Best IB Chemistry Question Banks for HL and SL (2026)

What changed in IB Chemistry practice?

The current DP Chemistry course was first taught from August 2023 and first assessed in May 2025. The IB organizes it around the concepts of structure and reactivity, with practical work, data analysis, mathematics, and scientific investigation running through the course. That makes a useful question bank more than a collection of old topic labels.

Before buying anything, check that the resource clearly separates the current course from legacy material. HL and SL overlap, but HL has greater breadth and depth. A question that looks relevant can still be a poor use of revision time if its syllabus, paper style, or command term belongs to an older course.

Best official starting point: IB sample papers and guides

Official IB subject guides, subject briefs, specimen material, and released sample papers are the reference point for the assessment. They show the wording, structure, data handling, and level of response that the awarding organization expects. Ask your teacher or IB coordinator for materials your school is entitled to use, and use the IB store or official resources rather than unofficial archives that claim to be affiliated with IB.

Official material is best for calibration, not for daily volume. It is limited compared with a commercial question bank, and it is not designed to give you a carefully sequenced set for one weak subtopic. Start with it to understand the target, then use another platform to build repetitions.

Chemistry questions reward a review routine that is more specific than checking the final number. For a calculation, inspect the equation, units, significant figures, and chemical interpretation. For an organic or acid-base response, check whether the mechanism or explanation names the relevant particles and conditions. For a data question, ask what trend the evidence actually supports. These checks turn a missed mark into a next practice target and stop you from labeling every error as simply a lack of revision.

• Best for: confirming the current syllabus and real assessment style.
• Not best for: a large searchable bank with custom daily sets.
• Check: whether the paper or guide is for the first-assessment-2025 course.

Best digital all-rounder: Revision Village

Revision Village is a strong fit for students who want a large, online Chemistry bank organized by syllabus area and difficulty. Its Chemistry pages describe exam-style questions across the course, with mark schemes and step-by-step solution videos. That combination helps when you can identify the topic but still cannot see why a calculation, mechanism, equilibrium argument, or data interpretation went wrong.

Its main advantage is guided digital practice. Difficulty levels and videos make it easier to move from a direct mole or energetics question to a more unfamiliar application. The trade-off is that it is a broad revision platform, not just a lean past-paper filing system. If you mainly want to print a short set of real questions, you may value a more focused bank.

• Best for: students who learn from worked video explanations and want one digital platform.
• Good complement: official IB papers for authentic timed practice.
• Not best for: students who only need a small, printable, source-filtered set.

Best for notes alongside questions: Save My Exams

Save My Exams is useful when your gap is partly content knowledge. Its current IB Chemistry offering includes revision notes, topic questions, answers, practice papers, and resources for the newer course. The topic structure and downloadable PDFs can be convenient for a student who wants to review a concept such as acid-base chemistry, energetics, organic mechanisms, or experimental techniques before attempting questions.

This is a notes-first strength, not a reason to treat notes as practice. Reading a clear explanation can make a topic feel familiar without proving that you can choose a model, process data, use the Data Booklet, or answer a command term under exam conditions. Use the notes to repair a gap, then close the page and attempt questions without prompts.

• Best for: students who want teacher-written notes and downloadable topic work in the same service.
• Good complement: official mark schemes and timed papers.
• Not best for: someone looking only for a lightweight archive of real questions.

Best for topical online filtering: Exam-Mate

Exam-Mate is suited to students and teachers who like to filter topical past-paper questions by paper type, year, and season, then save questions into custom lists. Its IB Chemistry topical page presents questions online and describes ordered or randomized practice, official mark schemes, and AI-generated solutions. That makes it practical for a targeted session when you already know the exact topic you want to revisit.

There are limits to keep in mind. The page says questions are not downloadable, so it is less useful if you want to print a worksheet or work away from a screen. Treat any generated solution as a convenience, not as proof that it matches the official marking standard. Prefer the official mark scheme when both are available.

• Best for: online topical filtering and saved question lists.
• Not best for: printable revision packs or a complete Chemistry teaching course.
• Check: the course and session filters before assuming a question matches your syllabus.

Best for focused real-question practice: PastPaperPrep

PastPaperPrep is the practical choice when you know the content and need efficient repetitions with real past-paper questions. The IB Chemistry HL and SL banks are separate, and the routes are /banks/ib-chemistry-hl and /banks/ib-chemistry-sl. Use topic and source filters to isolate a weak area, then make a set that is narrow enough to review properly. Answers and mark schemes are included where available, and printable sets make it easier to write full responses instead of tapping through a screen.

Pricing is simple for a focused revision tool: one bank is $6 per month or $48 per year; two to five banks start at $10 per month, with $4 per additional bank, or $84 annually for two, with $36 per additional bank; six or more are $25 per month or $216 per year. Confirm the live checkout before purchase because prices can change. PastPaperPrep is not best if you need extensive videos, lesson notes, flashcards, or a tutor-like explanation before you can attempt the questions.

How to choose for HL or SL

For SL, prioritize accurate course matching, data-based questions, practical skills, and clear correction. For HL, add more multi-step quantitative work, unfamiliar contexts, and questions that connect structure, reactivity, and experimental reasoning. In either level, begin with one official paper or specimen set to diagnose the gap, use topical practice to repair it, and finish with mixed or timed work.

The best bank is the one that supports that loop without letting you confuse recognition with mastery. A labeled topic set is helpful while rebuilding a skill. It is not the final test. Remove the label, mix topics, and mark your answer against the strongest available official or teacher-reviewed guidance.