2022 IB Exam Schedule
What’s Covered:
- May 2022 IB Exam Schedule
- November 2022 IB Exam Schedule
- IB Exams and COVID-19
- How Do IB Exams Impact Your College Chances?
- Tips for IB Exam Success
The IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) schedules exams biannually to assess IB students and their level of understanding at the end of their two year education. These exams are part of a larger grading scheme, with 42 out of the 45 attainable points coming from internal and external assessments. In this blog, we’re going to be talking about external examinations and the 2022 IB exam schedule.
May 2022 IB Exam Schedule
The following table shows the May 2022 IB exam schedule, but be aware it is always up to change:
|
Date |
Morning Session |
Afternoon Session |
|
Thursday, 28th April |
Physics HL/SL Paper 1 Physics HL/SL Paper 2 |
Business management HL/SL Paper 1 Social and cultural anthropology HL/SL Paper 1 World Religions SL Paper 1 |
|
Friday, 29th April |
Business management HL Paper 2 Business management SL Paper 2 Social and cultural anthropology SL Paper 2 World Religions SL Paper 2 |
School-based syllabus SL Paper 1 School-based syllabus HL Paper 2 |
|
Wednesday, 4th May |
Language A Literature HL Paper 1 Language A Literature SL Paper 1 Language A Language and Literature HL Paper 1 Language A Language and Literature SL Paper 1 |
History HL/SL Paper 1 History HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Thursday, 5th May |
History HL Paper 3 |
Computer science HL/SL Paper 1 Design technology HL/SL Paper 2 Nature of science SL Paper 1 Environmental systems and societies SL Paper 1 |
|
Friday, 6th May |
Computer science HL Paper 3 Design technology HL Paper 3 Nature of science SL Paper 2 Environmental systems and and societies SL Paper 2 |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL Paper 1 Analysis and approaches SL Paper 1 Applications and interpretation HL Paper 1 Applications and interpretations SL Paper 1 |
|
Monday, 9th May |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL paper 2 Analysis and approaches SL Paper 2 Applications and interpretation HL Paper 2 Applications and interpretations SL Paper 2 |
Economics HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Tuesday, 10th May |
Economics HL/SL Paper 2 Economics HL Paper 3 |
Language B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) Language B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Language ab initio SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) Language ab initio SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Latin HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Wednesday, 11th May |
Language B HL/SL paper 2 (listening comprehension) Language ab initio SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
Biology HL/SL Paper 1 Biology HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Thursday, 12th May |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL Paper 3 Mathematics: Applications and interpretations HL Paper 3 |
English A Literature HL/SL Paper 1 English A Language and Literature HL/SL Paper 1 English B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) English B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Literature and performance SL Paper 2 |
|
Friday, 13th May |
English B HL/SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
Geography HL/SL Paper 1 Global Politics HL/SL Paper 2 Philosophy HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Monday, 16th May |
Geography HL/SL Paper 2 Geography HL Paper 3 Philosophy HL/SL Paper 2 Philosophy HL Paper 3 |
Spanish A Literature HL/SL Paper 1 Spanish A Language & Literature HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Tuesday, 17th May |
Spanish B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Spanish ab initio SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
ITGS HL/SL Paper 1 Psychology HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Wednesday, 18th May |
ITGS HL Paper 3 Psychology HL Paper 2 |
Chemistry HL/SL Paper 1 Chemistry HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Thursday, 19th May |
Sports, exercise & health science HL/SL Paper 1 Sports, exercise & health science HL/SL Paper 2 |
French A Literature HL/SL Paper 1 French A Language & Literature HL/SL Paper 1 French B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) French B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) French ab initio SL Paper 1 French ab initio SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) |
|
Friday, 20th May |
French B HL/SL Paper 2 (Listening comprehension) French ab initio SL Paper 2 |
N/A |
November 2022 IB Exam Schedule
The following table shows the May 2022 IB exam schedule, but be aware it is always up to change:
|
Date |
Morning Session |
Afternoon Session |
|
Friday, 21st October |
N/A |
School-based syllabus SL Paper 1 |
|
Monday, 24th October |
School-based syllabus SL Paper 2 |
Business management HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Tuesday, 25th October |
Business management HL/SL Paper 2 Global Politics HL/SL Paper 2 |
Language B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) Language B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Language ab initio SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) Language ab initio SL paper 2 (reading comprehension) Latin HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Wednesday, 26th October |
Language B HL/SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) Language B ab initio Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
