IB Exam Dates 2026: May and November Timetables
The IB held its May 2026 session from Friday 24 April to Wednesday 20 May 2026. The November 2026 session runs from Friday 23 October to Friday 13 November 2026. Your own timetable only lists the papers for your subjects and levels, so use the official schedules for the full picture and your school coordinator for your exact papers.
We built this guide for IB students, parents and teachers. It gives the session windows, the science paper days, the start times for US time zones and a simple way to plan around them.
TL;DR
- May 2026: Friday 24 April to Wednesday 20 May 2026, with no exams on Friday 1 May.
- November 2026: Friday 23 October to Friday 13 November 2026, in three main weeks plus one pre-week afternoon.
- US start times: zones C -5 to C -10 start at 08.30 (morning) and 12.30 (afternoon) local time in November.
- Your zone and papers: your school coordinator confirms them. An exam cannot be moved without IB authorisation.
- Revision: work backwards from your paper dates, and practise with timed, exam-style questions.
Table of Contents
- IB May 2026 exam dates
- IB November 2026 exam schedule
- When the science papers fall in November 2026
- What time IB exams start in the United States
- How to read your own timetable
- Planning revision around the dates
- Perspective: why dates matter less than practice
- Prepare for your paper days with Tiber Tutor
- FAQ
- Sources
IB May 2026 exam dates
According to the official May 2026 examination schedule, the session opened on the afternoon of Friday 24 April 2026 with the school-based syllabus SL paper 1. It closed on Wednesday 20 May 2026.
Two details from the schedule are worth knowing:
- There were no exams on Friday 1 May, which is the one public holiday the IB builds in.
- The IB cannot account for other public, national or school holidays when it sets the timetable.
The IB also uses registration data to limit subject clashes worldwide. It spreads the subjects with the most candidates over four weeks, which helps balance workload.
May is the main session for most schools in the United States. If you are reading this after your May exams, the next May window will be published on the IB’s own schedule page. We link it below so you can check the current version.
IB November 2026 exam schedule
The official November 2026 schedule runs from Friday 23 October to Friday 13 November 2026. It has three main weeks:
| Week | Dates |
|---|---|
| Pre-week | Friday 23 October (afternoon only, school-based syllabus SL paper 1) |
| Week 1 | 26 to 30 October |
| Week 2 | 2 to 6 November |
| Week 3 | 9 to 13 November |
The final papers are Mathematics AA and AI HL paper 3, on the afternoon of Friday 13 November.
The November session is smaller than May, and it is often used by schools in the southern hemisphere and by students retaking a subject. If you are sitting exams this week, your preparation is mostly done. Rest, check your paper times and keep to a normal routine.
When the science papers fall in November 2026
The same official November schedule lists the Biology and Chemistry HL papers on these days:
| Paper | Day | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Biology HL paper 1 (1a and 1b) | Tuesday 27 October | 2h |
| Biology HL paper 2 | Wednesday 28 October | 2h 30m |
| Chemistry HL paper 1 | Wednesday 11 November | 2h |
| Chemistry HL paper 2 | Thursday 12 November | 2h 30m |
The May 2026 schedule shows how long papers run in general. Biology SL paper 1 lasts 1h 30m and HL paper 1 lasts 2h. Paper 2 for Biology, Chemistry or Physics HL is 2h 30m. Across all subjects, lengths range from 45 minutes for Design technology SL paper 1 to 2h 30m.
The longer papers are why timed practice matters. A student who has only done questions untimed often runs short on paper 2. Our guide to IB exam time management covers pacing for revision and for the day itself.
What time IB exams start in the United States
Start times depend on your school’s exam zone, and local time applies. The November 2026 schedule gives these zone start times:
| Exam zone | Morning start | Afternoon start |
|---|---|---|
| C -3 | 10.00 | 14.00 |
| C -4 | 09.30 | 13.30 |
| C -5 to C -10 | 08.30 | 12.30 |
US schools fall in several of these zones, so ask your coordinator which one yours is. The IB states that a school’s zone does not change between sessions. It also states that start times are in local time with no daylight saving adjustment, and that there is no variance within morning or afternoon sessions.
