IB Business Management SL exam-day guide

Switch from learning content to practising under exam conditions. Complete at least one full SL Paper 1 (case study plus the section on the pre-released case) and one full Paper 2 in timed sittings. Mark them against the assessment criteria and mark schemes your teacher has, and list the three or four command terms or topics that cost you the most marks. Re-read the pre-released case study and rebuild a one-page map of the organisation: its objectives, stakeholders, market, financial position, and two or three likely strategic issues. Memorise the structure of the main calculations you may be asked for - gross and net profit margin, return on capital employed, current and acid-test ratios, break-even quantity and margin of safety, and simple payback - and check you can do each without notes.

Do light revision only: skim your case-study map, the definitions of key terms, and your list of repeated errors. Do not start new topics. Confirm the start time, room, and ID requirement with your coordinator, and pack your bag with pens, pencil, ruler, eraser, approved calculator, ID, admission document, water, and watch. Set two alarms, eat a normal meal, and go to bed at a reasonable hour; a tired brain loses more marks on evaluation questions than one more hour of revision gains.

Eat breakfast and arrive at the centre with time to spare. Leave your phone and smartwatch with your bag or as instructed. Once seated, read the front of the paper carefully: check the number of pages, the instructions, and the time allowed. Skim the whole paper before writing so you know where the high-mark questions sit and how you will divide your time. For Paper 1, use the reading time (if your centre provides it) to re-orient on the case rather than to start writing. Confirm the exact reading-time arrangements with the provider.

Write your candidate number where instructed. Read each question twice and underline the command term - 'define', 'explain', 'analyse', 'evaluate', 'recommend' - because it determines the depth and structure expected. Note the marks available and allocate roughly a minute per mark as a working guide, then keep to it. For calculation questions, write the formula, show substitution, and state units, since method marks are awarded even when the final figure is wrong.

Answer in the order that suits you, but never leave a question blank. For 'explain' questions, give a point plus a consequence; for 'analyse', build a chain of reasoning linking cause to effect; for 'evaluate' or 'recommend', give both sides or a range of factors, then reach a clear judgement that follows from your evidence. Use the case study by name - refer to the actual organisation, its figures, and its stakeholders rather than writing generic theory. If you get stuck, move on and return; a stuck question can consume the time three easier ones need.

Check that every question has an answer and that question numbers and part letters match. Verify calculations and units, and make sure your final evaluation actually answers the question asked. Tidy any diagrams with labelled axes. Do not rewrite whole answers; add a short concluding sentence where a judgement is missing. Stop writing immediately when told.

Do not spend the break dissecting answers with classmates - it changes nothing and can unsettle you before another exam. Note privately any topic or skill that felt weak for future practice, then move on to the next commitment.