May 2025 IB Diploma and Career-related Programme Exam Schedule
The May 2025 IB Diploma Programme (DP) and IB Career-related Programme (CP) examination schedule runs from April 25, 2025 to May 21, 2025. These exams cover a wide range of subjects, including sciences, mathematics, languages, individuals & societies, the arts, and career-related studies. Below is an overview of the schedule, along with important policies and deadlines you need to know. Let’s prepare for a successful exam session!
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Key Schedule Highlights
- The exam period is divided into four weeks, starting Friday, April 25 and ending Wednesday, May 21.
- Morning sessions typically begin between 08:30 - 10:00 local time, while afternoon sessions start between 12:30 - 14:00 local time, depending on your specific exam zone (A, B, or C).
- Exams cover a wide range of IB subjects: Physics, Business Management, Mathematics, Computer Science, Psychology, History, Biology, Economics, Chemistry, Global Politics, and more.
- No exams are scheduled on May 1 (Labor Day). This date is left free in most IB exam timetables.
- Rescheduling exams requires strict authorization from the IB Global Centre.
Note: Local and national holidays (except May 1) are not considered in this timetable. Students must be prepared to attend exams on official holidays if scheduled.
Week 1: April 25 – May 2, 2025
Date | Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
---|---|---|
Friday, 25 April 2025 | No exams |
School-based syllabus SL Paper 1 Language & Culture SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) |
Monday, 28 April 2025 |
School-based syllabus SL Paper 2 Language A Literature HL Paper 1 (2h 15m) Language A Literature SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) Language A Lang & Lit HL Paper 1 (2h 15m) Language A Lang & Lit SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) (Except English, French & Spanish) |
Language & Culture SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Tuesday, 29 April 2025 |
Language A Literature HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) Language A Lang & Lit HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) (Except English, French & Spanish) |
Physics HL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (2h) Physics SL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (1h 30m) Sports, Exercise & Health Science HL Paper 1 (1h), Paper 3 (1h 15m) Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL Paper 1 (45m), Paper 3 (1h) |
Wednesday, 30 April 2025 |
Physics HL Paper 2 (2h 30m) Physics SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) Sports, Exercise & Health Science HL Paper 2 (2h 15m) Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL Paper 2 (1h 15m) |
Business Management HL/SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Business Management HL Paper 3 (1h 15m) |
Thursday, 1 May 2025 | No exams | No exams |
Friday, 2 May 2025 |
Business Management HL Paper 2 (1h 45m) Business Management SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Computer Science HL Paper 1 (2h 10m) Computer Science SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Environmental Systems & Societies SL Paper 1 (1h) |
Week 2: May 5 – May 9, 2025
Date | Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
---|---|---|
Monday, 5 May 2025 |
Computer Science HL Paper 2 (1h 20m), Paper 3 (1h) Computer Science SL Paper 2 (1h) |
History HL/SL Paper 1 (1h) History HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) Environmental Systems & Societies SL Paper 2 (2h) |
Tuesday, 6 May 2025 | History HL Paper 3 (2h 30m) |
Language B HL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Language B SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) Language ab initio SL Paper 1 (1h) Latin HL Paper 1 (2h), Latin SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) |
Wednesday, 7 May 2025 |
Language B HL Paper 2 - Reading (1h) Language B SL Paper 2 - Reading (45m) Language ab initio SL Paper 2 - Reading (45m) |
Psychology HL Paper 1 (2h) Psychology SL Paper 1 (2h) |
Thursday, 8 May 2025 |
Psychology HL Paper 2 (2h), Paper 3 (1h) Psychology SL Paper 2 (1h) |
English A Literature HL Paper 1 (2h 15m) English A Literature SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) English A Lang & Lit HL Paper 1 (2h 15m) English A Lang & Lit SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) |
Friday, 9 May 2025 |
English A Literature HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) English A Lang & Lit HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) |
Geography HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Philosophy HL Paper 1 (2h 30m), SL Paper 1 (1h 45m) Social & Cultural Anthropology HL Paper 1 (2h), SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Literature & Performance SL Paper 1 (1h 45m) |
Week 3: May 12 – May 16, 2025
Date | Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
---|---|---|
Monday, 12 May 2025 |
Geography HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 15m) Geography HL Paper 3 (1h) Philosophy HL/SL Paper 2 (1h), HL Paper 3 (1h 15m) Social & Cultural Anthropology HL Paper 2 (2h 30m), SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Biology HL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (2h) Biology SL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (1h 30m) |
