How to Smash the Last Term of the IB!

You’ve done it. Almost. Only a couple of months until freedom. But how can we make them count? In this blog, we discuss the four steps to make sure you smash your last term of the IB and get the score you deserve!

Step 1: Fill in the Gaps!

We all know that the IB is full of content and it can be tempting to try and revise straight away. The problem with this is that a lot of students forget to check through their syllabus. Each subject syllabus is a roadmap to success. Your first priority should be going through each of them to double check that you’ve covered the content in class. The worst mistake you can make right now is forgetting about a key idea or concept and being surprised by it in May! 

As you’re getting closer to the final exams, it is YOUR responsibility that you have covered everything that may pop up in that final exam. Hopefully your teachers, textbooks, and assignments have put you on the path to success but there may be sections, topics, or particular questions that they have not covered in much detail. 

You have all the resources at your disposal to fill in those gaps. Start by looking through the syllabus and identifying where you need to target your studying. Then consult some online resources to help you fully grasp these concepts! We’ve got tons of resources at Lanterna to help you out. The best one of all is our Online Private Tutoring! Click below to get a private tutor to help fill in all those gaps right away.

Looking for more specific subject advice? Check out our free revision booklets!

Step 2: Condense Condense Condense

The IB likes making us work for success. We’re sure you’ve made hundreds of pages of notes over the last 18 months or so. Remembering all of the content in this form, however, is pretty impossible. That’s why we need to reduce the amount of information to revise. That’s where condensing your notes come in. If you know a topic or process super well, don’t worry about including it in your revision notes. Focus on those parts of your IB subjects that you are still rusty with. Use acronyms and diagrams to keep making things easier for yourself until just a couple of pages unlock that wealth of content you originally started with!

Step 3: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

You might have heard of the saying that practice makes perfect. Although practice definitely will help you improve, this doesn’t mean that the only way to ace your IB is to spend countless hours after school engaged in schoolwork. You don’t need to spend 8 hours on homework every day to be successful in the IB. In fact, typically the most elite graduates in the IB are those who find ways to make their studying more efficient. That’s why we say that it’s not practising that makes perfect, but PERFECT practice makes perfect. We need to find study techniques and methods that reduce our study time and increase our productivity while studying. How do we do that?

It all depends on how you work as a student! Perhaps you’re a visual learner, maybe an auditory learner, a tactile learner, or something else. You might be unfamiliar with what all of this means. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Follow this link to read more about learning styles in order to make sure that all the studying you do is tailored to exactly how you work best! Through following these methods you may be able to reduce study time, giving you more time to do your favourite activities outside of school, whilst also improving your grades! Win-win.

Step 4: Relax

Now we know this is easier said than done but a big part of fulfilling your potential in May is your mentality! If you follow the previous three steps then you should be in a great position knowing that you’ve worked smart in the lead-up. Then the best possible thing to do before the night before the exam as well as the weeks leading up to it is make sure you’re getting your rest. 

One of the factors that affect your performance on your final exam the most is how well-rested you’re feeling during the day! It doesn’t matter if you’ve studied for 6 months if you can’t recall that information come the final exam. Since sleeping is the best thing you can do for memory retention, it’s so important that you prioritize sleep throughout these months.

On top of that, getting your physical exercise is just as crucial! You might have finished CAS but that doesn’t mean you should stop exercising. Getting blood flowing through your veins through exercise will mean that your brain will be operating at a much superior level! We want to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to make your study time the best it can be, and going out for a run or brisk walk is a quintessential part of that. Don’t neglect it!

There we have it, our 4 things to keep in mind over these next few months. Although these might not guarantee you getting a 45, they’re a small step along that path.

How to score 45 – from those that did it!