Quick answer
Competition commonly combines timed qualification with head-to-head racing under the current event rules.
Qualification
Times determine advancement and seeding.
Elimination racing
Qualified athletes race in paired lanes through a bracket.
False starts and incidents
Electronic systems and judges apply rules to early starts, falls and technical incidents.
Source note: Rules, formats, specifications and records can change. Verify competition decisions against current World Climbing and national-federation documents.