
How to establish your perfect IB Exam Routine
Establish your perfect IB Exam Routine and maximize your performance. Learn expert revision tips for sleep, caffeine, and nutrition to ace your IB exams.
IB Exams: Just days away. A fact which feels overwhelmingly nauseating if you think about for too long. At Lanterna, when we speak to DP2 students, the most common question I get is “How can I best prepare for exams?” While we emphasize the importance of actually studying, we also stress the importance of an Exam Routine.
What is a Pre-Exam Routine?
By exam day routine, we mean actually figuring out what helps you focus and how you are going to approach exams. While you have little control over what happens in the examination room, you can establish and control what happens around exams with precision.
For me, there was something extremely comforting knowing I had routine approaching May exams based on what I learned during Mock Exams. Specifically, I tried to establish an Exam Routine with regards to the following: eating, sleeping, and exercise. For example, trying to reflect over simple things; should I drink coffee before an exam? If you have an afternoon exam, should you study in the morning before or try to relax? When you come home from a full day of examinations, should you try study immediately, or take a few hours off to take a nap/eat/go for a walk before you sit down to study?
Some of my personal Pre-Exam Routines are:
- Say YES to Sleep:
While it is beyond tempting to spend all night cramming before an exam, I noticed I performed significantly worse if I didn’t sleep well the night before. Thus, I always aimed for at least 7.5 hours of sleep prior to an exam. Sleep will make you feel refreshed and ready to go. If you don’t believe me, believe the science.
A 2008 study by Associate Professor of Psychology Pamela Thacher concluded that all-nighters actually impair reasoning and memory for as long as FOUR days. As a result, you might not be messing up one exam, but several. Consensus: SLEEP FRIENDS, SLEEP.

- Need a nap? Take one!
One of my most important discoveries during Mock Exams was how tired I actually felt after I had taken an exam. I realized I needed a nap each afternoon when I got home to be able to recharge between my exams. As I’m sure you know your IB exam schedule is intense – with at least one exam, sometimes even two per day. If I had concentrated for 2 exams, I needed to come home and take a 1.5-hour nap before I could concentrate and get any studying done in the evening. Thus, while it may feel like a waste time, do consider taking a nap in the afternoons when you get home.
- Coffee? The survival juice of IB exams.
While I am a lover of caffeine, it may be worth trying to track your consumption prior to exams. I.e. I always felt like if I had lots of coffee before exams, I’d feel extra jittery and could barely concentrate on the examination. Why? Probably because my body had naturally produced extra adrenaline during exams, and thus I didn’t need as much coffee as usual. Thus, consider limiting your caffeine intake before exams to reasonable quantities.
- Breakfast? ALWAYS.
I love a good breakfast. Make sure you have a proper breakfast consisting of protein and carbs. This will ensure that you have enough energy to complete the entire Exam!

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Whether you’re building strong foundations in DP1, pushing for a final stretch in DP2, or looking for clarity on what to prioritise, we’re here to help you study smarter, stay confident, and get results.
Why Lanterna?
An effective pre-exam routine helps you focus and approach exams strategically. It involves controlling factors like eating, sleeping, and exercise around your exam schedule to optimize your performance and reduce stress. Establishing a routine based on what works for you, perhaps learned during mock exams, can provide immense comfort and stability during the intense IB exam period.
Getting adequate sleep (at least 7.5 hours) is crucial because it significantly impacts your ability to concentrate, reason, and recall information. Research shows that all-nighters can impair cognitive function for several days, affecting multiple exams. Prioritizing sleep helps you feel refreshed, reduces stress, and ensures you perform your best when it matters most.
Yes, taking a nap can be highly beneficial, especially if you have multiple exams in a day. The IB exam schedule is intense, and concentrating for hours can be exhausting. Even a 1.5-hour nap can help you recharge and regain focus, allowing you to study effectively in the evening without feeling overly tired. It's not a waste of time; it's an investment in your energy levels and cognitive performance.
While caffeine can be tempting, it's wise to track your consumption. Too much caffeine before an exam can make you jittery and hinder concentration, as your body might already be producing adrenaline due to exam stress. Consider limiting your intake to reasonable quantities to avoid overstimulation and ensure you can focus calmly on the examination.
Always eat a proper breakfast! Opt for a meal rich in protein and carbohydrates. This combination provides sustained energy, ensuring you have enough fuel to maintain focus and perform well throughout the entire exam. A good breakfast prevents energy crashes and keeps your brain sharp.
Lanterna provides expert IB tutors who can help you refine your study strategies, tackle challenging topics, and develop effective exam techniques. Our tutors, many of whom scored 40+ in the IB or have extensive teaching/examiner experience, offer personalized guidance to boost your confidence and performance, ensuring you're fully prepared for every paper.
Absolutely. While our primary focus is academic support, our tutors and Student Success Experts understand the unique pressures of the IB. They can help you build effective routines, time management skills, and provide a supportive environment to reduce stress, ensuring you're in the best possible state, both academically and mentally, for your exams.
The Lanterna IB consultation is a free, no-pressure 20-30 minute session with an IB Student Success Expert. It's designed to help students and parents gain clarity on their IB journey, identify key challenges, and receive a personalized plan for what to focus on next, whether it's exam preparation, IA support, or general study strategies.
Yes, the consultation is genuinely 100% free, with absolutely no obligation to book tutoring. Our goal is to provide valuable guidance and support to the IB community. You'll walk away with a clear plan and priorities, backed by our team's extensive experience, helping you feel more confident about your next steps.
Our Student Success Experts are highly experienced professionals with deep knowledge of the IB Diploma Programme. They can help you assess your current study habits and exam routine, offer insights into optimizing your schedule for sleep, nutrition, and study, and help you develop a personalized strategy to approach your exams with confidence and less stress.
Lanterna's tutors are a diverse group of highly qualified IB graduates (many with 40+ scores), experienced IB teachers (10+ years experience), and even former IB examiners. This unique blend ensures they have "insider" knowledge of the curriculum, marking schemes, and effective exam strategies across all IB subjects, both SL and HL, making them ideal mentors for your exam preparation.
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