How to Prepare for IB Exams to Score 7s
Tips for straight sevens in your IB Diploma from a seasoned tutor.
As experienced IB tutors, we’ve helped hundreds of IB students get 7s in their IB exams. In this guide we’re going to break down the patterns to success.
Whether you’re a top student looking to iron out the kinks in order to secure that 7, or you’re afraid you might fail and just want to know how to bump up your scores by a few points, we’ve got you covered.
This guide is equally useful for students about to start the IB as it is for those who are two months away from exams trying to crunch some study time.
If you put the following information into practice, and get some help where necessary, you’re almost guaranteed good grades in your IB final exams, regardless of the subject.
Don’t Let IB Exams Intimidate You.
Our track record speaks volumes.
Students at Think Smart see substantial score improvements, often leaping by at least two points, after regular and focused sessions with us.
We transform even the most challenging aspects of your IB preparation into manageable, conquerable tasks.
Learning how to work smart by understanding the IB exam criteria.
Achieving sevens in the IB is a huge goal worth striving for. Even though it can be tricky and require a lot of time and effort, it’s definitely achievable.
Some students are just academically gifted and get sevens without even trying, but for the rest of us (we were once IB students too) it doesn’t happen automatically.
Success isn’t just for the geniuses among us, it can be attained through hard work, and especially through smart work. Working smart will help you out in the IB, but also in the rest of your academic future (and life)!
Importance of starting early and being proactive.
Of course, it’s best to diligently be on top of all your studying from the start of the IB Diploma, but unfortunately, that’s not always the way things pan out. The good news is that the majority of your IB scores are still determined by your final exams.
That's right. Two years of learning are decided by the final two weeks of IB exams. Although this might seem like a nightmare, it's actually a blessing in disguise. This means that as long as you understand the criteria and learn how to take the exams well, a seven is still in reach even if you haven't prepared as much as you’d like throughout the IB.
It’s great to thoroughly familiarize yourself with every aspect of your syllabus, but for the sake of good grades, it's important to understand the criteria first. Every assignment and test is essentially an assessment of whether or not you can demonstrate to the examiner that you have learned the subject material.
Even though the criteria tries to be as intuitive and logical as possible, it's still a fixed rubric that needs to be adhered to. When you're learning new topics during your two years of IB, it's important to stop and ask yourself, or your teacher (or tutor), what's going to be on the exam and how to present this knowledge in a way that satisfies the criteria.
Understanding everything is one part of it, but ultimately the part you’re being graded on is showing that you understand it!
Choosing IB subjects that you're actually interested in.
Many students make the sad mistake of choosing IB subjects they’re not passionate about, just because they think they’ll look good on their transcript.
If you don't like your subjects, not only can it negatively affect your performance, but you might not be as happy as you could be studying something you actually like.
Universities will usually prefer an applicant who scores well in subjects they’re passionate about, than a student who barely gets by in the subjects considered to be more ‘competitive’ for application.
If you’re reading this and have already chosen your IB subjects but aren’t thrilled about them, don't fret. You can still make the most of it by focusing on the aspects that are interesting to you and keeping your study approach efficient. Stick to what's on the test, and take solace in the fact that after the IB you can be done with that subject forever!
Staying on your teachers’ good side.
In principle, there are no subjective criteria that determine your IB scores, and while your relationships with your teachers may not directly affect your IB grades, they can definitely affect how easy the process is.
Having great teachers is a true gift. Many of us are where we are today thanks to the wonderful support of teachers who cared enough about us to take the time to inspire us. But no matter how nice or knowledgeable our teachers may be, their teaching style won’t be a perfect fit for every student. Even the most particular of teachers are there to help, however.
The more students pay attention, show interest and respect, and are proactive about their assignments, the more teachers are going to be willing to go out of their way to help.
Set and stick to personal deadlines, participate in class, and carve out a little time in advance to ask your teachers for feedback on important assessments. When it comes time for the IB exams, those teachers will make sure you're fully prepared to get great IB scores.
Taking care of yourself and your friends.
Social factors are often overlooked, but hanging out with the right friend group can be immensely supportive. If you have friends that prioritize school and find meaning in learning, you’ll be encouraged to do the same. Conversations will be more interesting and hangouts will be scheduled around important deadlines so you stay motivated and never feel like you’re missing out.
Speaking of feelings, another factor that is increasingly talked about is mental health. If you or someone around you is showing signs of struggling emotionally or psychologically, it might be a good idea to reach out to a medically accredited professional for help. Parents and school counselors can help point you in the right direction here.
It’s also important to note that if you have learning differences, you might be eligible for special exam conditions, such as a little extra time and/or access to a keyboard.
With that said, it’s completely normal to feel stressed out under the pressure of performing well during the IB diploma, especially during exam time. Try your best not to dwell on lost time and missed opportunities. It’s never too late to get started and get help. If you’re feeling really overwhelmed academically, getting an experienced IB tutor is usually the most effective remedy.
