also choose Skip Prep to move straight to the speech.
3. Moving through a debate round
Debate screens show which speech you are on, for example "Speech 3 of 7". When a speech ends, press Next Speech to load the following segment at its full length. The order follows the table above, so the timekeeper does not need to look up each speech's length mid-round.
Prep pools run on their own timers, one per side. Start a side's prep when they begin preparing and pause it when they stand up to speak. Whatever is left carries forward to their next prep use, which matches how running prep is usually tracked. Prep timers are independent of the speech timer, so advancing to the next speech does not touch either side's remaining prep.
4. Visual alerts
The screen can flash at chosen amounts of time remaining, so a speaker can see a time signal without the timekeeper holding up cards. Open the alert settings before starting to adjust:
- Flash at time remaining: toggle marks at 5:00, 4:00, 3:00, 2:00, 1:00, and 0:30. All six are on by default. You can also add custom marks and remove ones you added.
- Flash speed: Slow (about 1 flash per second), Medium (about 3 per second, the default), or Fast (about 6 per second).
- Flash colors: choose the two colors the screen alternates between. The defaults are red and blue.
Turning flashing off safely
Flashing light can trigger seizures or discomfort for people with photosensitive conditions, including audience members or judges in the room. If anyone could be affected, turn off every time mark in the alert settings. The panel then confirms that no flash alerts will fire. The countdown itself keeps working normally. Do not assume any flash speed or color combination is safe for photosensitive users.
Stopping a flash in progress
Click or tap anywhere on the page to stop an active flash immediately. If nobody interacts, flashing stops on its own after 30 seconds.
5. Keeping the screen on
While a timer is running, the site asks the browser to keep the screen awake. This uses a browser feature that not every browser or device supports, and the request is released when the page is hidden, for example when you switch tabs or apps. Power-saving modes and system settings can also override it. For a long round, plug the device in, set its auto-lock to a longer interval, and keep the timer tab in front.
6. A practice routine
- Choose a preset that matches your tournament's actual time. If none matches, use a timing method approved by the tournament rather than relying on an incorrect preset.
- Run a full-length speech, noting where you are in your outline at each time check. Use flash alerts only if safe and permitted for everyone nearby; otherwise keep them off.
- Run it again aiming to reach your conclusion with a deliberate cushion before time expires.
- For debate, rehearse a full round in order with Next Speech, and practice spending prep in short, planned blocks instead of draining it before one speech.
- Do at least one run with flashing off, so you are not dependent on a signal the room may not allow.