
How to Ace Your IB November Exams & Resits
Ace your IB November Exams and resits with expert revision tips. Learn how to forget the past, create an effective revision strategy, and fill in knowledge gaps.
Acing Your November IB Exams
There may be a number of reasons why you are sitting your IB exams in November. Most students take November exams, however, because they are resitting. Now, there is nothing bad about this. Yes, it might be frustrating but there are so many different factors that can affect your exam performance. In this blog, I will run through my top tips for acing your November exams so you can say goodbye to you IB in style!
The Past is the Past…
My first tip is to try forget about your May exams results. If you are resitting, it’s easy to look back at the first time you took your exams and feel disheartened. This feeling is only intensified if your friends aren’t having to resit with you. Ultimately, this kind of thinking is not going to help you pass your exams this time around.
Instead, focus on the positives of doing your exams now. You won’t have the distraction of May weather, and you won’t have to deal with the strange phenomena which occurs during exam seasons where everyone wants to prove they are procrastinating the most. By bearing the positives in mind, you can focus less on things that went wrong in May, and more on how to do your best in November!

You Don’t Have to Start from the Bottom!
While it’s good to forget about your May exam grades, it can be useful to look critically at how you revised back then and how you can revise better now. Something which I often see with my students is that they simply did not have a revision strategy for the May exams. They either spent all their time making notes which they didn’t have time to learn, or in a blind panic tried some crazy revision methods that didn’t pay off (listening to all their history text books at 3x… no joke).
I would recommend, therefore, really taking the time to think about how you revise for the exam you are taking. If you are resitting Biology, for example, it is useful to go through the syllabus and figure out what you do and don’t know. Coming up with an effective revision plan with save you so much time in the long run!
Fill in the Gaps
My final tip is to work out what you do already know. I know it might not feel like it, but you will have learnt something in class! Ask your teacher (or google…) for the subject’s syllabus and work out what you need to know for each exam. Then, have a look back over your notes from school. Based on the notes you already have, work out how you can tactically revise. For exams where you don’t have to learn everything on the syllabus (like history) take the notes you already have and work on building them. Don’t try and learn a completely new topic!

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Why Lanterna?
Most commonly, students take November exams for resits after the May session. However, some schools in the Southern Hemisphere follow a different academic calendar, leading their students to sit their initial IB exams in November.
It's crucial to move past any disappointment from previous results. Focus on the positives of having another opportunity and a clearer path to revision without the distractions of the main exam season. Your past experience is valuable for identifying areas for improvement.
Instead of starting from scratch, critically review your previous revision methods. Identify your knowledge gaps using the syllabus, and tactically build upon your existing notes. Prioritise understanding over rote memorisation, and create a structured plan.
For resits, it's generally more effective to focus on filling the gaps in your existing knowledge rather than attempting to learn entirely new topics, especially if the syllabus allows for choice. Strengthen your weak areas and deepen your understanding of concepts you've already encountered.
Absolutely. Our expert tutors, many of whom are high-scoring IB graduates or experienced teachers, specialise in helping students refine their understanding, develop effective revision strategies, and target specific areas for improvement, crucial for November exams.
It's a free, no-pressure 20-30 minute conversation with one of our IB Student Success Experts. It's designed to give you clarity on your current situation, discuss your goals for November exams, and help you create a personalised plan for success, with zero obligation to book tutoring.
Yes, it is genuinely 100% free. There's no catch. Our goal is to provide valuable guidance and support to IB students and parents. You'll walk away with a clear plan and actionable steps, whether you choose to pursue tutoring with us or not.
Our Student Success Experts are highly experienced in the IB Diploma Programme. They understand the challenges of November exams and resits. They can help you identify your specific needs, set realistic goals, and outline a strategic approach to maximise your chances of success, drawing on the collective experience of thousands of IB students.
Lanterna boasts over 600 IB tutors, including graduates who scored 40+ points, teachers with an average of 10+ years of experience at top international schools, and even former IB examiners. They provide expert, personalised support across all IB subjects at both SL and HL.
After your 20-30 minute consultation, you'll have a clear, personalised plan and actionable next steps for your November exam preparation. There's absolutely no obligation to book tutoring. If you decide you'd like further support, your Student Success Expert can discuss how Lanterna's tailored tutoring could fit into your plan.
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