Strategic Learning and Preparation
One of the best ways you can maximize results and minimize time and effort is by using scientifically proven learning methods such as ‘active recall’ and ‘spaced repetition’. These techniques will make your study process a lot faster and easier.
What is active recall?
Oftentimes when we study, we’ll simply underline or highlight sections in our textbook. That’s good, but what if instead we read a chapter, closed the textbook, and wrote out everything we remembered? Or, what if you quizzed yourself on specific questions related to the text?
That’s active recall. And guess what? It’s WAY more effective for memorizing information.
Ever watched an amazing movie and called up a friend the next day to tell them about it? That’s active recall too. It’s not like you’re reading the Wikipedia page out loud to them when you’re recounting the highlights right? That, like highlighting a textbook, would be passive.
Now, you might be thinking that your IB subjects are not as interesting as your favorite movie, and while that may be true, anything that puts your memory to use in an active way will make your life easier when it comes to studying.
Creating little acronyms for certain criteria or concepts, for example, can also be a great way for information to stick while actively preparing for exams.
What is Spaced repetition?
Let’s take a look at the ‘forgetting curves’ shown in the graph below:
Chart from Ali Abdaal
The initial moments after reading a chapter from your textbook are when the information is freshest. If you were asked to actively recall the contents of that chapter, you’d statistically be able to regurgitate about 80-90%.
What about 10 days later? Without subsequent review, you’ll have forgotten almost half.
This is where spaced repetition comes in. Instead of letting your hard-learned information wither away, use a little active review at planned, spaced intervals in order to cement the information in your long-term memory. Over time, you’ll be able to review less frequently while remembering a higher percentage of the original information.
Apps like Anki can really help you to systematize this process so that if, for example, there are a couple of definitions you’re struggling with more than others, the app can continue to test you on those until you’ve got them ready to go for the IB exams. The best part about all this is that if you do it right, you’ll actually retain this information way beyond exams!
Creating an environment that allows you to focus.
If you catch yourself constantly checking your phone while studying, it’s probably a good idea to put it away to avoid getting distracted.
Distractions make you lose effectiveness. Switching between tasks and multitasking while studying doesn't usually work. Instead, It's better to set up a reward system. Some of our students enjoy using the Pomodoro Technique, where they study for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break, and then repeat a few times until they take a longer, hard-earned break.
Practice exams are essential preparation tools.
There are a lot of resources online that offer practice in the couple of months leading up to the IB exams, but taking past paper 1 and paper 2 practice exams is probably the best way to prepare on your own.
It’s no secret that practice makes perfect. IB exam-taking is a skill like any other. There are set time constraints and the questions all follow a similar format from paper to paper, so practicing the way you test-take is going to really serve you. You’ll show up to the exam feeling ready and rehearsed, knowing what to expect, leaving nothing to chance or surprise.
But here’s the catch. You can do it all on your own, but it’d be wise to get some help.
Tutoring is hands down the best way to maximize results from these practice exams. Oftentimes, online resources can be outdated, the IB syllabus for a particular subject has changed, or your teacher won’t be available to go over your practice test results with you. This is where IB tutoring comes in.
The Game-Changer: Tutoring
Sure you can take these exams by yourself, but unless you have a teacher to grade them for you according to the criteria, you might be making the same mistakes over and over again, or even missing an easy opportunity to score higher by making some slight changes to your approach.
Experienced tutors can take a look at your performance and tell you exactly where you need to spend your time on improving. It's efficient, effective and by far the fastest way to increase your scores.
We’ve seen really smart students who knew the material inside out but weren’t scoring higher than a 5 because their time management and exam-taking skills had room for improvement. Sometimes it’s as simple as helping a student tweak their outlining process or helping them see a simple point they were overlooking in the criteria, and voila, those same students went on to easily score 6s and 7s in their final IB exams.
Getting tutoring as early on during the IB diploma as possible is obviously the way to go since our stats show that students with long-term tutoring get better scores with less effort than their untutored classmates.
But if you’re reading all this and feeling unprepared, don’t stress, it doesn't have to be a lost cause. We work with students like you ALL the time, and we help you focus on laser-sharp exam prep so that you can get great IB grades by simply following our tried and true test-taking advice.
All of our tutors have gone through the IB themselves and have experienced the pressures you're facing first-hand. Not only that, we maintain positive relationships with current IB teachers and stay on top of all syllabus changes.
Let us help you reach the scores you need so that you can pursue the academic future you want!
Don’t Let IB Exams Intimidate You.
Our track record speaks volumes.
Hoping to master an IB subject? Whether it's Physics, Maths, Psychology, or another, Think Smart Tutors ensures you're always a step ahead. It's not just about passing; it's about excelling with flying colors.
We transform even the most challenging aspects of your IB preparation into manageable, conquerable tasks. Book a trial lesson and let us help you achieve your dream results.