Tuesday, 13 May 2025 |
Biology HL Paper 2 (2h 30m) Biology SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Economics HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) World Religions SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) |
Wednesday, 14 May 2025 |
Economics HL Paper 1 (1h 15m), Paper 3 (1h 45m) Economics SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) World Religions SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Classical Greek HL Paper 1 (2h), SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Spanish A Literature HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) Spanish A Lang & Lit HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) Spanish B HL Paper 1 (1h 30m), HL Paper 2 - Reading (1h) Spanish B SL Paper 1 (1h 15m), SL Paper 2 - Reading (1h) Spanish ab initio SL Paper 1 (1h), Paper 2 - Reading (1h) |
Thursday, 15 May 2025 | Classical Greek HL Paper 2 (1h 30m), SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Spanish A Literature HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) Spanish A Lang & Lit HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) Spanish B HL Paper 2 - Listening (1h), SL Paper 2 - Listening (45m) Spanish ab initio SL Paper 2 - Listening (45m) |
Friday, 16 May 2025 |
Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL Paper 1 (2h) Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation HL Paper 1 (2h) Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) |
Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL Paper 2 (2h), SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) Mathematics: Apps & Interpretation HL Paper 2 (2h), SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Week 4: May 19 – May 21, 2025
Date | Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
---|---|---|
Monday, 19 May 2025 |
Chemistry HL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (2h), SL Paper 1 (1a & 1b) (1h 30m) Design Technology HL Paper 1 (1h), SL Paper 1 (45m) Design Technology HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) |
Chemistry HL Paper 2 (2h 30m), SL Paper 2 (1h 30m) Design Technology HL Paper 3 (1h 30m) |
Tuesday, 20 May 2025 |
Digital Society HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 30m) Global Politics HL/SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) |
Digital Society HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 15m), HL Paper 3 (1h 15m) Global Politics HL Paper 2 (2h 45m), SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) |
Wednesday, 21 May 2025 |
French A Literature HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) French A Lang & Lit HL Paper 1 (2h 15m), SL Paper 1 (1h 15m) French B HL Paper 1 (1h 30m), HL Paper 2 - Reading (1h) French B SL Paper 1 (1h 15m), SL Paper 2 - Reading (1h) French ab initio SL Paper 1 (1h), Paper 2 - Reading (1h) |
French A Literature HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) French A Lang & Lit HL/SL Paper 2 (1h 45m) French B HL Paper 2 - Listening (1h), SL Paper 2 - Listening (45m) French ab initio SL Paper 2 - Listening (45m) Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL Paper 3 (1h 15m) Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation HL Paper 3 (1h 15m) |
End of Exam Period: All IB May 2025 final exams conclude by the end of Wednesday, May 21. The last scheduled papers include Mathematics Paper 3 for HL courses and French Paper 2 components.
Local Start Times and Exam Zones
Each IB World School is assigned to one of three exam zones (A, B, or C) that determine local start times:
- Morning sessions: Typically 08:30 to 10:00 local start time.
- Afternoon sessions: Typically 12:30 to 14:00 local start time.
Always confirm the exact times with your coordinator. The IB forbids starting an exam outside of these windows without explicit permission.
Principles Behind the IB Exam Schedule
- Subject clashes are minimized using registration data.
- Holidays, other than May 1, are not considered when scheduling.
- Arabic literature and language exams are not held on Fridays.
- Major subjects are spread over the four-week period to balance workload.
- No consecutive scheduling for subjects with the highest enrollment.
- The timetable aims to keep the total exam period as concise as possible.
Rescheduling Policies
The IB rarely grants permission to reschedule an exam. Any adjustments must follow guidelines outlined in the Diploma Programme Assessment Procedures. Students facing scheduling issues should contact their IB coordinator immediately to explore available options. Unapproved exam date changes can result in no grade for that subject.
Looking Ahead: 2026 Exam Schedule
For those planning even further ahead, the IB has announced that exams will run from April 24, 2026 to May 20, 2026, excluding May 1. Further details will be released in the official 2026 IB exam schedule.
Final Thoughts
The May 2025 IB exam session is a significant milestone in your academic journey. By reviewing this schedule, understanding local start times, and adhering to IB policies, you’ll be well-prepared to excel in your upcoming assessments. Remember to balance revision with rest, and work closely with teachers or coordinators if you have any scheduling questions.
Good luck with your preparations! Stay organized, practice consistently, and keep these key dates in mind to ensure a smooth and successful IB exam experience.