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Although there are IB schools that host their DP exams in November, the majority of you will link this time of year with retakes going on. Independent of the cycle you follow, they are an event you should be consciously aware of, as they may be accompanied by some valuable lessons for your own exams. You're asking which? We’ve listed three important ones below:

They make you aware of time. Retakes provide a useful alarm clock six months prior to the next exam session. If you’re in your second year and at this point are still busy looking for excuses as to why your performance is not where you would like it to be, you should start to consider changing your strategy. You can: A. invest more time and effort, or B. lower your standards (and yes – there is a right and wrong answer here).

Retakes are there to improve. Students taking their exams a second time are certainly doing so for a reason. Either they were not satisfied with their results, or someone else wasn’t (it’s up for debate which one is worse). Nevertheless, they have already experienced the exams and are presumably doing something different this time in order to improve. Why do you care? Because you want to know about the 'something'!

If all fails, it’s not over. Ideally, you’ll achieve your goal of getting 45 points right away. However, don’t forget that it's not the end of the world if you don't. If you really need additional points, there is a second chance. Keeping this in the back of your head can certainly help you reduce your nervousness and anxiety before the exams. At the same time, be careful not to get too comfortable. You should always do the best you can!

Halloween has come a long way. The Irish tradition has turned into an inherent part of American culture and is beginning to be more and more accepted internationally as well. Hence, it’s about time that it becomes part of IB culture, too – and there’s good reason for it also:

It’s scary! You’re doubting that an IB-theme Halloween has a lot of horror potential? Then imagine an IB student opening the door to someone dressed in an Extended Essay custom. If he doesn’t faint straight away he’ll at least give up all his candy.

It’s creative! Nowadays, putting together an original Halloween custom has almost become a professional sport. Dressing up as CAS hours or a lab report will certainly provide a challenge. Not to mention the potential TOK bears for an inventive outfit.

It’s encouraging! Everyone probably knows the saying that it’s important to be able to laugh about yourself. Well, the same goes for IB. Because that mathematics exam will only seem half as scary if it reminds you of your best friend dressed up as a graphing calculator…

Our mission here at SMARTPREP is to design smart, organized and efficient revision resources tailored to IB students. However, we do not limit ourselves to creating excellent publications but furthermore take great pride in making these available to you everywhere. Whether it’s Sidney, Capetown or Toronto, we do not hesitate to ensure a safe arrival of the materials you need for the success of your Diploma Programme. We will even cover your shipping costs for deliveries within the EU.

Click here to check out our delivery times for your desired destination and order your flash cards before the launch of SMARTPREP IB App in early 2018 to benefit from a 3-month free trial.

As we’re advancing through October and transitioning from summer to winter (or vice versa depending on where you are), you can’t help but feel like the IB Diploma Programme very much resembles the four seasons. It is a continuous two-year cycle, opening doors to huge opportunities for tens of thousands of students.

Do you want to check which season you’re currently in and what is still to come? We’ve outlined our interpretation for you below:

SUMMER

Commonly, IB students experience summer as a light-headed time with much freedom and limited responsibilities. Large proportions of it are spent outside and engaging activities take place all around. Just like in the beginning of the Diploma Programme, everyone is aware that this will pass and that being a little proactive could make the months to come significantly easier. Then again, it’s tough being particularly productive when your fellow classmates are still taking their time to get focused.

FALL

Once summer has passed and holidays are over, students become increasingly invested into schoolwork. Now, they are full of energy to tackle the tasks awaiting them. The carelessness they’ve experienced in summer is slowly giving away to a more sophisticated and serious, yet motivated lifestyle. It’s like trees losing their leafs, one after another, to prepare for a cold and snowy winter.

WINTER

In the colder regions on Earth, winter is a pale time of year in which it is never wrong to simply lock yourself inside and to make yourself comfortable next to a warm and cozy fireplace. After the first year of the Diploma Programme, the colorful and enterprising spirit of summer has almost been forgotten. Homework and other assignments like the Extended Essay need to be completed, examinations are approaching, and everyone around you seems to follow the same gray rhythm.

