IB Physics Revision Plan: A Phase-by-Phase Guide

A good IB Physics revision plan does three things. It covers all five themes, it moves you from notes to exam-style questions early, and it uses your results to decide what to study next. This guide gives you a phased timetable you can start today, a weekly rhythm, and the habits that research supports. It works for both SL and HL.

TL;DR

• Split your revision into three phases: rebuild understanding, practise by paper, then run timed mocks and close gaps.
• Cover all five themes (A to E), and spend your time where your marks are weakest, not where you feel comfortable.
• Test yourself from memory, spread it over days and weeks, and mix question types.
• Paper 1 is 36% and Paper 2 is 44% of the grade, so practise both formats, plus keep the 20% internal assessment moving.
• Track every question result so your plan changes with the data.

Table of Contents

• Start with what you are being assessed on
• The three-phase plan
• A weekly rhythm you can keep
• Habits the research backs
• Our perspective: let your results steer the plan
• Make the plan work with Tiber Tutor
• What to prioritise if time is short
• FAQ
• Sources

Start with what you are being assessed on

A plan is only as good as its target. In the current course, the IB’s Physics subject page describes five themes: A (Space, time and motion), B (The particulate nature of matter), C (Wave behaviour), D (Fields) and E (Nuclear and quantum physics). SL and HL students both study them, with HL going deeper.

Assessment has no separate Paper 3 any more. Paper 1 carries 36% and is split into 1A (multiple choice) and 1B (data-based questions). Paper 2 carries 44% and has short-answer and extended-response questions. The internal assessment, a scientific investigation, is the remaining 20%.

That split should shape your timetable. Paper 2 is the largest single share, so written explanation and multi-step working deserve regular practice, not just a final-week push. If you want the full detail first, read our IB Physics exam format guide and the syllabus walkthrough.

The three-phase plan

Exams for the May session are some months away from today, so there is time to do this properly. Adjust the lengths to your school’s calendar and your own mock dates.

Phase 1: Rebuild understanding

Go theme by theme. For each sub-topic, close the notes and write down the key definitions, equations and one diagram from memory. Then check. Mark each item green, amber or red on a syllabus checklist.

Keep this phase active. Re-reading feels productive but tells you little. Short topic tests give you a better picture, and our IB Physics tests are built for exactly this stage.

Phase 2: Practise by paper

Now shift most of your time to questions. Use the red and amber topics first, but do not abandon the greens: revisit them briefly every couple of weeks.

Split your practice by paper:

• Paper 1A: short bursts of multiple-choice questions, ideally mixed across themes.
• Paper 1B: data-based questions, where graph reading, uncertainties and units cost many students marks.
• Paper 2: full short-answer and extended-response questions, written out in full, then marked against the scheme.

A structured question bank helps here. Our IB Physics questions cover each theme, and our 6 week Paper 1 plan shows one way to sequence the multiple-choice work. For the longer paper, see our notes on the two biggest Paper 2 errors.

Phase 3: Simulate the exam

In the last stretch, sit full papers under timed conditions. Then spend at least as long reviewing as you did writing. Mark yourself honestly against the mark scheme, note which command terms you misread, and fix the specific gap.

Two mock sittings a fortnight is a sensible rhythm for most students, with repair sessions between them. Our IB Physics mock exams are written to mirror the real papers, so the timing and difficulty feel familiar. In the final days, a cram sheet is useful for equations, definitions and common traps. It is a last check, not a substitute for the work above.

A weekly rhythm you can keep

Consistency beats heroic weekends. Here is a sample week during Phase 2 for a student with a full timetable:

1. Monday: 45 minutes on a red topic, from memory first, then notes.
2. Tuesday: 30 minutes of Paper 1A questions, mixed themes.
3. Wednesday: 45 minutes on one Paper 2 question, written in full.
4. Thursday: 30 minutes marking and logging errors.
5. Friday: rest or light flashcards.
6. Saturday: 60 to 90 minutes on a topic test or a half paper, plus a review.
7. Sunday: 20 minutes planning next week from your error log.

Keep your internal assessment on its own track. A small slot each week for data analysis, write-up or evaluation stops it colliding with exam revision.

