November mocks often arrive before IB SEHS classes have completed the entire course, but passive revision is no longer sufficient. Effective IB SEHS mock exam prep combines syllabus mapping, active recall, data analysis, written responses, timed practice, and careful correction.
Your school controls the scope and timetable of its mocks. Begin by confirming exactly which content and papers will be assessed, then adapt the four-week plan below to the time available.
Confirm the format of your November SEHS mocks
Under the current SEHS course, first assessed in 2026, external assessment consists of Paper 1 and Paper 2. Mocks are school assessments rather than centrally administered IB examinations, so your teacher may test only material taught by November or use shortened papers.
Confirm these details before planning:
- Topics included, including any HL-only content
- Complete or shortened paper formats
- Calculator and data booklet arrangements
- Dates, durations, and available marks
The official IB SEHS subject brief gives the full assessment structure.
| Component | Format | SL duration | HL duration | Final weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Multiple-choice, data-based, and experimental-work questions | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes | 36% |
| Paper 2 | Short-answer and extended-response questions | 1 hour 30 minutes | 2 hours 30 minutes | 40% |
| Scientific investigation | Individual report based on an open-ended investigation | 10 hours | 10 hours | 24% |
These are final-assessment details, not a guarantee about your mock. The revised course covers exercise physiology and nutrition, biomechanics, and sports psychology and motor learning. The IB's SEHS curriculum update confirms that the former options and Paper 3 were removed, so legacy papers are not exact models of the current examination.
Diagnose your starting point
Complete a 30-45 minute closed-book diagnostic using mixed questions from topics already covered. Mark it strictly and classify each lost mark as a knowledge, application, data, command-term, or timing problem.
Create a red-amber-green topic map. Red means you cannot explain the concept without notes, amber means you understand it but struggle to apply it, and green means you can answer unfamiliar questions accurately. Use the RevisionDojo SEHS resource hub to organise current-syllabus revision, while following the scope supplied by your teacher.
Follow this four-week November mock plan
This plan assumes approximately 6-8 hours per week. HL students should use the upper end and reserve time for HL-only material.
| Week | Main objective | Required output |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Rebuild weak knowledge | Topic map, retrieval sheets, error log, and targeted questions |
| Week 2 | Develop application and data skills | Data sets, experimental-design practice, and timed responses |
| Week 3 | Integrate topics under pressure | Mixed question sets and one timed paper section |
| Week 4 | Simulate, correct, and taper | One realistic mock, corrections, and brief final reviews |
Week 1: repair essential knowledge
Prioritise red topics rather than familiar chapters. For each subtopic, read a concise explanation, close the resource, and reconstruct the process as a diagram, comparison table, or one-minute spoken explanation.
Use SEHS Study Notes to clarify concepts and flashcards for definitions, formulas, test protocols, and cause-and-effect sequences. A topic such as energy systems should be learned comparatively through fuel, intensity, duration, oxygen requirement, limitations, and sporting application.
Week 2: convert knowledge into marks
Use the IB Questionbank for topic-filtered practice. Mark every response and rewrite answers that are vague or scientifically incomplete.
For data questions, use a consistent sequence:
- Read axes, units, headings, and sample information.
- State the trend with numerical evidence.
- Identify anomalies, overlap, plateaus, or gradient changes.
- Explain the pattern using SEHS theory.
- Evaluate reliability, validity, limitations, or improvements when required.
Practise identifying independent, dependent, and controlled variables. You should also understand how sample size, standardisation, repeated trials, random error, systematic error, and measurement methods affect conclusions.
Week 3: train for each paper
For Paper 1A, answer without notes and inspect every distractor after marking. Explain why your original choice was wrong and which scientific distinction supports the correct option.
For Paper 1B, practise unfamiliar data and experimental contexts. For Paper 2, structure longer answers around a claim, accurate mechanism, sporting application, relevant evidence, and justified conclusion. The guide to SEHS data questions shows how to turn graphs and tables into scientific responses.
Command terms determine what an answer must do. Describe gives characteristics or trends, explain supplies reasons or mechanisms, compare addresses paired similarities and differences, and evaluate reaches a balanced judgment supported by evidence or limitations.
Week 4: simulate and correct
Complete at least one current-format paper or substantial mock under your school's expected conditions. RevisionDojo SEHS predicted papers can provide exam-style rehearsal, but predicted material is practice rather than a forecast of exact questions.
Spend substantial time correcting the paper. For each lost mark, record the missing fact, reasoning step, calculation, data reference, or command-term requirement. Reattempt the question 2-3 days later without viewing the answer.
Build a realistic weekly routine
Use short weekday sessions for weak-topic retrieval, flashcards, targeted questions, data analysis, and error-log review. At the weekend, complete 90-150 minutes of timed mixed practice followed by corrections.
Every session should produce evidence of learning, such as a blank-page retrieval attempt, completed questions, or corrected responses. Simply reading to the end of a chapter does not demonstrate that you can retrieve or apply its content.
Avoid common SEHS preparation mistakes
Do not spend the month rewriting attractive notes. Notes can establish understanding, but marks depend on retrieving and applying knowledge without support.
Avoid relying heavily on legacy papers containing options or Paper 3. Older questions may help with individual concepts, but their overall structure does not represent the current course. Other common errors include ignoring units, describing graphs without figures, confusing correlation with causation, giving generic evaluation points, and overlooking the command term.
Do not complete multiple papers without analysis. One carefully corrected paper usually teaches more than three papers that are scored and forgotten.
Conclusion
Strong IB SEHS mock exam prep follows a cycle of diagnosis, retrieval, application, timed performance, and correction. Confirm your school's November scope, prioritise weaknesses, train Paper 1 and Paper 2 skills, and use an error log to guide revision.
RevisionDojo can support this process through SEHS Study Notes, Flashcards, the Questionbank, Jojo AI, and Predicted Papers. Use notes to clarify, questions to apply, and timed papers to rehearse exam conditions.
Sources and referenced URLs
- Official IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science subject brief
- Official IB SEHS curriculum update
- RevisionDojo IB SEHS resource hub
- RevisionDojo IB Study Notes
- RevisionDojo SEHS energy systems resources
- RevisionDojo IB Questionbank
- RevisionDojo guide to SEHS data questions
- RevisionDojo SEHS predicted papers