IB exam day tips: paper reading, timing and final checks
A practical IB exam-day checklist for authorised materials, reading questions, mark-based pacing and resetting between papers.
Your school’s IB coordinator and examination instructions control the session. Confirm the timetable, venue, arrival rules and authorised materials for each paper well before the morning.
Before the paper
Check calculator mode, approved stationery and any subject-specific materials according to official instructions. Do not rely on what was permitted in a different subject or an older paper.
Read for boundaries
Identify command terms, scope, optional-question rules and mark values. Choose options based on the quality of evidence you can produce, not only topic familiarity.
Write for the assessor
Make reasoning visible. Label diagrams, use units, connect evidence to claims and signpost evaluation. Follow planned checkpoints and preserve a final interval for omitted parts, numerical sense checks and task alignment.
Between papers
Avoid a long answer-by-answer post-mortem. Eat, hydrate and reset for the next component. If an incident occurs, report it promptly through the school’s official examination process.