IB Results Day FAQ: the day your brain refreshes faster than your Wi‑Fi
At some point on IB Results Day, time does something strange. A minute becomes elastic. You refresh a portal that swears it is loading, and you can feel your thoughts trying to predict the future from a spinning circle.
What makes IB Results Day hard isn't just the score. It's the meaning you attach to it in the first five minutes: What does this change? What does it say about me? What do I do next?
This IB Results Day FAQ is here for that moment. Not with motivational noise. With clean answers, practical checklists, and the calm reminder that you can take one good step at a time.
Quick checklist for IB Results Day (save this)
Before you do anything dramatic, do these small, stabilizing steps:
- Confirm you can access your IB results (login details ready).
- Write down (or screenshot) your total points and each subject grade.
- Check your core results (TOK/EE points) and diploma status.
- Take a 10-minute pause before messaging group chats.
- If universities are involved, draft a short email today.
- If you're considering an Enquiry Upon Results (remark), ask for component marks and boundary proximity first.
If you want a step-by-step walkthrough, keep this open: What Should I Do on the IB Results Day? A Step-by-Step Guide.
The most asked IB Results Day questions (with real answers)
What time do IB results come out?
Your IB results are released on the published date, typically at 00:00 GMT (your local time may differ). Schools sometimes share results directly as well, but your most reliable method is the IB candidate portal. The best move is to plan for a window, not a single minute, because stress makes you treat one refresh like fate.
How do I access my IB results?
Most students access IB results through the candidate portal using credentials provided by their school. If you don't have them, contact your IB coordinator as early as possible (ideally before Results Day). If you can't access on the day, don't panic--the issue is usually credential-related, not result-related.
What exactly will I see when I open my IB results?
You'll see your total points (out of 45), subject grades (1–7), and your core outcome (TOK/EE points contributing 0–3). You may also see diploma status indicators. The first reading should be factual, not emotional: copy the numbers first, interpret them second.
What should I check first so I don't misread anything?
Start with these four:
- Total points
- Each subject grade
- TOK/EE outcome (core points)
- Diploma status and any minimum requirements
Then check whether any grade is right on a boundary. That single detail often determines whether a remark is sensible.
I got the score I wanted. What do I do next?
First: celebrate in a way that feels like relief, not comparison. IB Results Day is loud online, and even good news can feel strangely fragile when you stare at other people's totals.
Second: if universities are involved, confirm what happens next. Some institutions receive results automatically through your school; others require a request. Your coordinator can tell you what your school normally does.
Third: protect what worked. If your system carried you, keep it. Revision is a skill, and you've just proved you can build one. If you want to keep your tools for future study, RevisionDojo keeps everything in one place: RevisionDojo for IB.
I'm disappointed. What should I do in the first hour?
Treat the first hour like first aid. You're not making life decisions in a chemical storm.
- Write down the results clearly.
- Tell one person you trust who won't turn it into a lecture.
- Avoid group chats for a little while.
- Then move from feelings to facts: ask your coordinator for component marks and how close you are to the next grade boundary.
If you need a grounded plan for the worst-case feeling, read: IB Results Day: What If Everything Goes Wrong?.
Understanding remarks (Enquiry Upon Results) without myths
Can I request a remark for an IB subject?
Yes. The IB has an Enquiry Upon Results (EUR) process your school can submit. A remark can move a grade up, keep it the same, or sometimes move it down, depending on the category and component. Your coordinator will explain deadlines, fees, and which components can be reviewed.
How do I know if a remark is worth it?
The rational way is boring, and that's why it works:
- Get your component marks.
- Ask how many marks you are from the next boundary.
- Prioritize subjects where you're very close.
- Consider whether the assessment type is more judgment-based (often more "movable") versus tightly mark-schemed.
You're not trying to "fight the system." You're trying to buy a small probability of a big consequence (like a university condition). That's a numbers decision, not a pride decision.
Retakes: what to consider before you commit
Can I retake IB exams?
In most cases, yes, in the next available session. Retaking is not a moral failure. It's a logistical choice: time, cost, energy, and what outcome you actually need.
Should I retake everything or just one subject?
Most students benefit from targeting. Retake the smallest number of subjects that changes the outcome you care about (diploma status, a university condition, or a scholarship threshold). Broad retakes often feel "thorough," but they can be inefficient and emotionally draining.
How should I study if I'm retaking?
You need an IB loop that produces evidence fast:
- Rebuild understanding with Study Notes
- Lock daily recall with Flashcards
- Drill exam-style patterns with the Questionbank
- Get unstuck quickly using AI Chat (Jojo) inside RevisionDojo
- Train timing with Mock Exams
- Rehearse realism with Predicted Papers
The hidden win is feedback. RevisionDojo's grading tools and AI marking turn practice into insight, so you don't repeat the same mistake with more confidence.
University offers: what to do if your IB score affects admission
If I missed a condition, should I email my university immediately?
If your offer is conditional and your IB result misses it, email sooner rather than later. Keep it short, factual, and calm. Universities are used to students being close to boundaries, and many have flexibility or alternate pathways.
