European Baccalaureate Chemistry exam-day guide
European Baccalaureate Chemistry · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid photo identification
Bring the ID document your school or examination centre requires. Because the accepted document type and any signature requirement vary by centre, confirm the exact list with your school's Baccalaureate coordinator before the exam.
Examination timetable and seat/room allocation
Know the exact start time, room, and reporting time for the chemistry paper. Timetables are issued by your school; confirm the reporting time, since arriving late may restrict entry and no extra time is normally granted.
Permitted calculator
Check which calculator model your centre allows for the chemistry paper and whether it must be in a cleared memory/reset state. Confirm the permitted list with your coordinator; do not assume any graphing or programmable model is allowed.
Approved data booklet or periodic table
Some sessions supply a data booklet or periodic table; others expect you to use one you bring. Confirm with your school whether materials are provided and what annotations, if any, are permitted.
Black or blue ballpoint pens plus spares
Write in the ink colour your centre specifies and bring at least two working pens. Pencil is normally reserved for diagrams and graphs; confirm local instructions.
Ruler, pencil, eraser, and sharpener
You will likely need these for graphs, tables, and structural diagrams. Keep them in a clear pencil case if your centre requires transparent cases.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Many centres allow a plain transparent bottle. Confirm the local rule, since some venues restrict drinks at the desk.
No phone, smartwatch, or wearable device at the desk
Leave these outside the exam room or in the designated storage. Even a switched-off device in a pocket can be treated as a breach; confirm your centre's storage arrangements.
Know the paper structure and mark allocation in advance
Review the length, number of sections, and whether there is a choice of questions for your chemistry paper. Confirm the current specification details with your teacher, as structures can change between sessions.
Revision summary of formulae, units, and common errors
Prepare a one-page personal sheet for last-minute review (moles, concentrations, gas laws, equilibrium, electrochemistry, organic functional groups). Leave it outside the exam room; it is for pre-entry review only.
Plan for timing and reading the whole paper
Decide in advance how many minutes per mark you will allow and when you will check the clock. Confirm whether wall clocks are visible or whether a permitted watch is allowed.
Transport and contingency plan
Confirm the journey time, backup route, and a contact number for your school. Aim to arrive well before the reporting time so delays do not cost you entry.
Plan the day
Work through past-paper-style questions under timed conditions, focusing on the question types your specification uses (structured calculations, explanations, and practical/data interpretation). Mark your own work strictly against the mark scheme and list recurring error types: unit conversions, significant figures, unbalanced equations, missing state symbols, and unclear explanations. Revisit the practical techniques and data-handling skills that the chemistry course expects, such as titration calculations, graphical determination of rates or orders, and identifying sources of uncertainty. Confirm the exam logistics (time, room, permitted equipment) with your coordinator so no administrative surprise remains.
Switch from new content to consolidation. Review your one-page summary of formulae and constants, re-read your error list, and do a light set of calculation drills without exhausting yourself. Prepare your bag and equipment the night before: ID, pens, pencil, ruler, eraser, calculator, and any permitted materials. Check the calculator works and has power. Set an alarm and confirm transport. Avoid learning entirely new topics at this stage; sleep is more valuable than extra cramming.
Eat a normal breakfast and arrive early. Do not attempt intensive last-minute study in the corridor beyond a brief glance at your summary sheet. Hand in or store all devices before entering. Once seated, read the front-page instructions carefully: check the paper code, the number of questions, any choice requirements, and the time allowed. Fill in your candidate details exactly as instructed.
Read the whole paper briefly before starting, then allocate time by mark weighting and stick to it. Show working for calculations, including units and significant figures, because method marks are often available even when the final answer is wrong. Write equations balanced with state symbols where required, and label axes and units on graphs. If a question stalls you, leave space, move on, and return. Use the final minutes to check that every required question has been attempted, that question numbers match the answer booklet, and that no answers are left in the margin or on rough paper.
Rules to check
Bring the identification document required by your centre and keep it visible if instructed. Because accepted ID types and any signature checks vary, confirm the exact requirement with your school before exam day.
Follow the centre's rules on permitted equipment. Do not bring unauthorised calculators, notes, or electronic devices into the exam room; confirm the permitted calculator list and any memory-reset requirement with your coordinator.
Arrive by the reporting time. Late entry, extra time, and whether a candidate who misses part of the paper may sit it are matters for the centre and the examination authority; confirm the local policy in advance rather than assuming.
Breaks and supervised toilet visits are governed by centre rules. If you may need to leave the room, ask an invigilator; you will normally be supervised, and confirm whether lost time is compensated.
Write only in the permitted ink and in the designated answer spaces. Answers outside the specified areas or on rough paper may not be marked; confirm the answer-booklet conventions with your teacher.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the paper has started, and stop writing immediately when instructed. Continue only if an invigilator gives explicit permission.
Scoring follows the published mark scheme for your session; method marks may be awarded for correct working even with an incorrect final answer, while significant-figure and unit errors can lose marks. Confirm the current marking conventions with your teacher.
Any suspected irregularity, such as a device found at the desk or material passed between candidates, is handled under the examination authority's rules. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, ask an invigilator before the paper begins.