IB Math RevisionIB Math AA HL November 2026: final 3-week revision plan
21 days, one focused task a day, counted back from AA HL Paper 1 on Monday 9 November 2026, then what to do on each exam day. Every task links a free page on this site, built from the topics and mistakes the IB’s own subject reports flag. Tick each day off: your ticks are saved in this browser.
Your November 2026 paper dates
| Paper | Date | Session | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Monday 9 November 2026 | afternoon | 2h |
| Paper 2 | Tuesday 10 November 2026 | morning | 2h |
| Paper 3 | Friday 13 November 2026 | afternoon | 1h 15m |
Source: IB November 2026 examination schedule (PDF), checked 5 October 2026. Start times depend on your time zone: your IB coordinator confirms them. All sessions: IB Maths exam dates.
How to revise for each paper
How to revise for Paper 1
120 minutes, 110 marks, no calculator, in 2 sections (Section A, Section B). About 1.1 minutes a mark.
In the 2 AA HL Paper 1s mapped on Examiner Insights (May 2024 TZ2, November 2025 TZ3), the most questions touched Number and algebra (7 of 23) and Functions (5 of 23). That is what came up before, not a forecast.
Timed practice: practice Paper 1 · Prediction Paper 1 (our prediction) · past papers
How to revise for Paper 2
120 minutes, 110 marks, calculator allowed, in 2 sections (Section A, Section B). About 1.1 minutes a mark.
In the 2 AA HL Paper 2s mapped on Examiner Insights (May 2024 TZ2, November 2025 TZ3), the most questions touched Calculus (8 of 24) and Statistics and probability (6 of 24). That is what came up before, not a forecast.
Timed practice: practice Paper 2 · Prediction Paper 2 (our prediction) · past papers
How to revise for Paper 3
75 minutes, 55 marks, calculator allowed. About 1.4 minutes a mark.
In the 2 AA HL Paper 3s mapped on Examiner Insights (May 2024 TZ2, November 2025 TZ3), the most questions touched Calculus (3 of 4) and Number and algebra (2 of 4). That is what came up before, not a forecast.
Timed practice: Paper 3 practice · Prediction Paper 3 (our prediction) · past papers
The 21 days
Week 1: find your gaps and fix the big topics
- Day 1
Rate every topic, then put your dates in a plan
Monday 19 October
Go through the AA HL syllabus checklist and mark each topic red, amber or green. Then add your paper dates to the study planner: it builds a week-by-week timetable from your own weak topics.
- Day 2
A timed Paper 1 to find your gaps
Tuesday 20 October
Sit our AA HL practice Paper 1 in one go (120 minutes, 110 marks, no calculator), marked instantly. Put every lost mark in My mistakes: that list drives the rest of the plan.
- Day 3
Calculus: volumes about the y-axis, differential equations, pdfs
Wednesday 21 October
The largest block of questions in both HL sessions; volumes about the y-axis, integrating-factor equations and pdf calculations are named as difficult in both.
- Day 4
Proof, induction and complex numbers
Thursday 22 October
Induction and "show that" rigour are criticised in both HL reports, on Papers 1 and 3; complex-number manipulation was weak in both sessions.
Notes · Practise Unit 1: Number and algebra · What the examiners say
- Day 5
Trigonometric equations and vectors
Friday 23 October
Missing trig solutions appear in both HL sessions and throughout the SL reports; lines and planes were among the hardest Paper 1 parts.
Notes · Practise Unit 3: Geometry and trigonometry · What the examiners say
- Day 6
The formula booklet: what is in it, and what is not
Saturday 24 October
Find your way around the AA HL formula booklet: you get a clean copy in every paper. Then learn the formulas that are not in the booklet.
- Day 7
Review the week
Sunday 25 October
Redo every question in My mistakes without looking at the answer. Read how mark schemes work (M, A, R and AG marks), so you know where the method marks are.
Week 2: full papers, marked like the real thing
- Day 8
Prediction Paper 1, timed (our prediction)
Monday 26 October
Sit Paper 1 from our Prediction Papers under exam conditions (120 minutes, 110 marks, no calculator). They are our own papers in the IB format, not IB papers. Paper 1 of each course is free with a free account.
- Day 9
Mark it line by line
Tuesday 27 October
Mark yesterday’s paper with its markscheme, code by code. Log every lost mark in My mistakes with the topic it came from.
- Day 10
Probability: conditional, discrete and continuous distributions
Wednesday 28 October
Conditional probability, binomial with unknown n, E(X²)/variance and pdf work lose marks in both HL sessions and in every SL session.
Notes · Practise Unit 4: Statistics and probability · What the examiners say
- Day 11
Calculator: exam mode and the skills you will need
Thursday 29 October
Practise turning on exam mode on your own calculator (for Papers 2 and 3: Paper 1 is non-calculator). Then run through: Graphs: intersections, zeros, max and min · Numerical derivative and integral · Complex numbers · Normal distribution.
