The IB program is intense and even in the higher-level courses, many students are surprised at the difficulty and pace of the course. As we move in a direction that places more emphasis on the importance of STEM curriculum, mathematics will continue to evolve and challenge students in new ways.
But the point isn’t just to work out problems. The IB math HL course helps develop essential critical thinking skills. Putting in the hard work now will help develop you into successful engineers and developers in the future. So, if you feel like you’re struggling, here are my three key tips for getting through your IB Math HL course.
Focus on Timing
The standard time for answering a question in IB Math is one minute. These exams are timed so you won’t have any time for dilly-dallying. And getting some points on an incorrect answer is better than getting zero points on an answer that you didn’t get to. Half the battle in completing your exams is to get your timing down and work efficiently.
Exam Time Limits:
- Paper 1: 2 Hours
- Paper 2: 2 Hours
- Paper 3: 1 Hour
We also recommend taking your exams over three days, with one exam scheduled each day. This will give you plenty of time to focus on each exam without feeling pressured to think about the next exam.
Practice your Critical Thinking
You’ll need to really use your brains to get through unfamiliar questions. When you see something that is new to you, keep in mind that it might look different, but you’ve covered the entire syllabus preparing for this exam, so it can’t possibly be totally new.
If you think creatively, you can likely come up with the right methodology. There are always different strategies for answering questions. Find the right one and be thorough and diligent about showing your work.
Review your Mistakes & Learn from your Errors
Awareness of your strengths and weaknesses is the first step in growth. It does little good to drill practice problems if you don’t have the steps right. Your success in mathematics depends on taking the time to review your mistakes.
The idea is to focus on quality revision and not the quantity of problems. This means that the amount of time you spend checking your work and reviewing your mistakes should be twice the amount of time that you spend working on practice problems.
The Bottom Line
If you’re struggling in your IB mathematics HL course, the first thing you need to know is that many of your peers are in the same boat. The IB academic program is intentionally challenging and the higher-level coursework is the most intense. After you give yourself some grace
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