SPRING

When spring comes around, one can feel a more hopeful atmosphere starting to spread. The days get longer, the blooming trees and flowers bring back color, and it’s only a matter of time until summer is back. Projecting this onto the Diploma Programme would probably leave you somewhere right after your mocks, where all your assignments are finished and the 'only' thing left are your final exams. Now, just keep going a little longer and you’ll reach a new summer, much more rewarding than the last one.

–

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's blog on 5 tips to consider when writing your mathematics internal assessment on our From Students to Students blog:

Dear Readers,

Depending on your school you will have either started or finished your internal assessment for mathematics. As I am currently working on it I have decided to clarify the task and address a couple of aspects that should not be overlooked.

1.)  Choose a topic with a sufficient amount of mathematics.

For your internal assessment, you need to explore and calculate a solution to a real life problem by utilizing the skills that you have acquired during the course. Covering a topic/task which cannot be explored and questioned further is not acceptable! Therefore, you should aim to find something that allows you to demonstrate a wide range of mathematical skills related to the course and where finding a solution is a possibility.  

2.)  Explain the mathematics of your topic and demonstrate personal engagement.

Once you have decided on a topic to explore you will need to calculate your answer. Bear in mind that you need to explain your steps very clearly. Make sure that your vocabulary and sentence structure is correct and not too complicated, i.e. using words like “substitute” instead of “plug in”. It should underscore your voice as a mathematician and not your English Lit. skills!

You will also need to showcase your personal engagement. Either by using complex mathematics or by investigating a topic that relates to you. Do not underestimate the difficulty of achieving full marks in this criterion. Attempt to explain why you are so interested in the topic and create references to yourself.  

3.)  Understand the math and do not go beyond the outline of the coursework if you cannot explain the steps.

You may be planning to demonstrate personal engagement through teaching yourself mathematical concepts that go beyond the requirements of the course. Beware though, as you are required to explain and understand them as well. It is important that you are able to discuss the relevance and importance of your calculations if you want to score highly. Bear in mind that calculations are only one part of the criteria.

4.)  Manage your time well and meet the deadlines.

Make the best possible use of the opportunity to hand in a draft. Be sure to finish your investigation and edit it to perfection. If not, you will have wasted valuable feedback and an opportunity to maximize your score!

5.)  Organize and structure your work effectively.

Organizing your investigation effectively will help the paper flow and be pleasing to the IB examiner. Otherwise, you could confuse the examiner and put yourself at risk of losing valuable marks. Thus, make sure to use a logical and easy-to-follow structure.

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's blog on 5 thoughts before mock exams on our From Students to Students blog:

Dear Readers,

It is the time of year again when mock exams take its toll on IB students. Depending on what grade you are in, you have either been through them or will be in the upcoming years. This is why I wanted to share 5 thoughts that you may have before taking your mock exams.

1. Everyone else looks really prepared

This crosses my mind before every test! However, it is important that you do not let this influence you. For your final or even mock exams, I urge you to avoid conversation on “everything” that you have learnt. It will either stress you out or confuse you. Just remember that you know what you know and the rest does not matter!

2. This is just a practice

Although mocks are considered a practice for the final IB exams, they really are important and useful. Firstly, students are able to experience the pressure and conditions that they will be under in May. Additionally, you will get to experience the time it takes you to finish your paper, which is incredibly important. Therefore, you do not want to take these exams too lightly. Learning for the mocks will make studying for the finals so much easier. Instead of learning everything again from the beginning, you can simply continue where you left off. 

3. I need to look at my notes again

I am one of those people that is never able to shake this feeling. However, similarly to the mocks or the final IB exam, I advise you to write what is most important (only for the day of the test) on a piece of paper and to only refer to that. It may be counterproductive to stress yourself out by looking through millions of flash cards for a “last minute” study sesh.