- Day 12
A timed Paper 2
Friday 30 October
Sit our AA HL practice Paper 2 (120 minutes, 110 marks, calculator allowed). Mark it and log the lost marks.
- Day 13
Three mistakes that cost marks
Saturday 31 October
From the IB’s own subject reports, as summarised on Examiner Insights: Arithmetic with limits, fractions and simultaneous equations on Paper 1; Trigonometric equations: missing solutions (obtuse, general or divided away); Proof by induction: weak structure and "let n = k". Read each fix, then find one question where you made it.
- Day 14
Functions: rational graphs, transformations, logs
Sunday 1 November
Describing transformations and graphs of related functions were among the least successful Paper 1 parts in November 2025; hidden quadratics and log laws recur.
Week 3: sharpen, then rest
- Day 15
Paper 3: long problem-solving questions
Monday 2 November
Work through AA HL Paper 3 practice (75 minutes, 55 marks, calculator allowed). Paper 3 rewards reading the whole question first: each part leads to the next.
- Day 16
Redo every question in My mistakes
Tuesday 3 November
Open My mistakes and redo each one. Anything you still get wrong goes on a single sheet for the last week.
- Day 17
Command terms: what each question asks for
Wednesday 4 November
Read the maths command terms: “show that”, “hence”, “justify” and “write down” each want something different.
- Day 18
A mixed set of questions
Thursday 5 November
Twenty minutes of mixed review questions across the course, then the question of the day.
- Day 19
Formulas to know by heart
Friday 6 November
Test yourself on the formulas that are not in the booklet, with the AA HL formula sheet beside you.
- Day 20
A light day: calculator check and your bag
Saturday 7 November
Go through the calculator exam-day checklist and how to reset it. One short topic only, then stop.
- Day 21
The night before Paper 1
Sunday 8 November
No new topics. Read the night-before checklist below, pack your bag and get an early night.
Exam days
- Monday 9 November, afternoon
Paper 1 (2h)
No calculator on this paper. Skim your formula list and two questions you got right, then go in calm. Pace: about 1.1 minutes a mark.
Afterwards, don’t redo it from memory: Paper 2 is on Tuesday 10 November (morning). Twenty minutes on the calculator skills above, then sleep.
- Tuesday 10 November, morning
Paper 2 (2h)
Calculator charged and in exam mode. Write the equation or integral down before you use the calculator, so the method marks are on the page. Pace: about 1.1 minutes a mark.
- Wednesday 11 November to Thursday 12 November
Between Paper 2 and Paper 3
One Paper 3 practice question a day, untimed, then the same one again timed. Rest the evening before.
- Friday 13 November, afternoon
Paper 3 (1h 15m)
Calculator in exam mode. Read each question all the way through before you start: later parts often use earlier results. Pace: about 1.4 minutes a mark.
The night before
- Pack pens, a pencil, ruler and eraser, and your calculator (Paper 2 and Paper 3): charged or with fresh batteries. Your school tells you what ID to bring.
- Know how to turn on exam mode on your model, and check the angle mode at the start: degrees or radians.
- You get a clean copy of the formula booklet in every paper. Read your list of formulas that are not in it once.
- Plan your time: Paper 1 is 120 minutes for 110 marks; Paper 2 is 120 minutes for 110 marks; Paper 3 is 75 minutes for 55 marks.
- No new topics. An early night does more than one more hour of revision.
In the exam room
- Accuracy: early rounding, 2 s.f. answers and ignoring the stated number of decimal places. Store full values and round once, at the end: exact or 3 s.f. unless told otherwise. When a question says "to 6 decimal places", do exactly that. For a given answer, show your value to more figures than the printed one. (Examiner Insights)
- "Show that" and proofs: verifying, working backwards or working on both sides. Start from one side (or from the given facts) and move to the result line by line, with a reason for any condition such as a > 0. Give the reason for rejecting a solution in words. Never start from the printed answer. (Examiner Insights)
- Slow algebra on Paper 2 where the GDC is expected. On Paper 2, write the equation or integral in mathematical notation, then evaluate it on the GDC. Use analytic methods only where the question asks for an exact answer or says "show" or "deduce". (Examiner Insights)
- Show your method. Method marks are given for correct working even when the final answer is wrong: how mark schemes work.
- Stuck? Leave a gap, move on, and come back with the time you have left.
Free account: save your plan and progress
With a free account (no card), the study planner saves your paper dates and builds a week-by-week timetable from your weak topics, your checklist ratings and My mistakes follow you to any device, and Paper 1 of our Prediction Papers opens in full.
Free account, no card: 5 more practice questions on every topic with instant feedback, full worked answers on free questions, and your streak and progress on any device. Join free
More for the final weeks
- IB Maths AA HL exam countdown a shorter checklist
- IB Maths AA HL Examiner Insights where marks are lost
- Formula booklet PDFs
- Grade boundaries
Other plans for IB Maths AA HL: Mock prep · Exam countdown · Back to school · Results day · 30-day challenge · IA rescue week · Mock Season Plan (free, 4 weeks) · Final 6 Weeks (free plan) · all exam-season plans