Our class of 2012 was our first IB Diploma Programme cohort. Students and teachers both felt unprepared for the onslaught of the DP External Assessments. We’ve never had a school-wide exam period with exams lasting more than 53 minutes. Some teachers have given final exams over a period of multiple days, but students have yet to experience hour-plus exams on days that are dedicated solely to exams. The habit of independent review isn’t yet a strong one in our school culture. I focused a lot in the junior year on the Internal Assessment, thinking “we’ll get to the External Assessment when the time comes.” In the senior year, we went…