Pre-IB Math Diagnostic — are you ready for AA HL or AI HL?
The jump from IGCSE, MYP or O-Level into IB DP mathematics is bigger than almost anyone expects — especially for Analysis & Approaches HL. This free diagnostic finds the exact gaps to close before term starts, and gives you a clear read on whether AA or AI, HL or SL, is the right fit.
Why IB DP maths is such a big leap
Ask almost any DP1 student worldwide what surprised them most, and maths is near the top. The IB assumes a level of fluency from day one that most Grade 10 courses simply don't build — so the first term feels like sprinting from a standing start.
AA HL is genuinely elite
Analysis & Approaches HL is one of the most demanding pre-university maths courses in the world. Logarithms, functions and proof arrive within the first fortnight and never let up — see the official IB mathematics curriculum.
AI HL isn't the easy option
Applications & Interpretation HL is often chosen as "the gentler maths" — then hits hard with statistics, modelling and calculus in context. Choosing between them blind is risky; our AA vs AI guide unpacks it.
The unspoken assumption
DP1 assumes you can already move symbols around, solve quadratics and read a graph without thinking. When that fluency is shaky, every new topic costs double. The fix is simple: find the gaps early and close them over the holidays.
Every curriculum arrives with different gaps
There's no single "pre-IB" student. A learner from IGCSE Additional Maths, a UWCSEA MYP student and a Singapore O-Level student walk into DP1 with very different strengths — and very different blind spots. This is exactly what the diagnostic is built to map.
IGCSE 0580 (no Add-Maths)
IGCSE 0606 Additional Maths
MYP & IB through-trains
Singapore O-Level
Singapore IP
Edexcel / GCSE & others
Not sure which pathway you're on? See our guide to IB maths across Singapore schools, or explore IGCSE, MYP and IP preparation.
The UWCSEA (and MYP) story we see every year
Schools like UWCSEA run a superb IB through-train on the Middle Years Programme. Students arrive at DP1 curious, confident with technology and excellent at explaining their thinking — a brilliant foundation.
But MYP deliberately leans conceptual, so the by-hand procedural fluency that AA HL assumes on day one — rearranging algebra at speed, log laws, completing the square — can be under-practised. It isn't a weakness in the student or the school; it's a transition gap. And because the first weeks of AA HL move fast, an un-spotted gap quietly compounds into "I used to be good at maths."
The same pattern shows up for MYP students at Tanglin Trust, Dover Court, GEMS World Academy, ACS (International) and beyond — and for IGCSE-without-Additional students at dozens more. The gap is fixable in a holiday; the trick is knowing precisely where it is.
What the Pre-IB Math Diagnostic checks
Eight core skill zones — the foundations DP1 quietly assumes — plus a bonus "taste of calculus". Each zone is a short adaptive ladder, so we find not just whether you know it, but how far up you can climb.
Algebra fluency
Expanding, factorising, algebraic fractions, rearranging.
Indices & surds
Laws of powers, fractional and negative indices, surds.
Logarithms
The idea, the laws, simple equations — the classic gap.
Quadratics
Factorising, the formula and completing the square.
Functions
Notation, domain, composite and inverse functions.
Straight lines
Gradient, y = mx + c, parallel and perpendicular.
Sequences
Arithmetic and geometric patterns and nth-term rules.
Trigonometry
Pythagoras, SOHCAHTOA and the exact values.
A taste of calculus BONUS
Differentiation basics — how far ahead are you? Never a gap.
Real questions — including graphs
No dull multiple-choice grind. Questions adapt to your answers: get one right and you climb to something harder; slip and we ease back to find your floor. It's calm, mobile-friendly and honest.
See exactly where you stand
At the end you get a personalised readiness report — no marks out of ten, just a clear, calm map of what to brush up and a gentle read on the right course for you.
A real report from the diagnostic. Every topic shows how high you climbed, with plain-English notes on what each gap means for your first term.
Per-topic readiness map
A ladder for every zone with level pips — you see at a glance which foundations are secure and which need a holiday of love.
AA vs AI · HL vs SL
A gentle course-fit suggestion based on your gaps and goals — a starting point for a conversation, never a verdict.
A holiday bridge plan
The three things that'll move the needle most before term — and how our Pre-IB Bridging turns it into a plan.
How it works — about 8 to 18 minutes
No login to start, no pressure, no calculator (unless we say so). Just answer honestly — every "oops" is a gap we turn into a quick summer win.
Tell us your background
One quick page: your current course (IGCSE, MYP, O-Level, IP…), whether you did Additional / A-Maths, and where you might be heading.
Pick quick or full
A ~8-minute Quick check of your core foundations, or a ~18-minute Full check with graphs, a calculus taster and harder questions.
Get your instant report
A personalised readiness map, an AA/AI · HL/SL suggestion and a holiday bridge plan — emailed to you to keep.
Take the free Pre-IB Math Diagnostic
Walk into DP1 already ahead. Find your gaps this holiday, get a clear read on AA vs AI, and start term with a plan.
Pre-IB maths diagnostic — FAQ
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up to start. You only enter your email at the end to unlock and keep your full readiness report. It's part of our free IB resources.
You choose. The Quick check is about 8 minutes and covers your 8 core foundations; the Full check is about 18 minutes and adds graph-based questions, a calculus taster and harder items to pinpoint exactly where you top out.
Any pre-IB background — IGCSE (0580 and 0606 Additional Maths), IGCSE International 0607, MYP (including UWCSEA and other IB through-train schools), Singapore O-Level, Singapore IP and Edexcel / GCSE. The questions and report are tailored to what your curriculum has and hasn't covered.
It gives a gentle course-fit suggestion based on your gap profile and where you're heading. It's a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict — read our full AA vs AI guide and talk it through with your teachers.
Analysis & Approaches HL is one of the most demanding pre-university maths courses in the world. The first weeks assume fluency with logarithms, functions and algebra that many curricula don't build — which is why the Grade 10 → DP1 jump catches strong students off guard. More on this: how hard is IB AA HL maths?
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