According to the Fairfax County Public Schools website, the number of students taking IB exams has increased by 13.8 percent, while the percentage of students receiving scores of four or more has decreased slightly.

Students offer different explanations as to why the percentage of passing scores has decreased. Senior IB Diploma Candidate Sachi Koulgi has a couple ideas.

“I think that sometimes people do not pass their exams because there is a lack of motivation, especially in seniors,” Koulgi said. “By the time you take your exams, you already are in college and know where you are going. Also, colleges do not give much college credit for IB scores. Most of the good colleges only give credit if you get a six or seven on an HL exam, which is extremely difficult to get.”

Alumna Sanica Bendre, who graduated in 2012, believes that a variety of factors contributed to her inability to pass all of her IB exams.

“I didn’t pass all my exams,” Bendre said. “It’s because I didn’t study much and some of the tests didn’t even count as credits for college. IAs were also due around IB exam time.”

Despite the concern, counselor and IB specialist Kari Olsen remains upbeat.

“I think it’s a very positive sign that more and more students are taking [IB exams] because they’re learning throughout the class the strategies they can use in their life after high school,” Olsen said.

The increase in students taking IB exams is a result of a countrywide emphasis on challenging students by offering them more rigorous classes.

Olsen believes that more students should take IB courses, even if they may not pass the exams.

“As a school district, the whole county has that goal for both IB and AP classes, to increase the number of students taking them because they find statistically students that take those higher level classes do succeed more in the future,” Olsen said. “Even if they don’t score well on the tests, they are learning the routines, they’re learning the study skills and they’re learning all the things that, in those higher level classes, will help you in college.”

The secret to success, according to most students, is emphasis on studying,

“I think the reason that I passed was because I started studying in March and made study groups with a bunch of my friends,” Koulgi said, “I studied at least once every week and looked at a bunch of practice exams with my study group.”

“I took the IB ab initio exam for French and I did pass,” senior Sadie Belt said. “I would say studying one on one with my teacher helped a lot and doing multiple practice exams or worksheets. I had practice exams to work on for the weeks leading up to the exam and I stayed after school to practice a couple times a week for the last couple weeks before the exam.”