Paper 3 caused significant anxiety. A post described practising AA HL Paper 3 as feeling like “Russian roulette” because of inconsistent difficulty and unrealistic time pressurereddit.com. Another thread asked whether Paper 3 had been extended to 75 minutes; a student noted seeing a timetable showing 1 hour 15 minutesreddit.com. A later post confirmed that AA HL Paper 3 is now 75 minutes (55 marks) and that this change applies from the November 2024 session onwardreddit.com.
Answer:
- Understand the role of Paper 3. HL students sit Paper 1 (no calculator), Paper 2 (calculator allowed) and Paper 3, an extended‐response paper with two or three multi‑part questions focusing on “problem‑solving and extended reasoning.” It accounts for 20 % of the final grade. Because each question is worth many marks and often integrates multiple topics, students feel pressure to perform.
- Time change and its implications. According to the post by a top commenter, AA HL Paper 3 was extended from 60 minutes to 75 minutes while keeping the total marks at 55reddit.com. This change affects candidates from May 2025 onwards. AI HL candidates should confirm whether their Paper 3 is also extended (posts indicated uncertainty). The longer duration provides more time per mark (about 82 seconds per mark instead of 65), but the questions may still be challenging.
- Preparation strategies. To cope with Paper 3:
- Practise past Paper 3 tasks. Familiarise yourself with the structure and style: multi‑step problems requiring interpretation, modelling and rigorous justification. Use IB specimen papers and practice sets specifically for Paper 3 under timed conditions.
- Focus on comprehension and reasoning. Many students described Paper 3 as unpredictablereddit.com; the unpredictable element often arises because the problems are contextual (e.g., modelling population growth, optimising costs). Read questions carefully, identify what each part asks, and plan your approach before diving into calculations.
- Develop exam stamina and time management. Use the extra 15 minutes wisely; allocate time proportionally to marks and leave a few minutes at the end to review. If you are stuck on a part, move on and return later. Since Paper 3 tasks are cohesive, solving earlier parts often helps with later sections.
- Master the GDC (graphical display calculator). Many Paper 3 questions require technology for solving equations or numerical integration. Learn to use your calculator efficiently, including storing functions, performing statistical regressions and drawing graphs.
- Review relevant topics. Paper 3 may cover any HL syllabus area, but posts asked which units were commonreddit.com. Past papers show that calculus (differentiation, integration, differential equations), sequences and series, statistics and probability are frequent. Strengthen your understanding of these areas and practise applying them in unfamiliar contexts.
- Stay calm during the exam. Students sometimes described the exam as “legal?” or “roulette.” Remember that each candidate faces the same tasks, and examiners adjust grade boundaries to account for difficulty. Having practised a variety of Paper 3 problems will make you less likely to be surprised by novel contexts.