Quick answer
A seed time is the time a swimmer enters a meet with, usually their best time in that event; the meet uses it to place swimmers in heats. PB (personal best), also called PR (personal record) or best time, is the fastest time a swimmer has ever swum in an event and pool type. NT means "no time": the swimmer has no official time in that event yet, so they are seeded in the slowest heats.
If you are new to swim meets, the heat sheet and the result sheet throw a lot of abbreviations at you. Seed time, NT, PB, PR, SB, best time. They are simpler than they look, and once you know them you can read any sheet in seconds.
The terms at a glance
| Term | What it means | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Seed time | The entry time used to place a swimmer in a heat, usually their best time in that event | Psych sheet, heat sheet, result sheet |
| NT | No time: no official time in this event yet | Psych sheet, heat sheet |
| PB / PR | Personal best / personal record: fastest time ever in this event and course | Result sheets, apps, team talk |
| Best time | Same as PB; USA Swimming and most apps say "best time" | Data Hub, Gophin, club websites |
| SB | Season best: fastest time in the current season | Result sheets, rankings |
| Final time | The time actually swum at this meet | Result sheet |
What is a seed time in swimming?
A seed time is the time a swimmer is entered with. When your club enters your child in the 50 free, it submits a time, normally their best official time in that event. The meet software sorts every entry by seed time and builds the heats: the fastest seeds swim in the last heats and the centre lanes, the slowest seeds in the first heats.
A few things parents often wonder about:
- Seed time is not a prediction. It is a past time. Your swimmer can go faster or slower than their seed on the day.
- It usually comes from an official meet. Many meets require the seed time to have been swum at a sanctioned meet within a set window, and some require a proof of time. The meet announcement spells out the rules.
- The pool matters. A seed time is tied to a course: 25-yard pools (SCY), 25-metre pools (SCM) or 50-metre pools (LCM). Some meets accept a time from another course, converted; many do not. Check the meet information before assuming.
- Seed time vs final time. On the result sheet you will often see the seed time next to the final time. If the final is faster, your swimmer beat their seed, which usually means a new best time.
Heat sheets and psych sheets are both sorted by seed time; our guide to psych sheets explains the difference.
What does NT mean in swimming?
NT stands for "no time." It means the swimmer has no official time in that event and course, usually because they have never raced it, or never raced it in that type of pool. NT swimmers are seeded as the slowest entries, so they swim in the early heats.
NT is completely normal. Every swimmer has NT next to every event at the start. Two things to know:
- Some meets, especially championship and qualifying meets, do not accept NT entries: a swimmer needs a time that meets the qualifying standard.
- After your swimmer races the event once, the NT disappears. That first time becomes their PB, and the next meet uses it as the seed.
Other abbreviations such as DQ, NS and SCR are covered in our guide to reading swim meet results.
What does PB mean in swimming?
PB means personal best: the fastest time a swimmer has ever swum in a specific event, in a specific course. You will also hear PR (personal record), best time or lifetime best. They all mean the same thing.
Three details that trip parents up:
- A PB is per event and per course. Your child has one PB for the 100 free in a 25-yard pool, another in a 25-metre pool and another in a 50-metre pool. A 50-metre pool is slower, so a long course PB is normally slower than the short course PB. That is not a step backward.
- Only official times count. A time from practice or from an unofficial meet can be a great sign, but it is not an official PB and cannot be used to qualify.
- PB drops get smaller. A 9-year-old might take seconds off in a season. A 16-year-old might fight for tenths. Smaller drops are normal as swimmers get older, not a sign that progress has stopped.
PB vs SB: what is the difference?
SB means season best: the fastest time in the current season only. Every PB swum this season is also an SB, but most SBs are not PBs. A swimmer coming back from a break or a growth spurt might post several SBs before a new PB. We go deeper in Season Best vs Personal Best: What Counts.
A simple example
Here is how the terms fit together for one swimmer across a season (example times):
| Meet | Event (SCY) | Seed time | Final time | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 100 Back | NT | 1:22.40 | First official swim: new PB |
| December | 100 Back | 1:22.40 | 1:19.85 | Beat the seed: new PB and SB |
| February | 100 Back | 1:19.85 | 1:20.30 | Slower than seed: PB stays 1:19.85 |
| March | 100 Back | 1:19.85 | 1:18.62 | New PB, now the seed for the next meet |
How to see your swimmer's PBs without a spreadsheet
Keeping PBs by hand works for one swimmer and a few events. Across three pool types, a dozen events and several seasons, it breaks down fast, and one typo can put the wrong seed on an entry form.
Gophin does this automatically, for free:
- Best Times shows your swimmer's PB in every event, for each course, built from official meet results. Nothing to type.
- The evolution chart for each event shows every swim over time, so you can see when each PB happened.
- Season filter shows season bests, so PB and SB never get mixed up.
- Comparisons â Standards puts each PB next to the USA Swimming, Swimming Canada or provincial standard for your swimmer's age and shows how much time is left to the next cut.
When the next meet entry comes around, you already know the seed time for every event.
See your swimmer's best times in Gophin, free
Quick reference for your next meet
- Seed time = the time your swimmer entered with. It decides the heat, nothing else.
- NT = no official time yet. Normal for first races.
- PB / PR / best time = fastest ever, per event and per pool type.
- SB = fastest this season.
- Final time faster than seed = usually a new PB. Celebrate it.
If you are still looking for where the results are posted, our guide to the best apps to find swim meet results sorts that out.
