IB Math AI HL exam-day guide
IB Math AI HL · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Approved calculator with fresh batteries
The IB Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL exams require a graphic display calculator (GDC) for Paper 2 and Paper 3. Confirm with your school's IB coordinator which calculator models are permitted for your session, and bring a backup set of batteries plus a second permitted calculator if your school allows it. Practice every function you rely on (graphing, intersection, numerical solve, normal and binomial distributions, matrices, regression) on the exact calculator you will bring.
Formula booklet familiarity (not a personal copy)
The IB mathematics formula booklet is provided with the examination; do not assume you may bring your own annotated copy. Confirm with the provider/coordinator what materials are supplied in the room. Before exam day, tab and memorize where key formulas sit in the official booklet so you waste no time hunting during the test.
Valid photo identification
Bring the ID your school or exam centre requires. The exact accepted documents vary by centre, so confirm with the provider which ID is acceptable and whether it must be current and signed.
Admission statement / candidate number details
Many centres issue a personalised timetable or admission slip listing candidate number, session times, and room. Confirm with the provider whether you must bring a printed copy or whether your candidate number is issued in the room. Know your candidate number and session code by heart.
Two or more black or blue pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener
Write final answers in pen where the centre requires it; keep pencil for graphs, sketches, and rough work. Bring spares. Confirm with the provider whether pencil-only answers are accepted for diagrams.
Clear pencil case and transparent water bottle
Many centres require a transparent case and remove labels from bottles. Confirm with the provider what containers are allowed, since rules differ between schools and external centres.
No prohibited items in pockets or on wrists
Leave phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and any wearable device outside the exam room or switched off and stored as instructed. Confirm with the provider the exact storage rule; unauthorised device possession is typically treated as malpractice regardless of intent.
Know your three papers and their structures
AI HL is assessed across Paper 1 (no calculator), Paper 2 (calculator), and Paper 3 (calculator, extended problem-solving). Confirm with the provider the exact duration and weighting for your session year, because these details are set in the current subject guide and can change between sessions.
Timed practice under exam conditions
In the final days, sit at least one full past-paper set under timed conditions, including a Paper 1 with no calculator. Practise the transition between calculator and non-calculator reasoning, since that switch is where many candidates lose marks.
Sleep, food, and arrival plan
Plan transport and arrive with buffer time; know the room and start time from your admission details. Eat a normal breakfast and bring water. Do not plan to revise new topics in the final hour; review your own error log instead.
Confirm session-specific details with the provider
Duration, weighting, permitted calculator list, ID requirements, and room rules are set by the IB and your centre and can vary. Confirm each of these with your IB coordinator or exam centre before the day rather than relying on secondhand information.
Review your personal error log
Keep a one-page list of mistakes you have repeatedly made (rounding too early, forgetting to state the required accuracy, misreading 'hence', losing the final mark by not writing the conclusion). Read it in the last 24 hours instead of new content.
Plan the day
Shift from learning to consolidating. Re-read your error log and the official formula booklet. Do one timed Paper 1 (no calculator) and one timed Paper 2 or Paper 3, then mark them strictly against the mark scheme. Identify the two or three question types that cost you the most marks and do targeted practice on those only. Stop starting new topics.
Rehearse calculator routines you will use under pressure: graphing a function and finding intersections, numerical solving, normal and binomial probability calculations, and regression or matrix operations if your option work needs them. Check the calculator's mode settings (degrees vs radians, number format) so you do not lose marks to a setting.
Do a light review only: formula booklet locations, your error log, and the command terms (find, show that, hence, justify, sketch). Pack your bag: calculator plus spare batteries, ID, pens and pencils, clear case, water bottle. Confirm start time and room with the provider. Go to bed at a normal hour; do not cram past midnight.
Eat breakfast, arrive early with buffer for transport. Do not attempt a full past paper. A short skim of your error log and formula booklet is enough. Switch off and hand over your phone and any wearable as instructed before entering the room, and check you have your ID and calculator.
Read the instructions on the cover, check the number of pages, and note the time allocation. Scan the paper and start with questions you can do confidently to build momentum, but do not skip around so much that you lose track of numbering. Write your candidate number where required.
Show method clearly; method marks are awarded even when the final answer is wrong, and a bare correct answer can lose marks where working is required. Write down intermediate values you store in the calculator so the examiner can follow your reasoning. Watch the required accuracy stated on the paper and do not round until the final answer.
No calculator is permitted, so prioritise exact reasoning, algebraic manipulation, and clean sketches. If a numerical answer looks ugly, re-check the algebra rather than forcing a decimal. Show the steps that justify 'show that' and 'hence' questions.
Use the calculator deliberately but record what you entered and what it returned. For 'show that' questions, the calculator can verify but not replace the algebraic proof. In Paper 3, read the whole problem before starting; the parts usually build, so a wrong early value can propagate. State assumptions and interpret results in context for full marks.
Check that every question has an answer, every page is numbered correctly, and units and accuracy statements are included. Make sure your calculator is still in the mode you expect and that you have not left a stored value unrecorded. Do not erase working you are unsure about; partial credit may still apply.
Rules to check
Bring only permitted materials into the room. The IB mathematics formula booklet is supplied; confirm with the provider whether any additional printed material is allowed, and never bring annotated notes or a personal formula sheet unless explicitly authorised.
Possession of an unauthorised device, including a phone or smartwatch, is generally treated as malpractice even if it is switched off. Confirm with the provider the exact storage and handover procedure before the session.
Calculators must be from the permitted list for your session. Confirm with your coordinator which models are allowed and whether a backup calculator may be kept at your desk; do not assume any graphing calculator is acceptable.
Follow the centre's rules on breaks and leaving the room. Typically you may not leave and re-enter freely during a paper, and you must not communicate with other candidates once the paper has started. Confirm the specific break policy with the provider.
Present the ID your centre requires and sit at the seat assigned to your candidate number. If your ID is missing or expired, raise it with the invigilator immediately rather than after the paper begins; confirm acceptable ID with the provider in advance.
All work must be your own. Do not look at another candidate's paper, pass materials, or discuss the paper with anyone until the examination period for that paper has ended in your time zone. Confirm the centre's rules on discussing the paper afterwards with the provider.
Marks are awarded for method as well as final answers, and the paper states the accuracy required. Write sufficient working, keep stored calculator values recorded, and give final answers to the stated degree of accuracy.
If you believe there is an error in a question or a printing problem, tell the invigilator and follow the centre's procedure. Do not attempt to resolve it yourself; confirm the reporting process with the provider.