Do not copy a friend’s start time from a school in another zone. A school in another zone may start at a different clock time, and your own candidate timetable is the one that counts.
Since November 2024, the IB has also applied a minimum two-hour supervision period for all exams. It adjusted start times in certain schools to reduce time zone related cheating, as it explained in its announcement on assessment procedures. So check your school’s confirmed times each session rather than assuming they match last year’s.
How to read your own timetable
Your timetable is a subset of the full schedule. To read it well:
- Find each subject and level (SL or HL) you take.
- Note every paper for that subject, not only paper 1 and paper 2. Some subjects have a paper 3.
- Mark whether each paper is a morning or afternoon session.
- Add your zone’s clock times from the table above, confirmed by your coordinator.
- Note any days with two papers and plan lighter revision around them.
The IB’s exam schedule page lists the current Diploma and Career-related schedules, and it directs students to their school coordinator for questions about which schedule applies to them. An exam cannot be rescheduled without authorisation from the IB’s assessment division in Cardiff, so raise any clash with your coordinator early.
Planning revision around the dates
Once you have your paper days, count back from each one. A simple structure works well:
- Ten to twelve weeks out: map every syllabus topic and mark the weak ones.
- Six to eight weeks out: move from notes to exam-style questions, topic by topic.
- Three to four weeks out: sit full timed papers and review every mark lost.
- Final week: short recall sessions, cram sheets and sleep.
Our IB study schedule for science shows how to break subjects into topics and study blocks. For maths students, the IB Maths revision plan lays out the same idea month by month. Parents can use our final 90 days checklist to support without adding pressure. If nerves are building, our exam stress guide offers practical steps.
Perspective: why dates matter less than practice
We see the same pattern every session. Students who know their dates feel calmer, but the ones who do best are those who have rehearsed the exam itself many times.
Our materials are written by IB examiners, so the questions, mark schemes and command terms reflect how papers are really set and marked. That is why we link everything together. A student can do a question, review the answer against the examiner mark scheme, see the result in their progress tracking, and go straight to the notes or video for that topic.
We believe this joined-up approach, with performance insights that show exactly where marks are lost, is what gives students real confidence. We have not found another IB STEM platform that combines all of this in one place, at a price that makes it the best value for money.
Oliver
Prepare for your paper days with Tiber Tutor
Once you know when your exams fall, the next step is turning those weeks into focused practice. Tiber Tutor brings together exam-style questions, animated videos, detailed notes, flashcards, cram sheets, topic tests, mock exams and examiner mark schemes for IB Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths. Everything is connected, and your progress tracking shows which topics need attention.
The All-Access Plan is $19 per month and the Per-Subject Plan is $9 per month, both starting with a free 7-day trial. Because the content is written by actual IB examiners, we believe it is the best value for money available for IB science and maths revision. See the plans and pricing, explore our IB Chemistry mock exams or our IB Biology tests, or read the IB exam guide for science students.
FAQ
How long does an IB exam last?
It depends on the subject and paper. According to the IB’s May 2026 schedule, papers range from 45 minutes to 2h 30m. Biology, Chemistry and Physics HL paper 2 are the longest at 2h 30m, while Biology SL paper 1 is 1h 30m.
Can I move an IB exam to a different day?
Not on your own. The IB states that an exam cannot be rescheduled without authorisation from its assessment division. If you have a clash or a serious problem, speak to your school’s IB coordinator as early as you can.
Where do I find my personal exam timetable?
Your school coordinator provides it. The IB exam schedule page hosts the full Diploma and Career-related schedules, but only your coordinator can confirm which papers and zone apply to you.
Do IB exams happen on public holidays?
Usually yes. The IB says it cannot take public, national or school holidays into account when it builds the timetable, apart from 1 May. Plan your revision on the assumption that a paper may fall on a local holiday.
Sources
- May 2026 examination schedule, IB
- November 2026 examination schedule, IB
- Exam schedule, Diploma Programme, IB
- IB enhances assessment procedures for November 2024 exams