Written by Mahek Acharya

Prep time is one of those things that separates good debaters from great ones. It’s not about how much time you have, it’s about what you do with it. You could have all the prep time in the world and still walk up to give a terrible speech, or you could have just a minute left and deliver something incredible.

If you’ve ever watched experienced debaters during prep time, they look almost calm. They’re writing quickly but purposefully. Meanwhile, novice debaters are usually panicking, frantically searching through files, arguing with their partner about what to say, and generally treating prep time like a natural disaster.

The difference? Prep time mastery. And it’s absolutely a learnable skill.

The Prep Time Paradox

Here’s what’s weird about prep time: having more of it doesn’t necessarily help you. I’ve seen teams with tons of prep remaining give worse speeches than teams with barely any time left. Why? Because when you have lots of time, you waste it. You overthink. You try to answer everything. You get into strategy debates with your partner that go nowhere.

The best debaters treat prep time like a precious, limited resource, because it is. They know exactly how to use it efficiently, and they’re ruthless about not wasting a single second. They’ve developed systems, habits, and instincts that kick in the moment prep starts.

The First Thing You Should Do

The first moments of prep should be pure thinking. What just happened in that speech? What are their strongest arguments? What are we definitely winning? What are we definitely losing? What’s the judge most likely to care about? This big-picture assessment is crucial, and you can’t do it while you’re frantically digging through files.

Experienced debaters have a quick conversation that sounds something like:

• “Okay, we’re clearly winning the economy debate.”
• “Yeah, but they’re ahead on the ethics argument. We need to spend time there.”
• “Agreed. And we can’t drop their third contention—judge seemed interested in that.”
• “Cool, so I’ll handle contentions one and three, you take two and the framework?”

Boom. In under fifteen seconds, you’ve identified priorities and divided responsibilities. Now you can actually start prepping efficiently because you know what you’re doing.

The Partner Communication Challenge

Here’s where a lot of teams waste prep time: they spend half of it arguing with each other. One person wants to go for argument A, the other wants to go for argument B. Someone thinks they need more evidence, the other thinks they’re fine. Before you know it, half your prep is gone and nobody’s actually prepared anything.

The solution? Trust and division of labor. You and your partner need to quickly agree on strategy at the start, divide up responsibilities, and then largely prep independently. Yes, you should check in once or twice, but you shouldn’t be constantly interrupting each other or second-guessing each other’s choices.

This requires trust. You have to trust that your partner knows what they’re doing, and they have to trust you. If you spend prep time micromanaging each other, you’ll both end up unprepared. The best partnerships involve clear communication followed by independent execution.

The Evidence Search Trap

One of the biggest prep time killers is the endless evidence search. You know what I’m talking about: you spend forever looking for that perfect card you know you have somewhere, and by the time you find it (or give up), prep time is almost over and you haven’t actually prepared your speech.

Here’s the hard truth: if you can’t find evidence quickly, you probably don’t need it. Good debaters learn to work with what they can access fast. They know their files well enough to grab key cards efficiently, and if something’s not immediately available, they move on. They’d rather give a well-prepared speech with decent evidence than a half-prepared speech with perfect evidence they found at the last second.

This is why evidence organization matters so much. The teams that can find their cards quickly have a massive advantage during prep time. If your files are a mess, you’re basically handicapping yourself before you even start speaking.

Strategic Prep Time Usage Throughout the Round

Here’s something novices don’t realize: you don’t have to use all your prep time right before every speech. Strategic debaters save prep for when they really need it. Maybe you’re giving the first rebuttal and you already know exactly what you want to say, so you take minimal prep instead of burning through your time bank. Now you have extra prep saved for later in the round when things get complicated.

Some teams also use quick bursts of prep, taking just a few seconds to catch up on their flow or clarify something they missed, without actually preparing a full speech. This can be smart if you’re confused about what your opponents said, but be careful not to waste your limited prep on things you could figure out while your partner is speaking.

The key is being strategic. Ask yourself: “Do I actually need prep right now, or do I already know what to say?” Don’t use prep just because you have it. Save it for when it makes a difference.

The Mental Game of Prep Time

Here’s something nobody talks about: prep time is stressful. Your heart is racing, your opponents just made some really strong arguments, your partner might be freaking out, and you’ve got limited time to figure out how to respond. The mental pressure is real.

Good debaters learn to manage this pressure. They stay calm, focus on what they can control, and trust their preparation and instincts. They don’t spiral into “we’re going to lose” thinking. They don’t waste energy being frustrated with their partner or annoyed at their opponents. They channel all their mental energy into the task at hand: preparing the best response possible in the time available.

When to Take Less Prep (Yes, Really)

This might sound crazy, but sometimes the best move is to take minimal or even no prep time. Here’s when:

When you already know exactly what to say: If your opponent dropped a major argument or made an obvious mistake, and you know how to capitalize on it, don’t waste time overthinking. Stand up and crush it.

When your opponent is clearly unprepared: If they stumbled through their speech and seem disorganized, taking minimal prep and responding confidently can be a power move that signals your control of the round.

When you want to save prep for later: If this is an early speech and you’re confident in your approach, conserve your prep time for when you’ll really need it in rebuttals.

When taking prep would break your momentum: Sometimes you’re in a rhythm and taking prep would just make you overthink. Trust your instincts.

The ability to recognize when you don’t need prep is actually a sign of confidence and experience. Novices always use all their prep because they don’t trust themselves. Veterans know when they’re ready.

Practice Makes Perfect

Here’s the secret to prep time mastery: you have to practice it. Not just practice debating, practice the actual process of using prep time efficiently. This means:

• Doing timed drills where you give yourself limited time to prep a response
• Practicing with your partner to develop smooth communication and division of labor
• Timing how long it takes you to find key pieces of evidence in your files
• Simulating the pressure of prep time, not just leisurely preparing speeches
• Debating practice rounds where you actually stick to prep time limits

The teams that practice prep time specifically are always better at it than teams that just hope they’ll figure it out during rounds. It’s a skill like any other, it improves with deliberate practice.

Prep Time Drills You Can Practice

The Three-Minute Challenge Set a timer for three minutes and prep a response to a case you’ve never seen before. Forces you to prioritize and work efficiently.

The Evidence Speed Drill Have someone call out argument topics randomly. Time how fast you can find relevant evidence. Work on getting faster and organizing files better.

The Partner Communication Drill Practice dividing labor with your partner in under 30 seconds. Do it repeatedly until you can coordinate strategy almost instantly.

The No-Prep Speech Give speeches with zero prep time to build confidence in your ability to think on your feet. Makes actual prep time feel luxurious.

The Budget Game Practice rounds where you’re only allowed to use prep at specific times or in specific amounts. Teaches strategic allocation.

Why This Matters Beyond Debate

You might be thinking, “Okay, cool, I can prep efficiently during a debate round. But when am I ever going to need this skill in real life?” Fair question. Here’s the answer: constantly. The skills you develop during prep time — staying calm under pressure, prioritizing ruthlessly, collaborating efficiently, trusting your instincts, working with imperfect information; are exactly the skills that determine success in high-stakes situations throughout your life.

At the end of the day, it’s who can execute under pressure. And that starts with making every second of prep time count.