4. Maybe it will not be that bad

I would not bet on it. For many, the mocks will be pretty awful. That is a given. However, you will have the perfect chance to prepare for your upcoming IB exam and perhaps score the maximum number of points.

5. How will I feel when I take my finals

I do not think you can compare the feeling you have during your mocks to the one when you walk into your first and last IB exam. You should rather be thinking about the pleasure of finishing your whole school career with a great IB.

I wish everyone who is taking the May 2017 IB exams the best of luck!

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's blog on 10 tips for a good TOK presentation on our From Students to Students blog:

Dear Readers,

I held my very first TOK presentation in class today. To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the work, and ravaged my brain to find “philosophical” and TOK related arguments. Nevertheless, I was inspired to create 10 tips and tricks for a good TOK presentation in hopes that these will help all of you:

Choose a good Real Life Situation. Helpful are classroom discussions, debates, and ultimately encounters that you have experienced.

Create a reasonable knowledge question that is not too easy but not too hard. Remember your knowledge question should be extracted from your RLS and should aim to draw linkages.

Use TOK terminology throughout the entire presentation. Specifically, the ways of knowing, areas of knowledge and TOK concepts. These will make your presentation more TOK based and accordingly boost your grade.

DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR REAL LIFE EXAMPLE TOO MUCH. This is key! Your aim is not to analyse your real life situation as you would in an FOA, but to establish TOK links and to reflect on how this produces knowledge.

Include multiple perspectives. These can either be yours, those of an expert or based on gender, race, culture, or the upbringing of an individual. Make sure to evaluate why different people might have different perspectives.

Structure your presentation coherently and establish a “flow”. There is nothing worse than an unorganized PowerPoint and no transitions between points. Structure your presentation the same way as you would structure your arguments.

When evaluating the implications focus on the long and short term effect as well as the global impact.

Do not use too many RLSs. Of course every group will vary in how many RLSs are used, however using too many may cause you to lose track and therefore create weak arguments.

Do not read off of your flash cards! Apart from the fact that the presentation will be very boring and monotone, IB examiners might believe you do not know your material and therefore deduct points.

Do not stress. Probably the hardest tip to follow, however the best advice I can give you. This is because your stress is transferred to your peers, the teacher and the examiners. By the time you present you know what you are going to talk about and therefore have no need to worry!

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's blog on 10 things to consider when choosing your Extend Essay subject on our From Students to Students blog:

Dear Readers,

I am sure that all of you are familiar with the term ‘Extended Essay’. The unforgiving task that should be written over summer break, to avoid all kinds of mental breakdowns. However, as some of you will not follow my advice and write it after break, I send you my prayers and all the best. The task requires you to plan, research, and perfectly write a 4000-word essay about the topic of your choice, in a subject area of your interest. Thus, we are left to choose a reasonable subject which would allow us to achieve the highest marks possible. This is why I have written a list with 10 things to consider when choosing your subject area:

Do you enjoy the subject?

Are you comfortable with the material?

Do you take the subject?

Can you think about units within the subject that have sparked interest in you?

Do you feel confident writing about this subject?

What are your weaknesses in this subject?

Do you have possible ideas about topics in this subject?

Will you be able to manage the work load and expectations for your subject?

Have you talked to your teacher about taking this subject?

Do you have a possible supervisor in mind?

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's "Compete to Succeed" entry on our From Students to Students blog:

Dear Readers,

As the mid-year report cards have arrived, I wanted to share a rather motivational story with all of you.

I would characterize myself as a master of procrastination in which I am able to spend a week avoiding any work or responsibilities. Hence, my sister and I bet on our averages. To further clarify, my sister has already claimed her IB Diploma and is about to receive her Bachelor’s degree. Therefore, my motivation derives from her GPA that I aim to beat every year. This year, we renewed our bet once again, and distinguished that I was able to score a higher GPA than her by a very small margin. The reason I shared this story was because I improved my grades by introducing a little competitiveness. Personally, the bet lifts pressure off of the report card, as I am able to view it more as a “game”. Either I win, or I lose in which I am able to improve further and be reminded of my end goal. An easy to implement and effective strategy.

