IB Exam Prep Tips & Tricks
The May 2021 exams are only 2 months away now, and rapidly approaching. If you feel a little overwhelmed or underprepared, don’t worry, here are a few top tips for you.
1. Know your exam schedule and exam structure
You can find the official May 2021 IB exam schedule here. It is also very important to know the structure and requirements of all your exams, i.e. how long each paper is, total marks for each paper, the structure of each paper, and whether all questions are compulsory. This is doubly important this year since the IB has implemented several changes to account for the disruptions caused by the pandemic. The good news is that we have compiled a comprehensive summary of all the changes in our previous blog post.
2. List your weaker areas in each subject
Go over the official IB guide for your subjects and make a list of all subtopics which you feel underprepared. Remember, if it is in the syllabus, it is highly likely to show up in the exams!
3. Create a revision timetable and stick to it
Using your list and the IB exam schedule, create your revision timetable. It should be broad, and you should include relevant milestones for each week. For example, by 1st week of March I must complete topic 5 revision for Physics. Stick to your plan as much as possible and leave some wiggle room to readjust as needed. Review and revise your study plan every 2-3 weeks. Top tip, aim to consolidate all your weak points before April, and leave April for past paper practice.
4. Get your resources early
Ask your teacher / school for IB past paper sets. Try to get at least 5. You can also get IB paper sets from the official IB website. Practice is the key to success for IB exams, aim to do at least 3 full paper sets (in exam condition) for each subject before your actual exams. This should not include your mock exams 😉. Other useful resources include IB question banks (which organise past paper questions into neat categories). You can find some of our free IB style questions here.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Practice past papers and IB style questions regularly. It will be difficult at first, but the more you practice, the easier it will get, trust me! At first, don’t be afraid to refer to your notes/textbooks to answer the questions. Aim to do at least 3 full paper sets (per subject) before your exams.
That’s it for now. I could go on with more advice, but I’ll leave that for another blog post. Our team is always happy to answer any questions you may have, just message us via social media or comment below!
You got this!