This post was inspired by a (private) ask I got recently on how I studied for chemistry HL. There isn’t really a set way to study for chem, but here’s how I studied for it (and got a 7). You can also apply this method to other subjects, but I found this was most useful for chem.
Note: This doesn’t account for IAs, just papers 1, 2 and 3
When should I start? Start now! Gathering all the information takes a lot of time as you have to sift through a lot of material. I started using this method in September of Year 2, but the earlier the better!
Look through the syllabus - I did the 2009 syllabus so I was fortunate enough to have syllabus statements (SS's). However, for all you newcomers, just read through the topics and try to come up with your own learning objectives. Write them down somewhere. Here’s a good website for that. Here’s another good one.
Gather all information - This is the most time-consuming step. Consult your class notes, textbooks, online IB notes, etc. for a wide variety of information to ensure you won’t miss anything out. After noting down your learning objectives, read your class notes for a particular topic (e.g. eqm), keeping the SS's at the back of my mind. When you’ve finished reading them, go back to your class notes and type them up in your own words under the corresponding SS. Do the same for textbooks and other sources of information. For diagrams, what I did was copy and paste them from the internet or I would leave a space and make a note in italics from which textbook & page number to find it in, or where in my class notes they were (organised by date), so I could draw the diagram myself.
Repeat this step for the next topic.
Compile and condense - Your information will overlap so cu out redundancies. Make a cohesive study guide and include sample calculations! Oh, and don’t print out your study guide just yet - it’ll become clear why later.
Do the written answer questions - Use the IB Question Bank, exam questions from textbooks, or past tests on that topic. Do it open book so writing out your notes engraves it into your memory and you’ll be sure that your notes have everything you need. Then, check the mark scheme and see how close your answers were, because you’re probably going to miss out a few points/key words. Note down the points you’ve missed and add them to your study guide. Move on to the next question and repeat (you’ll notice similar questions popping up). It’s important that you do this step because mark schemes do change even if the questions are the same. This step will ensure you have a foolproof answer.
Also, try to avoid doing the ‘experiment question’ from Paper 2 and the multiple choice questions from Paper 1 at this stage, because this experiment question requires a really deep understanding at this stage, and you can easily guess the answers to Paper 1. Focus more on written answers now for understanding.
Make a hard copy - Either print out the study guide or re-write it by hand. I started doing this early on so I chose to re-write my notes into a notebook, but do whatever suits your needs. Now focus on studying from this notebook - understand, memorise, calculate. You’ll have everything you need at this point.
Do more practice problems - You’ll repeat the written answer questions, but hopefully you should have remembered how to answer them by now. Work on specific topics first (e.g. Periodicity, AA Spec., etc.) before moving onto full past papers. Do all the practice problems, including the experimental questions and multiple choice. If you’re struggling to answer the question, consult your notebook, but note down the question that stumped you. Refer back to it once you’ve completed all the practice problems in that set. Refer back to it a week later.
Do past papers - Once you’ve completed the syllabus do all the past papers (1999-present). Time yourself. Also, try to do the full paper as opposed to picking your questions in Section B. If you can’t answer a question, do a quick review of the notes related to that question in your study guide. If you still can’t apply the knowledge, you probably don’t understand what you’re learning. To assess whether this is the case, try the Feynman Technique - pretend you’re teaching the topic to a student who has no background in chemistry (i.e. explain it simply!). You’ll see where you need to brush up on when your mind goes blank.
Extra: Pay attention during labs - Yes, even if they’re ‘just for fun’. When tackling H/SP2 Q1 (i.e. the experiment question), chances are you’d have probably done the lab IRL, so during the exam if you can think back to the lab, you’ll have a much easier time visualising the experimental setup and what needs to be done.
