Due to the coronavirus, the university entrance exam has been postponed. For 2020, after a statement by the President of the Higher Education Council, Yekta Saraç, it was announced that the Higher Education Institutions Examination (the university entrance exam) has been deferred to a later date. He also stated that the previously declared suspension of in-person activities has been extended because of the coronavirus. Yekta Saraç added that face-to-face instruction will not resume during the spring term. The university exam planned for 2020 was rescheduled to July 25–26, 2020. Saraç noted that they have implemented the recommended precautions and emphasized that the coronavirus crisis continues in many countries. He explained that traditional methods of education cannot fully meet current needs, and therefore distance learning and digital instruction have been launched.
What Is the Content of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS)?
What is the content of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS)? Commonly abbreviated as YKS, this university entrance exam replaced the previous systems and is the name of the new model for higher education admission. Under the new framework, students take the Higher Education Institutions Examination, which consists of three sessions, listed below in order:
- First session: Basic Proficiency Test (TYT)
- Second session: Field Proficiency Test (AYT)
- Third session: Foreign Language Test (YDT)
All candidates who register sit for the first session, the Basic Proficiency Test. Those who achieve a sufficient score in the first session become eligible to take the second and third sessions.
What Are the Requirements to Take the Higher Education Institutions Examination?
What are the requirements to take the Higher Education Institutions Examination? Candidates who wish to register must meet one of the following conditions.
- Students who were enrolled in the final year of high school or its equivalent, including open high school, during the 2018–2019 academic year,
- Candidates who are in a waiting status while in the final year of secondary education institutions,
- Candidates who have completed secondary education institutions,
- Candidates who completed their secondary education abroad and whose status corresponds to the categories above are also eligible to take the YKS.
Foreign nationals and stateless persons who meet any of the conditions listed above may apply for the exam. However, these applicants must obtain Turkish citizenship before the period when preferences for higher education programs begin; otherwise, placement into the quotas listed in the 2019 YKS Higher Education Programs and Quotas Guide cannot be carried out. If foreign nationals take the exam, their placement into higher education programs in Turkey is conducted outside the standard YKS quota procedures. Placement for these students will be performed by the relevant higher education institution according to the procedures and principles established by the Higher Education Council.