Economics HL/SL Paper 1 Social & cultural anthropology HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Thursday, 29th October |
Economics HL/SL Paper 2 Economics HL Paper 3 Social & cultural anthropology HL/SL Paper 2 |
Language A Literature HL/SL Paper 1 Language A Language and Literature HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Friday, 28th October |
Biology HL/SL Paper 1 Biology HL/SL Paper 2 |
Computer science HL/SL Paper 1 Environmental systems and societies SL Paper 1 |
|
Monday, 31st October |
Computer science HL Paper 3 Environmental systems and societies SL Paper 2 |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL Paper 1 Analysis and approaches SL Paper 1 Applications and interpretation HL Paper 1 Applications and interpretation SL Paper 1 |
|
Tuesday, 1st November |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL Paper 2 Analysis and approaches SL Paper 2 Applications and interpretation HL Paper 2 Applications and interpretation SL Paper 2 |
Spanish A Literature HL/SL Paper 1 Spanish A Language and Literature HL/SL Paper 1 Spanish B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) Spanish B HL/SL Paper 2 ( reading comprehension) Spanish ab initio SL Paper |
|
Wednesday, 2nd November |
Spanish B HL/SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) Spanish ab initio Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
History HL/SL Paper 1 History HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Thursday, 3th November |
History HL Paper 3 |
Physics HL/SL Paper 1 Physics HL/SL Paper 2 |
|
Friday, 4th November |
Sports, exercise & health science HL/SL Paper 1 Sports, exercise & health science HL/SL Paper 2 |
Geography HL/SL Paper 1 ITGS HL/SL Paper 1 Philosophy HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Monday, 7th November |
Geography HL/SL Paper 2 Geography HL Paper 3 ITGS HL Paper 3 Philosophy HL/SL Paper 2 Philosophy HL Paper 3 |
English A literature HL/SL Paper 1 English A literature and language HL/SL Paper 1 English B HL/SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) English B HL/SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 1 (reading comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 2 (reading comprehension) Literature and performance SL Paper 2 |
|
Tuesday, 8th November |
English B HL/SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) English ab initio SL Paper 2 (listening comprehension) |
Mathematics: Analysis and approaches HL Paper 3 Applications and interpretations HL Paper 3 |
|
Wednesday, 9th November |
Chemistry HL/SL Paper 1 Chemistry HL/SL Paper 2 Design technology HL/SL Paper 2 Design technology Paper 3 |
Psychology HL/SL Paper 1 |
|
Thursday, 10th November |
Psychology HL/SL Paper 2 |
N/A |
IB Exams and COVID-19
IB has adapted to the complications brought forth by COVID-19 to the examination industry by offering students a dual route/choice for how they’d tackle their examinations. They may either take the traditional written (there are no online options for IB!) exams on the above dates tabled, or if deemed unsafe by the school proctoring/administering the exam, they may use a combination of internal assessments, coursework, and predicted grades from the student’s teachers. If both of these options are appealing or reasonable for a student, they may also withdraw from their examinations and push it to the next exam season for no extra cost, so if you choose to defer your May exams, they’d be pushed to November.
How Do IB Exams Impact Your College Chances?
They really don’t affect your chances, but you may get college credit, depending on your prospective school. What’s more important are the grades you get in your classes, as colleges care about course rigor.
Contrary to popular belief, your IB Exams don’t impact your college admissions chances, but you may get college credit for passing IB courses, similar to AP. It’s more important that the grades you achieve in your classes are good, because that proves the rigor of your study to the colleges you apply to. For more information on your college admission chances, using CollegeVine’s admissions calculator can be super useful!
Tips for IB Exam Success
Do Past Papers/Exams
IB likes to recycle the format of their questions for most exams, and sometimes you might even find nearly identical questions reappear over different years of examinations! If you can grab a hold of previous exams (using repositories or buying them) you can prepare for the format IB likes to use in exams, and better prepare for your exams. Thanks to IB having similar coursework content and format for nearly all of its existence, even older past papers will prove to be useful!
Practice Not Using A Calculator
One section of the IB Mathematics exam is the “no-calculator” AKA Paper 1. Paper 1 tends to be one of the more difficult exams for both SL and HL students, just because they aren’t used to doing the required level of mental math without a calculator at hand. Getting comfortable with paper 1 before studying for any other mathematics paper is highly recommended.
Have Confidence
IB schools typically administer school-made exams that are as close to the IB format as possible as part of their internal assessment series. Having confidence in your ability to take exams can be built with these internal examinations, and when the real exam comes around, trusting in yourself and your ability to perform can be the extra push needed to get that amazing score! Exam anxiety gets the best of us as well, but making sure to also keep healthy slots of time away from studying for your mental health is also important.
