The IB maths formula booklet
5 min read ยท updated 2026-10-13
Every IB maths exam comes with a clean copy of the formula booklet for the course: one for Analysis and approaches and one for Applications and interpretation, each covering SL and HL. It saves memorising long formulas, but only students who know it well save time with it.
What's in it
- โ Prior learning: formulas from before the course (areas, volumes, distance and midpoint, and similar)
- โ One section per topic: number and algebra, functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, calculus
- โ SL formulas first, then sections marked for HL only
- โ Calculus: standard derivatives and integrals and the chain, product and quotient rules
What it doesn't give you
The booklet lists formulas, not methods. It doesn't include definitions, the conditions a theorem needs, how to set out a proof, exact trigonometric values or which formula a question needs. Those are the things to learn.
Using it in the exam
- โ Practise with the official booklet from the start of the course so you know where everything is
- โ Paper 1: use it to check a formula, not to discover one; there is no time to search
- โ Copy the formula into your answer before substituting: it earns method marks and catches errors
- โ Learn the formulas the booklet omits (exact values, key identities you use often) until they are automatic
Formulas worth learning anyway
Even formulas that are in the booklet are worth knowing by heart if you use them constantly, because looking them up costs time on every question.
- โ Laws of indices and logarithms
- โ The quadratic formula and the discriminant
- โ Sine and cosine rules and the area of a triangle
- โ Standard derivatives and integrals of polynomials, exponentials and trigonometric functions
- โ Arithmetic and geometric sequence and series formulas
A booklet drill
Once a week, take ten past-paper questions and, before solving any of them, find the formula each one needs in the booklet. Time yourself: by exam season it should take seconds per question, which frees time for the long questions.
FAQs
Do you get a formula booklet in IB maths exams?๏ผ
Yes, a clean copy of the booklet for your course is provided in every paper.
Is the AA booklet the same as AI?๏ผ
No. Each course has its own booklet, and each covers both SL and HL, with HL-only sections.
Does the booklet contain everything?๏ผ
It contains formulas, not definitions, methods or exact values, which you still need to know.
Can I bring my own copy?๏ผ
No. A clean copy is provided in the exam; practise with the same official version.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these official sources on 2026-10-13.
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