Try it out!

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's 10 resolutions for 2017 on our From Students to Students blog:

I deeply regret to state that Christmas break is over, and stress as well as examinations are reintroduced. After spending two weeks being able to shed from my everyday routine, I was able to formulate 10 New Year’s resolutions. Similarly to every year, 2017 should be a fresh start, where schoolwork and grades are at the top of my priorities. However, usually these intentions are quickly abandoned and replaced with an “I’ll do it later” or “I just won’t do it at all”. Nevertheless, I present to you my soon regretful intentions for the New Year:

Using my free periods to prepare for upcoming summatives.

Devoting “planning” lessons to actually creating a plan.

Submitting my work on time. But, to be honest, there is no better feeling than having handed in your TOK essay at 23:59 when the deadline is 00:00.

Actually spending a little time on my CAS - I can already see myself being completely stressed about these due dates.

Thinking about the topic for my Extended Essay.

Less Netflix, procrastination and general maneuvers with the purpose of avoiding any kind of schoolwork.

Spending 1 hour a day on revision. This is a point that I have addressed in previous blog posts due to its effectiveness. Spending an hour a day really does have an impact upon the development of your overall knowledge and acts as the ideal preparation for your IB examinations.

Devoting more time for extracurricular activities. These always look great on college applications.

Going to bed at a reasonable time.

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's blog on how to study in and enjoy your christmas break at the same time on our From Students to Students blog:

Christmas Break! The last break of the year which guarantees two weeks of endless relaxation and comfort, for any student that is involved with the IB diploma. I remember the unconventional times where I wished that breaks would end sooner, only to wake up three years later, traumatized at the thought of the first day of school. As IB diploma students, we are aware that holidays are the only time where we can sleep the recommended 7 hours a night and really experience what they feel like. However, we also deserve to have some free time and redirect our attention to something other than the submission of our TOK essay, not having submitted our TOK essay, or quite frankly the Extended Essay. Without further due I would like to present “How To Study In And Enjoy Your Christmas Break”.

Make a study guide

A study guide is a well-structured plan that outlines what work you have to do and for what subject. This can be helpful for the following reasons:

You spend less time trying to figure out what you have to review and why (instead of phoning your friends and then drifting off into conversations).

You are able to concentrate on the important subjects and prioritize them over other trivial homework.

And finally, you have developed a structure which you have linked yourself to, thus forcing you to comply with schoolwork (this is especially useful for the procrastinators).

Spend at least 1 hour a day reviewing (with exceptions)

This is probably one of the most helpful tips that I have been able to follow (most of the time). To begin, you don’t always have to spend an hour a day studying, especially not if it is unconventional! However, once you get into the routine of studying you feel so much more productive. During the hour you are able to review and study for upcoming assessments, and be organized (a word which is probably very unknown to the IB diploma students).

Meet friends and review materials

During Christmas Break, we obviously want to meet our friends and spend time with each other. If the previous tips were not applicable to you, you might enjoy studying with your friends. Dedicate your time asking each other questions about your topic. Once you are done, forget about school and redirect your attention to something other than the IB.

Take an actual break

Two weeks of break time allows us to study more than enough. However, we have to keep in mind that they are called “holidays” for a reason. There has to be a time when you are able to take a break from studying and enjoy your time off! Thus, try to create a balance between relaxation and your workload.

I wish all of you happy holidays and can’t wait till you read my next blog.

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's three IOC preparation tips & tricks on our From Students to Students blog:

As IB students we are required to sacrifice our sleep schedules, nerves, and weekends to achieve full marks. Sometimes we are able to accomplish 100%, whilst other times we are left with bitter disappointment and a “see me after class” note. However, to avoid the shunning looks of teachers and parents, I have developed three tips to be prepared for the upcoming or future Internal Oral Assessments.

