IB Psychology HL · 2021 to 2025
IB Psychology HL past papers
271 past paper questions from 33 papers across 9 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Starter set across the most-tested skills, with AI marking and model answers.
HL archive · 2021 to 2025
IB Psychology HL past papers
Latest exam session: May 2025
- questions
- 271
- questions
- papers
- 33
- papers
- exam sessions
- 9
- exam sessions
- micro-topics
- 32
Units in Psychology HL
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of the marks each one carries.
Unit 1
Concepts
8% of marks410 of the 4947 marks across the 33 Psychology HL papers analysed (8%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 27 questions
Unit 2
Content
28% of marks1373 of the 4947 marks across the 33 Psychology HL papers analysed (28%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 99 questions
- DueChemical messengers
- DueCognitive load theory
Unit 3
Contexts
64% of marks3164 of the 4947 marks across the 33 Psychology HL papers analysed (64%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 145 questions
Papers in Psychology HL
Each paper across every sitting. The ring is the share of the marks it carries.
15 sittings · no calculator
Paper 1
28% of marks1395 of the 4947 marks in the Psychology HL archive were set in Paper 1, across 15 sittings. · 90 questions
Most tested Models of acculturation
13 sittings · no calculator
Paper 2
69% of marks3432 of the 4947 marks in the Psychology HL archive were set in Paper 2, across 13 sittings. · 156 questions
Most tested Explaining mental health disorders
5 sittings · no calculator
Paper 3
2% of marks120 of the 4947 marks in the Psychology HL archive were set in Paper 3, across 5 sittings. · 25 questions
Most tested Ethical treatment of participants
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Top 4 of 32 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2.4.1Experimental methods | 2Experimental methods, 2021: 2 questions | ·Experimental methods, 2022: 0 questions | 6Experimental methods, 2023: 6 questions | 6Experimental methods, 2024: 6 questions | 4Experimental methods, 2025: 4 questions |
| 2Ethical treatment of participants, 2021: 2 questions | 5Ethical treatment of participants, 2022: 5 questions | 4Ethical treatment of participants, 2023: 4 questions | 4Ethical treatment of participants, 2024: 4 questions | 5Ethical treatment of participants, 2025: 5 questions | |
| 7Explaining mental health disorders, 2021: 7 questions | 8Explaining mental health disorders, 2022: 8 questions | 10Explaining mental health disorders, 2023: 10 questions | 10Explaining mental health disorders, 2024: 10 questions | 12Explaining mental health disorders, 2025: 12 questions | |
| 6Influences on development, 2021: 6 questions | 4Influences on development, 2022: 4 questions | 8Influences on development, 2023: 8 questions | 9Influences on development, 2024: 9 questions | 8Influences on development, 2025: 8 questions |
4 more micro-topics with a free account
- DueCognitive load theory· last Nov 23 P1
- Dueusually examined, but missing from the last two exam sessions
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Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.
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Every Psychology HL exam session
Every session and paper we have classified. Open a paper for its full analysis.
May 2025
7 papers
November 2024
3 papers
May 2024
5 papers
November 2023
4 papers
May 2023
4 papers
November 2022
2 papers
May 2022
3 papers
November 2021
2 papers
May 2021
3 papers
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Psychology HL exam sessions are covered?
9 exam sessions from 2021 to 2025, the latest May 2025. Every Paper 1, 2 and 3 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 33 papers in this archive.
Which IB Psychology HL topic comes up most?
Experimental methods (2.4.1): in 55% of papers, last seen May 25 P3. Usually "discuss", worth about 16 marks in a paper that includes it.
Can I see the original question and mark scheme?
No. The wording belongs to the IB. You get the citation, the marks, the command term and the skill tested, plus our own matched practice questions with worked answers and AI marking.
What do "banker", "due" and "rising" mean?
Banker: examined in at least one sitting in four and still appearing. Due: regular before, but absent for the last two exam sessions. Rising: clearly more common in the last two years. Our classification of real papers, not an IB statistic.
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Reading this page and the exam pattern is free. A free account generates three sets of ten questions and launches one practice set. Pro opens every question in any scope, sets of twenty or all, and unlimited practice.
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More Psychology HL exam preparation
Every question, by paper
What each Psychology HL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
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Predicted questions
The question types most likely in the next Psychology HL sitting, built from this same archive.
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Formula booklet, explained
Every formula you are given in the exam, with when to use it and the traps around it.
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Mock exams
Full Psychology HL papers under timed conditions, marked by AI against IB criteria.
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All IB past papers
Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.
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