IB Maths exam tips
Whether at HL or SL, AA (Analysis & Approaches) or AI (Applications & Interpretations), the IB Maths examinations can prove to be a challenge for all students. Today, BartyED’s expert IB Maths tutors have a look at the common issues faced by students and advise on how to overcome them.
Our IB Maths tutors have found that many students have the misconception that studying for Maths just means memorising formulas. This study strategy is not enough if you wish to obtain high scores in the IB Maths exam. Instead, students must learn to formulate their own comprehensive notes to study from. The questions in the IB Maths exam can be divided into different question types for each topic, which will also be specific to whether you are taking IB Maths AA or AI. By making notes that include the model answers to each different question type, students will be able to recognize strategies they need to solve questions more quickly and more easily. To make good notes for IB Maths, students must also keep a record of questions they have gotten wrong while practising and note down the right answers, reflecting on the reasons why. Keeping a record of the wrong questions means that students will not repeat the same mistakes and can determine which topics they have to focus more on.
The IB Maths courses require students to consolidate a wide variety of concepts, making any sort of last-ditch effort to study a practice in futility. This makes it crucial for IB Maths students to recognize the importance of setting a study schedule and sticking to it from early on in the course. When setting a schedule, it is essential to factor in the time needed to practise an ample amount of questions after completion of each topic. The questions in the IB Maths exam can be divided into different levels of difficulty and types, as well as varying degrees of depth depending on the specific AA or AI syllabus. Therefore, students must practise a wide variety of questions to ensure they are confident in the topic. Scheduling your study times well in advance will ensure enough time to go through all content, covering both theory and the application of concepts.
Students must practise with past papers to understand how to apply and manipulate different formulas they have learned. Practising with past papers also presents students with an opportunity to recognize command words and to make connections between different topics. Looking at marking schemes and understanding how marks are distributed also enables students to maximise their overall score. Students should also time themselves when doing past papers. Completing an IB Maths exam within the time limit is usually tough for students no matter how confident they are with the content, and timing oneself can help simulate the pressure of the actual exam.
Given the changes to IB Math course options in 2019, it is important to find out the rough equivalent of the course you are taking if you decide to use past papers from the old courses. Find out about the differences between HL and SL Math AA and AI on our website here, and on the IBO website.
We hope these tips will help you through IB Maths, and make the exams much more manageable. Our IB Maths tutors have found that students often struggle because they lack the right guidance. With a BartyED IB Maths tutor, students will be able to consolidate all the concepts so they can ace their exams and IAs with confidence. If you feel that you could benefit from extra support, feel free to check out our website for more information, or reach out today at (852) 2882 1017 or enquiries@bartyed.com.