Can I self-study IB Physics without a tutor?

Yes, but successful IB Physics self-study requires more structure than simply reading a textbook. You need a syllabus checklist, a reliable explanation source, regular problem practice, and someone who can verify your scientific investigation and administrative requirements. Complete questions without assistance before checking solutions, then record whether each error came from content, mathematics, interpretation, or exam technique. Jojo AI can clarify individual steps, but it should not replace independent attempts or feedback from your school. If repeated practice does not resolve a topic, targeted help from a teacher or tutor is more efficient than continuing to guess.

Are old IB Physics past papers still useful for the current syllabus?

Old papers remain useful for practising physics that overlaps with the current course, but they no longer reproduce the complete assessment model. The course first assessed in 2025 removed Paper 3 and options, reorganized content into five themes, and introduced the present Paper 1A, Paper 1B, and Paper 2 structure. Some former option content now appears elsewhere, particularly at HL, while other material may no longer be examinable in the same way. Map every old question to a current syllabus statement before spending time on it. Use current official specimen papers and authorized current-format practice materials when testing timing or predicting examination structure.

Which IB Physics resource is best for learning a topic from scratch?

A current-syllabus textbook or comprehensive digital textbook is usually best for first-time learning because it can explain assumptions, derivations, and connections in depth. Kognity and current Cambridge materials are examples, although access and cost vary. RevisionDojo Study Notes can provide a more concise route when you already possess the mathematical foundations or need a second explanation. Videos are helpful for visual and verbal learners, but each lesson should be followed immediately by written questions. The best choice is the resource that lets you explain the model and solve an unfamiliar problem without reopening the lesson.

How many IB Physics resources should I use?

Most students need only three core components: an official syllabus reference, one main teaching source, and one strong source of questions and feedback. Adding a simulation or video source is sensible when a particular concept remains unclear. Using several sets of notes often wastes time because they repeat the same content without requiring retrieval or application. Keep one mistake log regardless of how many resources you consult, so your weaknesses remain visible in one place. Change resources only when you can identify a specific gap, such as insufficient HL depth, too few data-based questions, or unclear worked solutions.

How should I practise for IB Physics Paper 1B?

Paper 1B requires repeated work with unfamiliar data, graphs, units, uncertainty, and experimental reasoning. Practise identifying variables, describing trends quantitatively, calculating gradients, interpreting intercepts, and judging whether evidence supports a conclusion. Always include units and distinguish random uncertainty from limitations caused by the method or model. When marking, compare the precision of your wording with the markscheme instead of checking only the numerical result. Simulations and practical activities can strengthen these skills, but you must still answer timed data-based questions in the official format.

Can AI be used safely for IB Physics revision and the scientific investigation?

AI can support revision by explaining a difficult step, questioning your reasoning, or generating a new practice problem after you make an independent attempt. It becomes unhelpful when it supplies complete solutions that you copy without understanding or when you assume its calculations and references are automatically accurate. For the scientific investigation, your research decisions, data, analysis, evaluation, and submitted writing must remain your own and comply with your school's academic integrity requirements. Check AI explanations against the data booklet, reliable physics sources, and official assessment criteria. A useful rule is to close the AI after receiving help and reproduce the reasoning independently before moving on.

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Best IB Physics Resources for Self-Study

IB Study Guides IB Physics

• 16 Sept 2026•12

Best IB Physics Resources for Self-Study

Join 650k+ students breezing through the IBReady to breeze through the IB?

Best IB Physics Resources for Self-Study | RevisionDojo

Back to all posts

Best IB Physics Resources for Self-Study

IB Study Guides IB Physics

• 16 Sept 2026•12

The best IB Physics resources for self-study are not a single textbook or website. Independent students need official syllabus guidance, one reliable source for learning content, targeted questions, realistic exam practice, and support for the scientific investigation.

A strong setup uses official IB documents as its map, a textbook or structured notes for instruction, a question bank for application, and specimen or mock papers for timed practice. The resources below are compared for syllabus alignment, depth, exam usefulness, accessibility, and suitability for students working independently.

Start with the current IB Physics course structure

Before choosing resources, confirm that they cover the course first assessed in 2025. Many otherwise useful textbooks, videos, and question collections follow the previous syllabus, which included option topics and Paper 3.

The current course is organized into five themes:

A: Space, time and motion
B: The particulate nature of matter
C: Wave behaviour
D: Fields
E: Nuclear and quantum physics

According to the official IB Physics subject brief, external examinations contribute 80% of the final grade. Paper 1 contributes 36%, Paper 2 contributes 44%, and the compulsory scientific investigation, often called the Physics IA, contributes 20%.

The official IB Physics curriculum update confirms that options and Paper 3 were removed. Older resources can still explain relevant physics, but they should not determine your study sequence or expectations about the current examinations.

The best IB Physics resources compared

Resource	Best for	Main limitation
Official IB materials	Course mapping and verified exam format	Limited teaching explanation
RevisionDojo	Notes, questions, feedback, and exam practice	Requires disciplined independent practice
Current textbook or Kognity	Detailed first-time learning	May be expensive or time-consuming
Save My Exams	Concise notes and topic questions	Some content requires a subscription
Chris Doner videos	Conceptual explanations	Watching alone does not build mastery
PhET simulations	Visualizing models and testing relationships	Not a complete IB course

How to evaluate an IB Physics resource

A polished website is not necessarily an effective learning tool. Before committing time or money, test each resource against the current syllabus and the kinds of thinking required in IB examinations.

First, check syllabus alignment. The resource should identify current themes, distinguish SL content from additional HL content, and avoid presenting removed options or Paper 3 as present requirements. Publication dates alone are insufficient because some recently uploaded materials still recycle the previous course structure.

