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Early polls following the first of three presidential debates point to Hillary Clinton coming out ahead of Donald Trump in Monday night’s face off.

According to a CNN/ORC poll taken immediately after the debate wrapped, 62 per cent of 521 registered voters who watched the debate said Clinton won, compared to 27 per cent for Trump. Public Policy Polling also had Clinton trumping Trump, but by a more narrow margin of 51 per cent to 40 per cent.

READ MORE: Promises, blunders from the first presidential debate

Regardless of what polls and pundits have to say, both sides will likely see themselves as having scored a win, according to Dr. Paul Quirk, the Phil Lind Chair in U.S. Politics and Representation at the University of British Columbia.

WATCH: Monday marked the first presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Global’s Jackson Proskow breaks down what happened and how heated the debate got at times.

2:14 Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton square off during first presidential debate Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton square off during first presidential debate

But if there’s a big takeaway, it could be that practice is the big winner of the night.

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“It was clear that preparation obviously paid [off],” Quirk told Global News. “[Clinton] was able to make points in a much more organized and effective way…Trump appeared to be repetitive and rambling.”

WATCH: Donald Trump argues with moderator Lester Holt over support of Iraqi war

2:11 Presidential debate: Donald Trump argues with moderator Lester Holt over support of Iraqi war Presidential debate: Donald Trump argues with moderator Lester Holt over support of Iraqi war

Moving forward, he said, the Trump campaign is going to have to reassess just how much the Republican nominee puts into his debate prep.

“On the whole, this idea that Trump should just show up and wing it is not going to look like it was the right thing to do.” Tweet This

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But he said it’s not clear that Trump has the patience he needs to buckle down and study all the briefing notes and reports to better handle questions on policy — something that’s been seen as one of his weaknesses throughout his campaign.

READ MORE: Moderator Lester Holt works to keep control of debate

Clinton’s campaign made no secret that she was taking time off to prepare for tonight’s faceoff, including taking part in mock debates, while Trump’s campaign was open about him not preparing nearly as much as his rival.

That’s something Clinton made note of after a comment from Trump about her taking time off the campaign trail.

“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate,” she said. “And yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be President. And that is a good thing.”

WATCH: Clinton slams Trump saying she’s been preparing to be president

0:16 Presidential debate: Clinton slams Trump telling him she’s been preparing to be president Presidential debate: Clinton slams Trump telling him she’s been preparing to be president

Quirk expects Clinton will see a bit of a boost in the popularity polls in the coming days, just like she did following the Democratic National Convention, but he believes she’s got work to do as well.

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“If she can come across in a way that makes her a little more personable and likeable, and if she could address the concerns people have about trusting her… those would be the aspirations for the next debate.”