If you are reading this, you are probably one of the starry-eyed students who see themselves studying at a university stationed beside Silicon Valley, dream of working in NASA someday, or maybe you just really, really love the endless insights Physics and Maths have to offer. Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches Higher Level is usually seen as one of the most challenging IB Diploma courses due to the rigorousness of its dense syllabus. Physics at Higher Level is also highly demanding, with its broad, conceptual content and intense workload. Both subjects require high dedication and strong problem-solving skills if taken separately- but if taken together, both subjects demand a level of consistency, discipline, and mental stamina that can feel overwhelming very quickly. You are signing up for constant practice, frequent confusion, and the occasional identity crisis when a question set humbles you beyond belief. But at the same time, this combination is also one of the most rewarding ones you can take if you approach it right.
Revision Village
Most IB students are already acquainted with Revision Village. It is your holy grail for Mathematics AA, especially for practice questions- ranging from easy to very hard, and for topical past papers. You can create a RV Gold with your Math AA class with all of you chipping in- this makes it much more affordable and ensures everyone has access. The Revision Village YouTube channel complements the main platform really well by offering free explanations, walkthroughs, and strategy tips. It is especially useful for quick clarifications on specific topics or for reviewing before exams.
It is crucial to organize your resources properly. Past paper questions are your best friend. Attempt past paper questions after each topic taught in class. The question styles repeat, the patterns become familiar, and over time you start recognizing how to approach problems instead of feeling lost. Here are some additional resources that can be used as guides on your physical and mathematical journey.
RevisionDojo
After Revision Village, RevisionDojo is another familiar name for most IB students. It is especially useful for clear, structured notes. There are notes available for both Physics and Mathematics AA, along with other science and humanities subjects that you can use them for. The explanations are concise and exam-focused, making them perfect for quick revision before tests or when revisiting a concept you did not fully grasp in class. You can use this resource alongside your textbook by reading through the notes after a lesson and summarizing key points into your own words. It is also helpful the night before assessments when you want to reinforce concepts without diving into heavy problem sets.
Christos Nikolaidis
This is quite a helpful site for Mathematics AA HL. There are topic-wise lecture notes categorized into the sub-sections for each topic, making it easy to navigate and find specific content from the syllabus. But this site is most useful for its topical practice questions and practice papers. They are listed and hyperlinked in the site: white for SL/HL and blue for HL exclusive papers. It is important that you practice both, as SL content is included in the HL syllabus too. After a topic is introduced in class, you can take 40 minutes to an hour to attempt questions from this site to clarify any doubts you might have on any concepts. This is good for preliminary practice to get a hold of the content before moving on to more challenging questions and past papers.
SaveMyExams Archive
The SME Archive is a useful resource once you have a basic understanding of a topic and want to test your application skills. The questions are exam-style and organized by topic, which allows you to directly target your weaker areas. A good way to use this is to attempt a set of questions under timed conditions after finishing a chapter, then carefully review the mark schemes to understand where you lost marks. These questions are much simpler than what you will find in your actual exams; so ensure you practice these for preliminary understanding and practice challenging questions after you have mustered the topic. This helps you to familiarize with IB marking patterns and improve both your accuracy and speed. Over time, this repeated cycle of learning and application strengthens both conceptual clarity and exam technique.
inThinking
The inThinking examination questions provided are good for Mathematics AA HL. They are taken from real exam-style contexts and are often more demanding, making them ideal for pushing your limits once you are comfortable with the basics. You can use this resource closer to exams or after completing the syllabus to refine your problem-solving skills and expose yourself to more complex question types. The layout of the questions are difficult to understand, so click on the full solution and zoom into the question for better understanding.
Sirius Revision
Sirius Revision is a very helpful channel for understanding and revising topics in the Physics syllabus. The videos are organized in playlists theme-wise and topic-wise. Each video introduces the topic and the concept before moving into practice questions. The videos break down problems step-by-step, making them easier to follow than densely written solutions. You can use them when you are stuck on a question and need a guided explanation, but make sure to pause and attempt the steps yourself instead of watching passively. This helps to reinforce active learning and prevents you from becoming overly reliant on video solutions.
Conclusion
The key thing to understand early on is that this is not about being “naturally smart.” It is about building systems. You cannot rely on last minute studying or passive revision. Mathematics AA HL especially requires daily engagement. Even 30 to 45 minutes of focused problem solving every day is far more effective than cramming for hours once a week. I have been there, done that, and trust me when I say that just an hour of daily revision gives you the confidence boost and clarity to score significantly better in your summatives and exams.
For Physics HL, focus on building intuition first. Before jumping into numericals, make sure you can explain concepts in simple terms. If you cannot explain a topic like electric fields or waves out loud without notes, you probably do not understand it deeply enough yet. Once the concept is clear, practice questions will become much more manageable. If you do not understand the logic behind a formula, memorizing it will not save you. The question rarely spells out what the variables and numbers it contains are needed for. If you stay consistent, stay curious, and accept that confusion is part of the process, this combination will not just challenge you, it will genuinely change the way you think. So do not give up, utilize your time properly, and you will excel in your scientific and mathematical endeavours!