Habits the research backs

How you revise matters as much as how long. Three findings are worth building into your plan.

Retrieve, do not re-read. A Physical Review Physics Education Research study on a mandatory retrieval test in physics found that low-stakes testing encouraged students to space their studying across the semester and reduced cramming.

Space it out. The IES practice guide on organising study recommends spacing learning over time. A Nature Reviews Psychology review of spacing and retrieval practice reaches a similar view, noting that these strategies are underused by learners. In practice: revisit each theme every week or two, not once.

Mix problem types. Interleaving, where you shuffle problem types rather than repeating one, makes you choose the right method, as the same Physics Education Research paper discusses. Blocked practice feels smoother, but exams are mixed.

One more point. The IES guide also notes that students’ feeling of knowing a topic can be unreliable straight after studying. Delay your self-test by hours or days, and trust results over impressions. The Education Endowment Foundation adds that revision works best when students plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning. Your error log does exactly that.

Our perspective: let your results steer the plan

We built Tiber Tutor with IB examiners and experienced educators, and we see the same pattern again and again. Students who revise well are not the ones who study the longest. They are the ones who know, with evidence, what to study next.

That is why we connect everything. A topic test feeds your syllabus monitoring. A question you got wrong points you to the matching notes and animated video. Student-led answer review lets you mark yourself against examiner mark schemes, so you learn what a full-mark answer looks like. Your analytics then show where marks are slipping, so next week’s plan writes itself.

We believe this integration is what sets Tiber Tutor apart. Every resource reflects the exam, is aligned to the current syllabus, and was written by people who have marked the real papers. You can do a lot with a notebook and a past paper. But a calm, data-led plan is easier when your questions, mock exams and progress tracking sit in one place.

You are not behind. You need a starting point, a rhythm and honest feedback. The rest is steady work.

— Oliver

Make the plan work with Tiber Tutor

If you want one place for the whole plan, start with a free 7-day trial, then choose what fits. The Per-Subject Plan is 9 $ per month and covers one subject. The All-Access Plan is 19 $ per month and covers every subject we offer, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics and IB Maths. With examiner-written content, full mock exams and performance analytics included, we think it is the best value for money in IB science revision. See our plans and pricing.

If you also take Biology, our IB Biology tests follow the same approach, and the IB Maths AI tests do the same for Maths.

What to prioritise if time is short

Not everyone starts early. If you have six weeks or fewer:

• Skim the syllabus checklist and rate each sub-topic honestly in one evening.
• Spend the first week on the reds, using short tests.
• Move to Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions by week two.
• Sit at least two full timed mocks, and review each one closely.
• Give extra attention to Theme E if your confidence is low. Our guide on what examiners want in modern physics shows where the marks tend to be.

FAQ

When should I start revising for IB Physics?

Start light revision as soon as you finish each theme, using short retrieval quizzes. Begin the structured phases at least four to six months before your exams if you can. That gives you time to space your practice and repair gaps.

How many hours a week should I spend on Physics revision?

There is no official figure, and it depends on your other subjects and your internal assessment. Three to five focused hours a week is a realistic aim for many students, rising in the final weeks. Quality counts more: active recall and marked questions beat passive reading.

Is the plan different for SL and HL?

The structure is the same, since both levels cover the five themes. HL students need extra time for the additional depth and for the longer Paper 2. Use your syllabus checklist to keep the extra HL material visible.

Should I do past papers or topic questions first?

Start with topic questions, which show you what you do not yet understand. Add full timed papers in the final phase, when you are ready to test timing and stamina. Always mark against the mark scheme.

Sources

• IB Physics, International Baccalaureate Organization
• Mandatory retrieval test to incentivize retrieval practice of physics principles, Physical Review Physics Education Research
• Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning, IES
• The science of effective learning with spacing and retrieval practice, Nature Reviews Psychology
• Supporting Revision and the Seven-step Model, Education Endowment Foundation

Recommended

• IB Physics Notes
• IB Physics Cram Sheets
• IB Physics Mock Exams
• IB Physics Syllabus: The Complete 2026 Guide For Students