The most useful IB exam day tips are straightforward: confirm the exact paper and start time with your school, pack only permitted equipment, arrive early, follow every invigilator instruction, and allocate your writing time according to the paper's structure and marks. Exam day should not involve improvisation. A familiar routine protects your attention so that you can concentrate on demonstrating what you know.
This checklist explains what to do the night before, what to bring, how to stay within IB regulations, and how to manage the paper under pressure. It also shows why attempting real questions and reviewing worked methods is one of the strongest ways to prepare for calm, effective performance.
Your IB exam day checklist at a glance
| Stage | Essential actions |
|---|---|
| Several days before | Confirm the date, session, venue, subject, level, paper, and permitted equipment with your coordinator. |
| Night before | Pack approved materials, check your calculator if required, prepare clothes and transport, set alarms, and stop revision at a sensible time. |
| Before leaving | Eat familiar food, hydrate normally, check your bag, and allow extra travel time. |
| At the venue | Store prohibited items as directed, use the bathroom, listen to instructions, and check that you are seated for the correct paper. |
| During the examination | Read the cover instructions, obey timing announcements, answer the required number of questions, show working, and monitor your progress. |
| After the examination | Hand in all required materials, avoid sharing live examination content, note one useful lesson, and reset for the next paper. |
The published IB examination schedule identifies papers and sessions, but your school remains the practical source for your assigned venue, arrival arrangements, and local start time. Do not rely solely on a screenshot, a friend's timetable, or a calendar you created months earlier.
Several days before the exam
Confirm exactly what you are sitting
Write down the full entry for each examination: subject, Standard Level or Higher Level, paper number, date, session, venue, and required equipment. Similar subject names and consecutive papers make casual checking risky.
Ask your DP coordinator about any school-specific procedures, including identification, bag storage, water bottles, dress expectations, and when candidates must report. Arriving 20 to 30 minutes early is sensible general advice, but it is not a universal IB reporting rule. Follow the time given by your school.
Check calculator requirements properly
The IB states that DP students need a calculator in one or more subjects, but permitted use depends on the subject and paper. Its official calculator policy directs schools to current calculator information in the Programme Resource Centre.
Do not assume that a calculator allowed in lessons is automatically allowed in an examination. Ask your teacher to confirm the model, operating system, required examination mode, memory settings, and papers on which it may be used. Charge it or install fresh batteries, but do not store notes, programs, or applications that could provide prohibited assistance.
Make approved arrangements visible in your plan
If you have authorized inclusive access arrangements, confirm the room, start procedure, rest breaks, additional time, equipment, or other support with your coordinator. IB access arrangements remove barriers without changing what a student is expected to learn or lowering assessment expectations, as explained in the IB access and inclusion policy.
Do not wait until you enter the examination room to clarify a long-standing requirement. If a new illness, injury, bereavement, or serious event occurs close to the examination, contact your coordinator promptly because the school handles communication with the IB.
What to pack the night before
Use your school's instructions as the final authority. The following table separates common essentials from items that require explicit confirmation.
| Usually useful | Confirm with your school | Keep out of the examination room unless directed |
|---|---|---|
| Two or more reliable pens | Candidate identification or entry details | Mobile phone |
| Pencils, eraser, sharpener, and ruler where relevant | Calculator and permitted mode | Smartwatch or smart glasses |
| Clear water bottle if permitted | Dictionary for an eligible examination | Notes, revision cards, or study guides |
| Spare calculator batteries if relevant | Subject-specific equipment | Your own rough or scratch paper |
| Glasses or necessary approved personal items | Type of watch allowed, if any | Earbuds and other electronic devices |
The IB's academic integrity policy makes an important distinction: possession of unauthorized material can be investigated regardless of whether the student intended to use it or actually used it. Prohibited examples include phones, notes, personal scratch paper, non-permitted dictionaries, smartwatches, and smart glasses.
This is why “I forgot it was in my pocket” is not a safe position. Empty your pockets and pencil case before entering, then place electronic devices and bags exactly where the school instructs.
For a more detailed preparation routine, use RevisionDojo's night-before IB exam checklist. The purpose is not to create a complicated ritual, but to remove avoidable decisions from the morning.
The morning of the exam
Eat and drink as you normally would rather than experimenting with unfamiliar food, supplements, or unusually large amounts of caffeine. Bring a permitted snack for after the paper if your school allows it, especially when two examinations fall on the same day.
Before leaving, check five things aloud:
- correct date, session, and venue
- approved stationery
- confirmed calculator, if required
- identification or entry information required by your school
- travel route and arrival time
Avoid a heavy last-minute study session. A short recall warm-up can make key knowledge accessible, but learning an entire topic at the venue usually increases confusion. RevisionDojo's last 24 hours study plan provides a focused alternative to uncontrolled cramming.
