IB May 2027 Exam Schedule: Complete Date Sheet & Session Lookup

Verified against official session publications: 31 October 2026

The official International Baccalaureate (IB) May 2027 examination session begins on Friday, 23 April 2027, and concludes on Tuesday, 18 May 2027. This comprehensive timetable applies to all registered candidates sitting assessments for the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP) across international testing centers. Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Primary Years Programme (PYP) assessments operate under separate pedagogical frameworks and do not utilize this written examination timetable.

When Does the May 2027 IB Exam Session Start and Conclude?

The May 2027 examination session opens on Friday, 23 April 2027, with afternoon papers, and concludes on Tuesday, 18 May 2027, following the afternoon Mathematics Higher Level Paper 3 examination. Over this four-week testing window, testing takes place across 18 calendar days, with weekends and public holidays remaining free of formal written assessments.

A critical point of clarification for students and academic coordinators concerns the final date of the session. Early provisional notices drafted during preliminary operational cycles suggested that the testing window might stretch until Wednesday, 19 May 2027. However, the authorized final examination schedule issued directly to schools establishes Tuesday, 18 May 2027, as the definitive closing date.

It is equally essential to understand that no single candidate attends examinations across all 18 session days. The comprehensive timetable aggregates every subject syllabus offered worldwide. An individual student's actual schedule is dictated entirely by their personal diploma configuration, which typically spans six academic subjects alongside core requirements. As a result, candidate calendars feature focused testing clusters interspersed with revision days.

How Is the Complete 18-Date May 2027 Examination Schedule Organized?

The IB May 2027 master schedule distributes papers across two daily sittings—a morning (AM) session and an afternoon (PM) session—spread over four continuous school weeks. Subjects with substantial global entries, such as English, French, Spanish, the experimental sciences, and Mathematics, are spaced across distinct weeks to mitigate scheduling conflicts and balance study demands.

The following master timetable details every date, subject paper, study level, and daily sitting across all three global administrative zones (Zones A, B, and C). In the table below, "HL" denotes Higher Level, "SL" denotes Standard Level, "P1/P2/P3" refer to Papers 1, 2, and 3, and "SBS" indicates School-based syllabus courses.

Scroll the table sideways →

How Do You Locate and Verify Your Registered Papers in the Schedule?

Locating your registered examinations requires cross-referencing your official IB candidate registration slip against the subject track, academic level, and distinct paper components shown in the master schedule. Because multiple courses within the same academic discipline share examination days, assuming timings without checking specific paper identifiers can lead to missed papers.

Pay particular attention to the structural conventions of modern IB course curricula:

1. Mathematics Differentiation: The curriculum separates Mathematics into two standalone pathways: Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI). While Paper 1 for both subjects occurs on Thursday afternoon, 13 May, and Paper 2 takes place on Friday morning, 14 May, Higher Level candidates must note that Paper 3 is scheduled separately on the final afternoon of the session, Tuesday, 18 May.
2. Language Subject Categories: Language A courses (designed for native or near-native literary study) must not be confused with Language B or Language ab initio courses (designed for language acquisition). In addition, English, French, and Spanish are scheduled entirely separately from all other world languages. Non-English Language A examinations commence during Week 1, while English takes place in Week 2, Spanish in Week 3, and French in Week 4.
3. Split Language B Receptive Components: Language B and ab initio Paper 2 components are divided across consecutive sessions. Reading comprehension is administered in the afternoon alongside Paper 1 writing tasks, whereas Listening comprehension is conducted on the following morning.
4. Consecutive Science Pairs: Experimental sciences follow a consecutive evening-morning rhythm. Paper 1 (components 1a and 1b, sat in the same afternoon session) takes place in the afternoon, followed immediately by Paper 2 on the next morning.

To build an effective preparation timeline around these dates, students often structure revision programs alongside specialized academic support, such as IB Diploma prep courses and tutoring, ensuring complex Higher Level extensions receive focused review before consecutive exam days arrive.

How Do Local Exam Zones and Morning or Afternoon Start Times Work?

Morning and afternoon sessions do not begin at identical universal times across the globe. The IB groups schools into three distinct geographic divisions: Exam Zone A, Exam Zone B, and Exam Zone C.

Each global zone is subdivided into specific numeric rows based on geographic location:

• Exam Zone A spans numeric rows 12 down to 3. Morning start times are set at 10:00 (for rows 12 through 9), 09:30 (for row 8), or 09:00 (for rows 7 through 3). Corresponding afternoon start times begin at 14:00, 13:30, or 13:00.
• Exam Zone B covers numeric rows 3 down to 0. Morning start times are 10:00 (row 3), 09:30 (row 2), or 09:00 (rows 1 and 0), with afternoon sessions opening at 14:00, 13:30, or 13:00.
• Exam Zone C encompasses numeric rows -3 down to -10. Morning sessions begin at 10:00 (row -3), 09:30 (row -4), or 08:30 (rows -5 through -10). Afternoon sessions commence at 14:00, 13:30, or 12:30.

Crucially, numeric row 3 appears under both Zone A and Zone B with different starting parameters. Because of this administrative overlap, schools cannot infer their assigned zone code simply by calculating their standard UTC offset or relying on country borders. Your official zone designation and numeric row are assigned directly by the International Baccalaureate Organization to your testing center.

Furthermore, published zone timings reflect local times and do not apply manual adjustments for seasonal daylight saving shifts. Individual school operational schedules—such as a school copy listing 09:00 and 13:00—reflect internal administrative practices rather than universal IB rules.

The official May 2027 examination schedule (final version) sent by the IB to schools; consult your school's IB coordinator for precise times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official References and Documentation

When verifying session timetables, candidates and parents should rely exclusively on formal documentation provided through recognized institutional channels:

• Official School-Hosted Master Schedule: Review the complete seven-page publication in the school-hosted May 2027 final examination schedule PDF, which includes comprehensive subject listings, durations, and administrative guidelines.
• International Baccalaureate Assessment Portal: General examination policies, assessment principles, and curriculum overviews are maintained directly on the official IBO exam schedule page.