It’s really difficult to provide an actual number because it varies from student to student.

You need to know your own capabilities.

Let me provide you with what worked for me but just note that it does not work for everyone.

I started studying 5–6 months before the IB examination.

And when I say studying, I mean proper studying after school. I would go home, do revision for 1–3 hours depending on the day.

This could include a mix of practice papers, content revision and memorisation, making notes, etc.

But why so long?

I am someone that isn’t the quickest absorber of information (especially when it comes to academics). I knew this since I was younger and accepted this as a fact about myself.

I knew that I had to start earlier because it will take me more time than average to understand the concepts and apply them to questions.

In the end, I was right. I was only confident maybe 1 week before the first paper.

How did I know that 5–6 months was enough?

It wasn’t a random number but rather a calculated one.

I had worked backwards from the date of the first paper and written out every single topic I would need to revise before the exam. This allowed me to see in great detail what I needed to cover. Then, I provided an estimate as to how much time each topic would be needed.

Adding in time for practice papers and other parts of the process, I was able to work out that I would need roughly 5 months to prepare effectively.

Then, I added a buffer of 2–3 weeks and voila!

So, how about you?

Again, it’s really hard for ME or for anyone to tell you how much time you need.

What I would suggest you to do is to take in to account 3 factors:

1. How confident are you in the subject? If you’re not, then you should start preparing earlier.

2. Do you normally need more time to study than others?

Planning ahead will give you the answer. Work backwards and try to estimate how long each topic/subject will take.

Then, you will know exactly how much time you need.