An IB study timetable must coordinate six subjects, different levels, internal assessments, core requirements, school deadlines, and eventual exam practice. Equal daily rotation rarely reflects that portfolio. Map every component in one view, preserve maintenance for each subject, and direct extra focus blocks toward near deadlines and performance gaps.
Separate projects from exam preparation
IAs, the extended essay, presentations, and other deliverables require milestone planning: question, source or data collection, analysis, draft, feedback, and revision. Exam preparation requires retrieval, problems, essays, source work, and timed papers. Put both on the same calendar so a project deadline does not quietly consume the weeks reserved for cumulative review.
Weight subjects without abandoning any
Use level, assessment date, current evidence, and task type to allocate longer blocks. Keep shorter retrieval contact with every subject across the week. Languages and formula-heavy subjects may benefit from frequent maintenance, while writing and investigation need deeper periods. Rebalance after feedback or practice instead of treating the original allocation as permanent.
Use criteria and mark schemes as planning tools
Translate feedback and assessment criteria into actions such as strengthen evaluation, justify method choices, select evidence more precisely, or improve command-term response. Avoid copying mark-scheme language without understanding. After correction, attempt a related task independently so feedback changes performance rather than merely annotating the previous submission.
A practical setup you can use today
- Map subjects, levels, IAs, core deadlines, exams, and fixed school commitments together.
- Break projects into milestones and exam preparation into response-specific outputs.
- Give every subject maintenance before weighting extra deep blocks by current priorities.
- Translate criteria and feedback into a concrete task for the next session.
- Review the entire portfolio weekly and preserve buffer before major submissions.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Planning IAs and exam revision in separate systems that compete for the same time.
- Giving every subject equal blocks despite different levels, dates, and evidence.
- Reading feedback without scheduling an independent attempt that applies it.
Frequently asked questions
How many IB subjects should I study in a day?
Two or three can balance depth and variety, with brief language or recall maintenance where useful. Avoid switching so often that demanding work never settles.
How do I balance IAs and revision?
Give projects milestone blocks before their deadlines while keeping small cumulative-review sessions. Increase exam integration as major submissions are completed.
When should I start IB past papers?
Use individual questions throughout the course and larger timed sections as content becomes ready. Save selected full rehearsals for integration and pacing evidence.
Turn the plan into a repeatable routine
Use the free StudiesTimer focus timer to run the first session, label it with the subject or task, and record what you finished. Then review the pattern in your study statistics. A useful plan is not the one that looks busiest; it is the one you can repeat, measure, and adjust before the next deadline.