What to do when you enter the examination room
Follow the invigilator rather than copying what other candidates are doing. Do not open the paper, write, use a calculator, or communicate until instructed. If you notice a phone, note, or other unauthorized item in your possession, alert an invigilator immediately instead of trying to hide or move it.
Check that the subject, level, paper, and language on the examination materials match what you expect. Listen carefully to announcements about writing time, permitted materials, answer booklets, and how to complete candidate details.
If anything appears wrong, raise your hand. Quietly seeking clarification about procedure is safer than making an assumption that affects the whole paper.
How to manage the paper effectively
Read the instructions before answering
Once instructed to begin, read the cover and section directions. Check:
- the total writing time
- the number of questions or sections required
- any choices between questions
- where answers must be written
- whether calculators or other materials are permitted
Answering every question when only two are required can waste time, while answering too few can sacrifice an entire section. Instructions are part of the assessment task, not administrative decoration.
Budget time using marks and sections
Divide your available writing time across the required sections, reserving a short final check. A rough minutes-per-mark calculation can be useful, but it is only a guide because reading, planning, and extended responses may require different pacing.
Set two or three checkpoints rather than watching the clock continuously. For example, decide that Section A must be complete by a particular time. If one question consumes far more than its share, mark it clearly, move on, and return later.
Respond to the command term
A correct fact does not necessarily answer the question. Describe, explain, compare, and evaluate require different forms and depths of response. RevisionDojo's guide to using IB command terms effectively explains how instruction words shape an answer.
For calculations, make the method visible through formulas, substitutions, units, and intermediate steps. For essays and extended responses, spend a short period identifying the claim, evidence, counterargument where relevant, and judgement required by the wording.
Recover quickly if you get stuck
First, take one slow breath and reread the command term and constraints. Write a formula, definition, diagram label, relevant example, or brief plan if it could earn credit. If progress still does not follow, leave space and move to marks you can access.
Temporary difficulty on one question is not evidence that the entire paper is going badly. The aim is to keep producing assessable work. RevisionDojo's guidance on staying calm during IB exams offers a practical reset routine for moments of panic.
If you are ill, late, or affected by an emergency
Contact your school or DP coordinator immediately and follow their directions. Do not decide independently to skip the examination, attend a different session, or seek unofficial information about the paper.
The IB defines adverse circumstances as situations beyond the control of the student or school that occur during the examination period or within the policy's specified period beforehand and affect performance. The official adverse circumstances policy explains possible mitigation and supporting evidence, but the school submits the relevant request. Medical or other documentation may be necessary, so report the event promptly and keep appropriate evidence.
The preparation habit that matters most
A checklist prevents avoidable exam-day problems, but it cannot replace examination skill. The highest-leverage revision habit is a deliberate loop:
- Attempt an authentic or exam-style question without looking at the solution.
- Work under a realistic time limit and use only permitted resources.
- Compare your response with the markscheme and a worked method.
- Identify whether lost marks came from knowledge, interpretation, method, communication, or timing.
- Reattempt the question or a similar one until the correction becomes usable under pressure.
Watching a solution before attempting the question often creates recognition rather than independent performance. Attempting first exposes the exact point where your reasoning fails; reviewing a step-by-step solution then shows how an expert converts knowledge into visible marks.
RevisionDojo's IB subject resources provide access to Questionbank practice, mock-building tools, and past-paper resources. The IB past-paper and video walkthrough directory helps students move from each attempted question to a worked explanation rather than simply checking the final answer. Full timed practice can then be strengthened using the approach in these IB mock exam tips.
Conclusion
Strong exam-day performance comes from controlled basics: verify your schedule, pack only authorized materials, arrive according to school instructions, follow the invigilator, read every paper requirement, and protect time across all available marks. If illness or an emergency affects you, report it to your coordinator immediately rather than trying to manage the formal process yourself.
Before the examination period, make the environment familiar through timed attempts and disciplined review. RevisionDojo's Questionbank, Mock Exams, and past-paper video solutions are most useful when you attempt each question first, study the worked method carefully, and then reattempt the skill that cost you marks.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Diploma Programme examination schedule
- IB examination calculator policy
- IB access and inclusion policy
- IB academic integrity policy
- IB adverse circumstances policy
- RevisionDojo night-before IB exam checklist
- RevisionDojo last 24 hours study plan
- RevisionDojo guide to IB command terms
- RevisionDojo guide to staying calm during IB exams
- RevisionDojo IB subject resources
- RevisionDojo IB past papers and video walkthrough directory
- RevisionDojo IB mock exam tips
