What is "time to prepare"?

What does time to prepare mean and how is that different from the time to post?

Kohai: Before the debate, both sides can be given preparation time to think about the topic. Debaters can start drafting their first round during this time but nobody can post.

It's particularly useful in formats where you don't know the topic in advance.

admin: Thank you very much! I also noticed a few debates with cross-examination. Do debates with CX have two rounds or just one round of CX?

Kohai: The rule is that CX happens between every round (ignoring reply rounds), unless otherwise specified by the format (policy debate etc). So if a debate has 4 rounds, there would be 3 rounds of CX. If there were 2 rounds, there would be 1 round of CX. Etc.

admin: Thanks!!