Are you an IB exam candidate and have no idea how to prepare for your math exams? If that is the case, look no further as we have the answer right here.
Math is a compulsory subject for International Baccalaureate candidates. With only a week before the exams commence, most students are stressed and nervous. IB Math is a very complex subject, and students must have a good basis to get a good grade in the exams. As the math curriculum is enormous, students often get flustered and confused about how to begin their preparations. Different students have different study techniques, but the most important part of preparing for exams can be summed up in 8 basic steps. Following these steps rigorously will be more than enough to get a good score in your IB math exams. Let’s take a look at them:
Knowing the syllabus
To get good scores, students must prioritize each topic of the syllabus and put adequate effort into each one. Students must know which sections are included in the syllabus and which topics are included in each. People tend to miss out on certain topics as they are unaware of their existence and lose many marks for it. So, students should wrap their heads around the entire syllabus if they hope to achieve excellent scores.
Planning
Planning plays a crucial role in getting students good scores. Many students don’t know where to begin, so they spend most of their time gathering resources rather than studying them. As a result, they are stuck with a huge workload at the very last minute, which never goes well for them. Design a schedule to fit in all the topics before the exams. This way, you can get work done efficiently, keep track of your progress, and know which topics to emphasize more. Math is all about practice. The more you practice, the better you get.
Knowing the basics and the key concepts
Math is a very conceptual subject. You must have a very clear and thorough understanding of the fundamentals to get the top percentile score. The questions in IB math exams are often very tricky, and the only way you can solve each is by having a strong foundation. Refer to the syllabus from time to time and check off completed items.
Don’t procrastinate and manage your time efficiently:
There’s usually tons of work to do in a very short time, so students don’t study at all and procrastinate, ultimately killing their time. The students must view time as a resource and utilize it very carefully. As there are a lot of materials to go through, proper time management can get you ahead of hundreds of other students. Proper time management will allow you to finish all the topics in time, giving you a lot of time to go through test papers and study additional resources. Don’t pile up everything at the last minute; manage your time efficiently, finish everything before the eleventh hour and relax the night before the exams.
Take regular intervals and revise
Research has shown that the human brain can’t function efficiently for long hours. There’s not much time before the exams, so students have to be at their best performance. There will be many long hours of constant studying, so it is essential to take regular breaks in between. Suppose you study for long hours without any intervals, after a while. In that case, all the information gets mixed up, and you forget everything. So taking regular intervals is necessary.
Revising
There is no point in learning new topics a few days before the exams as you can never be proficient in them overnight. So it is better to revise the topics you are already familiar with. You can go through your class work and homework as they will help you learn each topic in detail.
Solve past papers
If you are set on scoring good marks in the exams, solving past papers is what you should be doing. There are many instances where similar past paper questions showed up in the exams, and the only students who aced them were the ones who practised the past papers. You can compare the question pattern of previous papers and predict what your question will be like. Also, solving past papers allows you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You can then work on your weaknesses and drastically improve your preparations.
Get enough Sleep
Sleep is equally important and is an important part of your preparations. As your brain has been working hard, it needs to be able to rest properly. You must be very sharp during the exams as the questions can be tricky. Even if you’re very well prepared but don’t get enough sleep, there is a good chance that you might not perform well during the exams. So make sure you give yourself enough time to sleep before the exams.
Outro
All the steps mentioned above complement each other. They play an important role in helping you prepare for the IB math exams. Math is all about precision, so you must be careful with your approach to each question. Suppose you follow each of these steps carefully. In that case, you will be able to cover up your entire syllabus beforehand, giving you great preparation before the exams. Good Luck!