IB Maths formula booklet, explained

The IB formula booklet is dense and gives you the symbols with no explanation. This companion explains every formula in plain English: what it means, what each symbol stands for and when to use it. Choose your course to see the formulas that apply to it.

How to use the formula booklet in the exam

• Learn the layout before the exam. Practise with the booklet open, so you know which section a formula sits in and can find it in seconds.
• Do not waste time memorising what you are given. Spend that effort on knowing when a formula applies and how to rearrange it, because the booklet gives the formula, not the method.
• Check what each symbol means. Many lost marks come from putting the wrong value in the wrong place. The companion pages list every symbol.
• Practise rearranging. The booklet shows one form of each formula. Questions often need it rearranged for a different unknown.
• Know your course. HL includes the SL formulas plus more, and AA and AI use some different ones. Use the page for your own course so you are not distracted by formulas you will never need.
• Show your working. Writing the formula you are using, then substituting, earns method marks even if the final number is wrong.
• Use your calculator where it is faster. Some formulas, such as finance and statistics ones, have a calculator route. See the GDC guides for the steps.

Prior learning formulas

Each course page starts with a Prior learning section: formulas for area, volume and similar topics that the syllabus assumes you already know, such as the area of a triangle. Check these first, because they come up in questions that look like they are about something harder.

Print it or practise with it

Want a copy to keep next to you while you work? Print the formula sheet for your course. Ready to use the formulas? Browse every topic or start with practice questions.