How long should I study each of the IB Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics?

The hourly guidelines are similar across IB Sciences because the exam rewards the same thing: accurate thinking under constraints. Start with 4--6 hours per week for SL and 6--8 hours per week for HL, then shift up or down based on your evidence (topic test results, timed scores, and recurring mistakes). Biology often demands more steady recall, so Flashcards and short daily retrieval pay off quickly. Chemistry tends to punish vague understanding, so you will want more targeted question sets that force mechanism and calculation accuracy. Physics is usually about problem solving fluency, meaning timed practice is non-negotiable once you know the basics. In all three, your hours should follow your error log, not your anxiety.

How do I include IA time without blowing up my study schedule?

Treat the IA as its own weekly appointment, not something you squeeze in “later.” A reliable rule is 3--5 hours per week during active IA phases, split into two sessions so you can think, step away, and return with clearer judgment. One session can be data work (collection, processing, uncertainty), and the other can be writing and revision. If you lump IA work into one long weekend marathon, you often create avoidable mistakes and then spend more time fixing them. Use RevisionDojo’s Coursework Library and Grading tools when you need examples and structured feedback, and ask AI Chat to sanity-check your method before you write pages that do not score. The goal is not more time, it is fewer wrong turns.

What should I do if I am already studying a lot but not improving in IB Sciences?

First, assume the issue is not effort, but task selection. If most of your time is rereading, highlighting, or rewriting notes, you can feel busy without building exam performance. Switch the center of gravity to retrieval: do a Questionbank set, mark it honestly, then review mistakes with Study Notes only on the exact subtopic you missed. After 48 hours, reattempt a smaller set on the same skill to confirm the fix held. Add one timed section weekly so pacing becomes familiar, not frightening. Finally, check your sleep, because memory consolidation is part of studying even though it does not look like it. Once your hours become question-driven, your improvement usually shows up faster than you expect.