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Studying alone for IB retakes.


gamesofib

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Hey everyone, 

So I am a 2016 November candidate who is currently doing her exams. This year I was plagued with a series of health issues so my results won't be that great and I will certainly have to retake next year (May 2017). The problem is, my preferred course's requirement went from a 42 to 44. So these are the results that I have now 

Biology HL 6

Chemistry HL 3

Maths SL 3

I will have to improve to:

Biology HL 7

Chemistry HL 7

Maths SL 7

I have sevens for my other two subjects and a 6 for English - I will not be retaking those. 

 

Now.... the issue is, because I am retaking, I will have to study by myself and I will not have the support of school. I only have 5 months to make such drastic improvements to my marks AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW. I really want to get into this course and I am willing to study my head off, seriously. But this obviously is a huge jump. 

The knowledge I have in maths and chemistry, as my marks would tell you, is very poor. I need help from people who have made huge improvements in these subjects - what did you do to improve? As for biology, I really do not how to nail that 7 - the syllabus change makes it harder (any tips from May 2016 candidates?) 

Because I am studying alone, I would also appreciate help with regards to time management and what dangerous things I should look out for. 

Please help!!! <3

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Sure, PM me and we can revise together for the May 2017 exams. I have a good amount of material for those subjects with me, as well as having experience from getting a 4 to a 7 in both Biology & Chemistry HL. My maths isn't as good, but I'd like to think I know enough to help others go from a 3 to a 5, at the very least. 

Just out of curiosity though, how do you know your examination results so early if you just took your exams a week ago? If they're just your predictions, then it might not be as bad as it seems. You might get a 7 in Biology for all you know, and that's one less subject to prepare for. 

Edit: Unfortunately, Maths will really be a tricky one. Going from a 3 to a 7 within 6 months definitely isn't undoable, but I'd say it's pretty hard. For one, do you know approximately what score you received on your IA? If it's not a 14/20, then the chance to get a 7 overall for Maths SL becomes even harder.

Going from a 3 to a 5 can be done relatively easily through clear comprehension of all the topics and understanding on how to apply all the formulas. To get a 6, it would require a relatively solid amount of practice depending on your skill level. For a 7 though, well, I've never even been predicted that high for Maths so hopefully a math whiz can come clarify as to what it would take to achieve the highest possible score in Maths SL.

Also, keep in mind that staying motivated through the next 6 months in order to achieve your stated goals, especially without a group of peers/environment around you will again, be difficult. I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to discourage you, but there was someone on this site that did aim to achieve similar goals as yours in retaking this November exams, and I'd think he didn't find it easy to keep up the motivation to study and work hard everyday. But it's not that bad a thing either - keep a lookout for other options out there, be sure to evaluate clearly that making your utmost priority of getting 7s in Biology, Chemistry, and Maths in an exam that's still 6 months away is indeed your best option. 

 

Edited by IB`ez
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^^ IB`ez has really great points! I'll also add that sticking to the syllabus is really important for not only Bio HL, but Chemistry and Math as well. You can find the ib syllabi online for your subjects and then print them out, and then check off what you understand while highlighting the concepts you don't get. Then try to nail those concepts- get as much checked off of the syllabi as you can. You can always watch khan academy or other videos on youtube to help learn things. Don't ever think you're alone because you can find pretty much everything online these days! And then for math and chemistry, just do a lot of practice papers and treat each one as if it was a real exam. Hopefully you'll see your score for the practice exams improving the more you do!

Good luck with everything!

Edited by Shlrley
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On 11/15/2016 at 8:06 AM, Shlrley said:

^^ IB`ez has really great points! I'll also add that sticking to the syllabus is really important for not only Bio HL, but Chemistry and Math as well. You can find the ib syllabi online for your subjects and then print them out, and then check off what you understand while highlighting the concepts you don't get. Then try to nail those concepts- get as much checked off of the syllabi as you can. You can always watch khan academy or other videos on youtube to help learn things. Don't ever think you're alone because you can find pretty much everything online these days! And then for math and chemistry, just do a lot of practice papers and treat each one as if it was a real exam. Hopefully you'll see your score for the practice exams improving the more you do!

Good luck with everything!

^^Thank you!!

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