Clear

Packet sets

A question set is "cleared for discussion" when its writer or tournament director allows its questions to be freely discussed and/or circulated. This usually occurs after all relevant mirrors running on the particular set have concluded or after the corresponding academic year has ended. Before a set is cleared any person who has been exposed to the questions should not discuss them on the internet or otherwise disclose questions to people who may play the set in the future. Despite this, some tournaments still mirror a cleared set after it is posted online—in this case, players are on an honor system to not look at the packets beforehand. An example of this is the annual Canadian mirror of HSNCT, which relies on players not playing, staffing, spectating, or viewing the discussion forum. Cleared sets are usually posted to quizbowlpackets.com sometime after the fact.

NAQT

All NAQT question sets used in the year prior are cleared for discussion on July 1st. However, even "clear" NAQT questions may not be directly shared or read to anyone outside of one's own club. In some cases, NAQT allows tournaments to mirror sets from the previous season (usually SSNCT) after July 1st, and prevents players or clubs in the tournament's region from purchasing those questions as practice material.

In games

Players may say "clear" or "reset" during a game to indicate that the buzzer system was not reset for the reading of a tossup. This is not considered illegal communication, even when it takes place at a time when talking would be.