Start smaller. Pick one topic you struggled with on your last paper and try two or three questions on it without a timer. If you're revising IB maths and keep losing marks on trigonometry, for example, don't write down only “trigonometry.” Note the step where things went wrong: setting up the equation, choosing an identity, or solving it correctly but leaving out a valid solution.
Then check the mark scheme. Sometimes you understood the maths but missed a condition or didn't show enough working. Other times the solution only makes sense after you've seen it. Those are different problems, and they need different kinds of practice.
Keep a short mistake log so the next question has a purpose:
| Topic | Step where it went wrong | Type of mistake | Next question to try |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigonometric equations | Left out the second solution in the interval | Didn't check the interval | A fresh equation with multiple solutions |
You don't need a spreadsheet full of scores. Write down the decision you need to make differently next time.
If you can explain your mistake and fix it yourself, try a fresh question on the same topic. PastPaperPrep lets you find past-paper questions by topic, so you don't have to hunt through whole papers for a few relevant ones. Once you're getting those right, go back to a timed paper and see if the fix holds when you have to work under pressure.
If you keep making the same mistake, that's a good point to ask a teacher or tutor for help. Bring the question, your working, and the mark scheme. “I understand the solution when I read it, but I can't see how to start” gives them much more to work with than “I'm bad at maths.” A tutor can watch how you approach the problem and find the gap you may not notice on your own. Pietro Meloni, a PhD physicist and IB Mathematics and Physics tutor, offers one-to-one online tutoring built around that kind of diagnosis.
As Pietro puts it: “When a student keeps losing marks on the same kind of question, the problem is rarely the whole topic. It's usually one decision, like which identity to use or whether to check for a second solution. In a lesson I ask the student to solve out loud, and that decision usually shows up quickly.”
The next time you practise, use a new question rather than repeating the one you went through together. That's how you find out whether you can now make the decision for yourself.