Swim tracking guide
Seed times, entry times and PBs explained
When you enter a meet you are asked for a time, and it is not always obvious which time to give. Seed time, entry time and PB sound interchangeable but they do different jobs.
Direct answer
An entry time, also called a seed time, is the time you enter an event with. It is used to sort swimmers into heats and lanes. A PB is the swimmer's fastest legal time for that event and course. The entry time is often the PB, but it does not have to be.
What each term does
The entry time is an organisational tool. It tells the meet roughly how fast a swimmer is so it can group similar swimmers together and give the faster seeds the central lanes.
The PB is a record of achievement. It is the fastest legal time the swimmer has actually recorded for that event and course, and it is the number that should drive progress tracking.
Why they are not always the same
You might enter with a long course PB for a short course meet, or with an older time because the event has a qualifying window. In those cases the entry time and the current PB differ on purpose.
A swimmer with no recorded time enters as NT, no time. They are usually seeded in an early heat, which is normal for a first attempt at an event and nothing to worry about.
Choosing an entry time
Enter an honest, recent time for the right course where you can. A realistic seed puts the swimmer in a fair heat with similar swimmers, which often produces a better race than being out on their own.
Avoid inflating an entry time to chase a faster heat. It can leave a young swimmer racing well outside their level, and some meets have rules about entry times that are far from a swimmer's real ability.
Keep the PB clean
Whatever you enter with, record the actual result afterwards as the swim that counts. The entry time is a guess made before the race, while the result is what really happened.
PB Pathway keeps these separate by design. You track the achieved time per event and course, and the PB updates only when a faster legal swim is logged, so the entry time you used never muddies the record.
FAQ
Is a seed time the same as an entry time?
Yes. They are the same thing: the time you enter an event with, used to sort swimmers into heats and lanes.
Does my entry time have to be my PB?
No. It is often the PB, but you might use a different time for course reasons or qualifying windows. Use an honest, recent time where you can.
What does NT mean when entering?
NT means no time. The swimmer has no recorded time for that event and is usually seeded into an early heat.
Can a slow entry time put me in an easier heat?
It changes which heat you are seeded in, but the result still counts on time. Entering an unrealistic time can lead to an uneven race and may breach meet rules.
Which time should I track as the PB?
The fastest legal time actually recorded for that event and course, taken from the result, not the entry time used beforehand.
Related resources
Swimming PBs: how to track PB times
A practical guide to swimming PBs, PB swim times, personal bests, course type and swim progress tracking without spreadsheets.
Swimming gala terms glossary
A plain-English glossary of UK swimming gala terms, from seed times and heats to splits, DQ and age groups, written for swimmers and swim families.
Heat declared winner in swimming explained
What heat declared winner means in swimming, how places are decided on time across heats, and why a swimmer can win their heat without winning the event.
What is short course swimming? Short course vs long course times
Understand short course swimming, long course swimming, 25m pools, 50m pools and why short course and long course PBs should be tracked separately.
See how this looks in a private swimmer dashboard.
PB Pathway helps swimmers, swim families and support teams track PBs, race results, standards context and private reports without public swimmer profiles or public leaderboards.