Are you starting IB next year?

It’s not surprising that you’re nervous. The thing is, there are loads of reasons to look forward to the IB too. The key is to be prepared.

With all that in mind, here we have gathered our top 4 tips for how to prepare for the IB!

Assess your IB subjects

Think about your workload next year after choosing your subjects. Assuming you already have your subjects selected, take some time to reflect. Which subject do you think you will have the hardest time with? In which subject do you think you will need to pay the most attention? You should allow yourself more time to get used to a new subject if you’re starting from scratch. It is important to remember that everyone faces different challenges in the IB and everyone has different strengths. Every IB student faces different challenges. You will be much more relaxed about the next year’s transition if you understand what to expect. Here are some tips:

• Subject you find the most challenging
• Favorite subject
• Your most time-consuming subject

Get to know your new subjects

You should do some research before starting a new subject that you haven’t studied before. Get more information about what it entails and what kinds of topics you’ll be learning. Focus on what you are interested in instead of worrying about the specific IB syllabus.

For example:

Psychology – read blogs like We’re Only Human, which contains a bunch of articles about the oddities of human nature

Business & Management – try paying extra attention to the business section in your local newspaper

Global Politics – a quick browse around Google will find loads of different

Economics – while The Economist touches on business and politics as well, it’s a good place to start if you want to find out more. Or you could go straight to basic theories

Philosophy – try out this Oxford University podcast, Philosophy for Beginners

Know your study strengths

Which study habit works for you the most? When you’re running out of time due to leaving work until the last minute, force yourself to do your homework on the day that it’s due, not the day before. You may want to start your homework earlier if you’re always falling asleep before you finish it. Similarly, you could consider changing the location where you work and see if working in public (say a library or café) is better than working in your bedroom. The moment you figure out how to work best, you’ll be light-years ahead of most other students starting the IB.

Get support 

If on the other hand you are nervous about a certain subject or the workload in general, remember that help is always close at hand. Use these last few weeks of the school year to talk to your teachers about your subjects. Get advice from them about how you can improve your studies over the summer.

Also tutoring or an IB preparation course is exactly the answer to getting that extra but of guidance and confidence to help you cruise through that first year of the IB with flying colours. QE offers a headstart mentoring programme with IB preparations. Feel free to contact QE for further details.