A practical email includes:
- Your name and applicant ID
- Your achieved result (brief)
- A clear next step (EUR request, retake plan, or request for advice)
- A polite question about options
The goal is not to persuade with emotion. It's to show you're organized, responsive, and serious.
What if my school hasn't sent my scores?
Ask your coordinator what your school's standard process is. Many schools handle sending automatically, but procedures differ. Don't guess. Results Day is a bad day for assumptions.
How to emotionally survive IB Results Day (without pretending you're fine)
People say "it's just a number," but that's not how your body experiences it. Your nervous system treats IB Results Day like a verdict because you've spent months associating it with doors opening or closing.
Try this instead: it's a number and it's a story you're tempted to tell.
- The number is data.
- The story is interpretation.
Your job is to delay the story long enough to gather the data properly.
If you're spiraling, do one tiny stabilizer: open RevisionDojo, do a short Questionbank set, and remind yourself that improvement is something you can manufacture. You don't need a perfect plan today. You need proof that you can act.
A simple post-results plan for IB students (7 days)
Day 1: stabilize
Sleep, eat, and reduce inputs. Mute group chats if needed. Write down your exact IB outcomes.
Day 2: get facts
Ask your coordinator for component marks and boundary proximity. Decide if an EUR is rational.
Day 3: communicate
If universities are involved, email. If you're retaking, ask about registration and timelines.
Day 4--5: rebuild your system
Use RevisionDojo to set your loop:
- Study Notes for clarity
- Flashcards for daily recall
- Questionbank for targeted practice
- AI Chat for fast explanations
- Grading tools to tighten written responses
If you want the full ecosystem explained, read: RevisionDojo App: The Smarter Way to Prep for IB Exams.
Day 6--7: simulate
Run one timed session so your confidence comes from evidence, not hope. Use the Mock Exam Builder guide to make it feel real.
FAQ: deeper questions students ask (and don't always say out loud)
What if my IB results don't match my predicted grades?
This happens more often than people admit, because predicted grades are estimates shaped by limited evidence, internal pressures, and the simple fact that performance changes under timed conditions. The IB exams reward a specific mix of content knowledge and exam technique, and many students only realize that after seeing the final outcome. If you dropped, it does not automatically mean you "got worse" at the subject; it can mean your technique, timing, or question interpretation didn't convert your understanding into marks. If you rose, it doesn't mean the predictions were useless; it means you performed better under real assessment conditions than your school's snapshot suggested.
The practical move is to diagnose, not debate. Ask for component marks and identify where the drop occurred: one paper, one skill, one type of question. Then rebuild with a loop that targets that gap: Study Notes for the concepts, Questionbank for the patterns, and Grading tools for the written-mark details. If you need daily retention support so improvements stick, Flashcards turn "I understood that once" into "I can do that anytime."
How do I decide between a remark, a retake, or moving on?
Start by naming the constraint. Is it a diploma requirement, a university condition, a scholarship threshold, or personal closure? Different constraints demand different strategies. A remark is usually best when you are very close to the next boundary and the upside is high relative to the fee and risk. A retake is usually best when the gap is larger, the university outcome matters, and you can realistically commit to a structured plan over time.
Moving on is not the same as giving up. Sometimes "moving on" means choosing a pathway that fits better, with less delay and more momentum. The key is to stop treating the decision as identity ("I'm the kind of person who retakes") and treat it as engineering ("What action gives me the best chance of the outcome I want?"). RevisionDojo can support any of the options: if you remark, you can still practice to build confidence; if you retake, you can run Mock Exams and Predicted Papers; if you move on, you can use your Study Notes and Flashcards to keep skills alive for future coursework.
I feel embarrassed about my IB results. How do I handle people asking?
First, recognize the trap: embarrassment makes you think you must answer instantly, as if silence is admission. You don't. You can buy time with a simple line: "I'm still processing it, I'll share more later." On IB Results Day, many students are overwhelmed in both directions--some by disappointment, some by the pressure to perform happiness. You're allowed to be private.
Second, choose one safe conversation. Tell a person who can hold the whole story: effort, stress, context, and next steps. Avoid crowdsourcing comfort from group chats, because group chats flatten complex lives into totals. Third, take one action that restores agency: ask for component marks, plan an EUR decision, or do one short Questionbank session to prove to yourself that you can still learn. Shame shrinks when you replace helplessness with a plan.
Closing: your IB results are data, and you still get to choose
IB Results Day can feel like a single number trying to explain two years of effort. It can't. It can only report how one assessment sequence went.
What matters next is what you do with the information.
If you're celebrating, RevisionDojo helps you keep your skills sharp with Study Notes, Flashcards, and the Questionbank. If you're rebuilding, RevisionDojo becomes your clean, repeatable system: AI Chat when you're stuck, Grading tools when you need precision, and Mock Exams and Predicted Papers when you need realism.
When you're ready, start here and build your next loop: RevisionDojo for IB.