Study the required format: For every Internal Oral Commentary the examiners will want you to follow a certain structure. This isn’t an “I’ll just wing it” situation, as your teacher and the IB examiner will know that you tried to “just wing it”. The sooner you are aware of the expectations and format of your commentary, the sooner you will be able to address the point. Contact your teacher, and try to get a good night’s sleep so that you can walk confident and calm into your exam.

Revise your Speaking Skills: As a student I know that speaking ten minutes about a text can either feel like ten hours or ten seconds. Trust me, I have endured the worst practices in which I was barely able to formulate sentences correctly. However, as the IOC makes up 15% of your grade, you probably want to avoid the worst case scenario, bringing me to my next point. Speak in front of a mirror, speak to your friends, or anyone who will listen for that matter. Practice, practice, practice! Test yourself with friends and attempt to formulate well-structured sentences under time pressure, to be familiar with the feeling.

Have confidence: “Have a little confidence” sounds like something your teacher might say with an awkward smile while attempting to make you feel less nervous. Realistically, we will all be anxious and most likely wish that it will be over soon. However, stressing too much can cause you to lose track of your sentences, and nobody wants that. To put it simply, just don’t overthink it too much and try your best.

I hope you guys will succeed in your IOC and work hard but remember that it isn’t the end of the world if not everything goes right.

Yours truly, Farah

Our student bloggers are invited to write in their own words and to hold nothing back –we promise we won’t edit them. Read Farah Walter's 5 tips for DP students to avoid at least one mental breakdown a night on our From Students to Students blog:

As IB students we are aware that the upcoming workload may exceed our expectations, and overwhelm us at certain times. One way or another, anything caffeinated becomes our best friend and proves itself increasingly helpful during an all-nighter. However, as teenagers we still want to meet friends, party or occasionally relax. And although we often do this, we don’t balance our work, and are left with an unfinished TOK essay, English FOA and IB paper due the next day. Often times we are forced to set priorities, regarding what we need to do now, later, or just before the due date. So for all IB student’s sake, I decided to list 5 helpful tips to avoid having at least one mental breakdown a night- because if we are being honest, we have no time for crying.

Speak with your teacher:

You have two days to finish an insane amount of work and cannot prioritize either task. On top of that your teacher has been assigning homework like a mad man, and expects this to be completed. Instead of entering the class empty handed and being shunned by your teacher, write them an email. Believe it or not, teachers are humans too and do understand that as IB students several subjects expect a lot from us. However, if all fails you can still say that you wrote an email.

Plan, plan, plan:

This may sound cheesy, but your plans really are extremely helpful for your essay. A detailed plan is almost the entire essay, and is the basis of every successful paper. Through developing a thorough idea of what you want to write about you aren’t forced to stress or panic. Often enough, I was stuck without any plan, and reminisced about the times I had a clue about what I was talking about. So take your time, and definitely use your class time wisely!

Use your frees:

For most students, including myself, frees are the best part of the day. We have one or more hours to relax, are able to catch up with friends and just have a little free time. Unfortunately, this is not the routine which is ideal for your academic success. Although, it is completely acceptable to spend a couple of frees relaxing, work should also be included. By working in your frees, you are able to eliminate homework, ask teachers about assessments or moderate each other’s work.

Read the criteria:

As a student I know that the criteria is a giant text which could be boiled down to two words. Trust me, I have often enough refused to read the exceedingly long expectations of synthesizing information and evaluating the sources. However, the ability to gain full points relies on you fulfilling the criteria. In order to understand the key terms such as interpret, contrast, etc. you could create a normal word table, and define each element separately. Once finished, you will know how to answer each question perfectly, and are no longer left with struggling to identify the difference between examine and interpret. Hence, reading the criteria will become a guide towards addressing every important point throughout your essay.

Spend an hour a day for the task:

If an important essay is due in one week, you might think that you have a lot of time and put it off for a couple of days. However, once you are a day away from submission, you regret not having started earlier. A simple tip is to spend an hour a day, working or planning your essay, so that you are not struggling the night before!

I hope these five tips will help you as much as they have helped me! See you next Thursday!

Yours truly, Farah