The night you decide to chase a 45 in the IB is rarely dramatic. It’s usually quiet. A tab full of grade boundaries. A half-finished planner. And that small, stubborn thought: What if I actually tried to do the whole thing perfectly?
A perfect score in the IB feels like a myth because it’s framed like a personality trait. “Those people are just built different.” But in reality, a 45 is a series of ordinary decisions made early, repeated consistently, and protected from chaos when deadlines collide.
How the IB 45 actually works
To reach 45 in the IB Diploma, you need two things to happen at the same time:
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Six subjects, each scored out of 7 (max 42)
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Three bonus points from TOK and the EE (max 3)
And, yes, you must also satisfy CAS requirements. CAS doesn’t add points, but it can quietly block the diploma if you treat it like background noise.
A 45 is simple to describe and hard to execute: 7s across six subjects plus full TOK/EE points. The difficulty is that the IB doesn’t test one skill. It tests your ability to switch skills without losing accuracy: essays to data analysis, recall to evaluation, speed to clarity.
How rare is a 45 in the IB (and why that matters)
A 45 is rare in any year of the IB. Historically, less than 1% of candidates achieve it. In 2023, earned 45 points (roughly ).