Next, inspect the depth of its explanations and questions. A useful teaching resource explains assumptions and physical models rather than supplying equations without context. A strong practice resource includes unfamiliar situations, multi-step calculations, graphs, experimental data, and written explanations rather than only short substitution exercises.

Markschemes also matter. They should show units, significant reasoning steps, acceptable terminology, and alternative methods where appropriate. Answers that provide only a final number cannot help you diagnose whether an error came from the model, algebra, units, or interpretation.

Finally, consider accessibility and sustainability. A resource is useful only if you can access it consistently and fit it into a repeatable study routine. Test a sample topic before purchasing a subscription: learn one concept, attempt several questions without support, and check whether the feedback helps you correct mistakes independently.

1. Official IB documents and specimen papers

Official IB materials are the most authoritative starting point. Use the subject brief to understand the course themes, SL and HL expectations, teaching hours, and assessment components.

The official IB Physics specimen papers show Papers 1A, 1B, and 2 with markschemes. They provide a verified model of current question formats, command terms, data-based work, and expected answers.

Their limitation is depth. A subject brief is not a textbook, and one specimen set cannot provide enough practice for the whole course. Use official documents as your authority while relying on other resources for teaching and repeated application.

2. RevisionDojo IB Physics

The RevisionDojo IB Physics resource hub connects content review, retrieval, question practice, and feedback within the five-theme structure. This makes it useful for students who do not want to coordinate several unrelated platforms.

Begin with the syllabus-aligned IB Physics Study Notes, then complete problems from the IB Physics Questionbank. Flashcards and cheatsheets can reinforce definitions, assumptions, units, and equations, but written problem-solving should occupy most of your study time.

Jojo AI is most useful after a genuine attempt. Ask it to identify an incorrect assumption, explain a skipped step, provide a hint, or generate a similar problem. Then close the explanation and reproduce the reasoning independently.

For broader exam preparation, Physics Predicted Papers can supplement official specimen material. Students planning their investigation can also examine IB Physics IA exemplars, although exemplars should be studied for structure and evaluation rather than copied.

3. A current textbook or Kognity

A full textbook remains valuable for IB Physics self-study, especially when learning a topic for the first time. Textbooks usually provide longer derivations, worked examples, diagrams, and connections between models that concise revision notes cannot fully develop.

Current options include the Cambridge Physics for the IB Diploma coursebook and Kognity's IB DP Physics resource. Kognity offers digital explanations, exercises, simulations, and practical prompts, although access may depend on a school licence.

Check for first assessment 2025 before buying a resource. An older edition may support individual mechanics or waves topics, but it will not accurately represent the revised organization and assessment format.

4. Save My Exams

Save My Exams IB Physics provides concise notes, topic questions, flashcards, and practice papers. It suits students who prefer written summaries and want to move quickly from reviewing a concept to applying it.

Its main strengths are clear organization and convenient topic-based practice. However, some materials require payment, and concise notes may omit deeper derivations. Use it for revision and additional questions rather than as a replacement for complete instruction, practical work, or official syllabus tracking.

5. Chris Doner video lessons

Chris Doner's videos are useful when a textbook derivation feels compressed or an equation lacks physical meaning. Newer lessons use current syllabus labels, including the A.1 kinematic concepts lesson, which distinguishes distance, displacement, speed, and velocity.

Avoid passive viewing. Pause before each worked step, attempt it on paper, and explain the model from memory afterward. Complete several unfamiliar questions immediately, because understanding a video is not the same as independently solving a problem.

6. PhET Interactive Simulations

PhET Interactive Simulations provides free simulations for circuits, waves, fields, energy, and particle models. These can make processes visible and help students test how changing one variable affects another.

Treat each simulation as a small investigation. State a prediction, vary one quantity, record data, construct a graph where appropriate, and explain the relationship using physics. Simulated evidence supports conceptual learning but does not replace practical experience with measurement, uncertainty, and equipment limitations.

How to combine IB Physics resources effectively

Assign one job to each resource. Using five sets of notes is usually less effective than using one explanation source and devoting the saved time to retrieval and problem-solving.

A productive 60-minute IB Physics revision session could use this structure:

10 minutes: Check the syllabus point and retrieve relevant ideas from memory.
15 minutes: Learn or repair the concept using notes, a textbook, or a video.
25 minutes: Complete questions without notes, solutions, or AI assistance.
10 minutes: Mark the work, classify errors, and write a correction rule.

Keep the official data booklet available during question practice. The RevisionDojo guide to the Physics data booklet explains how to locate relationships, identify assumptions, rearrange equations symbolically, and verify units.

Move from topic questions to mixed and timed papers once you can solve routine problems accurately. The RevisionDojo guide to earning a 7 in IB Physics provides a framework for micro-topic study, mistake logs, retesting, and paper practice.

Common self-study mistakes

The first mistake is collecting resources instead of using them. Select one principal teaching source, one question bank, and the official documents before adding specialist explanations.

The second is using old materials without mapping questions to the current syllabus. Older questions can remain valuable, but references to options, Paper 3, and previous topic numbering may be misleading.

The third is viewing solutions too early. Draw a diagram, identify the model, list known quantities, and attempt a route before seeking help. Also practise Paper 1B skills, including graph interpretation, uncertainty, data processing, conclusion, and evaluation, rather than focusing only on calculations.

Conclusion

The best IB Physics resources perform different roles. Official IB documents define the course, textbooks and lessons teach concepts, question banks develop application, and specimen or mock papers build timing and exam judgment.

RevisionDojo can provide a central self-study system while official materials remain the final authority. Start with Study Notes and the Questionbank, use Jojo AI only after attempting each problem, and introduce Predicted Papers or Mock Exams when your topic-level accuracy is secure.

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