IB Maths AA Formula Booklet: What Is In It and What Is Not

What the booklet is and when you get it

The Mathematics: analysis and approaches formula booklet goes with the course first assessed in 2021. The IB specimen papers state that a clean copy is required for each paper, and the school downloads it from the IB's systems. You do not bring your own.

That includes Paper 1, where calculators are not allowed. Paper 2 uses a graphic display calculator. HL students also sit Paper 3. The IB treats a calculator in Paper 1 as malpractice, so practise Paper 1 without one.

Because Paper 1 has no calculator, the booklet matters most there. You will often need an exact answer, so a given formula only helps if you can then simplify surds, fractions and logarithms by hand. Build that algebra fluency alongside learning the layout of the booklet.

What is inside

The formulae are grouped by topic and follow the syllabus: number and algebra, functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and calculus. There is also a section of prior learning, such as areas and volumes of common shapes.

Examples of what is given: sequences and series, the binomial theorem, the quadratic formula, the sine and cosine rules, probability rules, the normal distribution standardisation, and standard derivatives and integrals. Short mentions like these are illustrative; always read the real booklet.

HL-only material is clearly separated as additional higher level (AHL) content. This helps you see which formulae belong to your level.

What is not in it

A formula list cannot make decisions for you. The following are the areas where students commonly assume the booklet will help but it does not.

• Exact trigonometric values for common angles and the unit circle.
• Basic index and log laws at the level of algebra you are expected to know.
• Function transformations and how graphs change.
• Methods such as integration by substitution or proof techniques.
• How to choose between methods, and how to present a full-mark argument.

HL and SL

SL and HL use the same booklet. Sections marked AHL are for HL only. HL students are expected to use these and also tackle Paper 3, which is longer, problem-solving work.

As an SL student, you can ignore AHL blocks. As an HL student, learn where they are so you do not waste time looking in the wrong section.

A useful exercise is to read through your level's sections once with a pencil and mark every formula you could not yet use. Turn that list into a short revision plan, and tick items off as you meet them in practice questions.

Practising under timed conditions

Print a clean copy and use it only as you will in the exam. For Paper 1 practise without a calculator and use the booklet only to check a formula you already half remember. Over time you should need it less and less.

Use topic questions to learn the layout, then sit whole papers against the clock. After marking, list the formulae you looked up and the ones you did not know existed. Learn those that you use often so you rely on the booklet only for the rest.

PastPaperPrep has real IB Maths AA questions you can filter by topic, with whole papers free to open without signing up and worked explanations on many questions.

IB Maths AA HL topic practice · IB Maths AA SL topic practice · Free IB Maths AA HL whole papers · Free IB Maths AA SL whole papers

Common mistakes

Using the booklet for the wrong course is common. The Analysis and Approaches booklet is not the same as the Applications and Interpretation one, so check the title on the front. Also make sure you are not using an older Mathematics HL booklet from before 2021.

Other slips are mixing radians and degrees, using a formula without checking its conditions, and rounding too early. Keep exact values until the final line unless a question asks for a decimal.