Since 2009, the university entrance exams YGS (Transition to Higher Education Examination) and LYS (Undergraduate Placement Examination) have been in effect. At the Higher Education Academic Year Opening Ceremony held at the Presidential Complex on September 26, YÖK President Yekta Saraç outlined changes to the university entrance system. He emphasized that the new system aims to raise the standards of education and science. Following these remarks, students and families waited eagerly for details about the system that will replace YGS and LYS. YÖK later announced the new system at a press conference.
YÖK President Yekta Saraç explained that the new exam will be named the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) and that it introduces several significant changes intended to improve the quality of education. The new structure is intended to be more streamlined and to better measure students’ basic skills and subject knowledge.
What to Know About the System Replacing YGS and LYS
The Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS), which replaces YGS and LYS, will be held on the same day in two sessions. The first session, replacing YGS, is called the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT). Under the old YGS format, students were responsible for 160 questions covering Mathematics, Turkish, Science, and Social Sciences. In the new TYT, students will answer a total of 80 questions: 40 in Turkish and 40 in Mathematics. The stated aim of the TYT is to assess students’ basic abilities.
The second session replaces LYS. Under the previous system, LYS took place over four different days; the new system consolidates those tests into a single day. The second session will include tests in Turkish Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Geography, Mathematics, and Science. Each of these subject tests will contain 40 questions. The foreign language exam is not part of these two sessions. Although the number of questions and the exam structure have been announced, exact time allocations for each session have not been finalized. Under the former system, students typically had about 1.5 to 1.7 minutes per question.
The new system includes additional innovations beyond question counts and scheduling. YÖK President Yekta Saraç stressed that the new exam should be considered essentially a single test held in two sessions on the same day. He noted that the midday break between sessions is intended to function like a recess, and that this decision was made with input from experts.
Important Details Candidates Should Know
The new exam system sets two score thresholds: 150 and 180 points. Candidates who score below 150 in the first session cannot make any program choices. Those who score 150 or higher will be eligible to apply to associate degree programs, while candidates scoring 180 or higher will be able to apply to undergraduate (bachelor’s) programs. Candidates who score 200 or above and choose not to make a placement this year will have the option to use that score the following year.
Under the new procedure, all candidates first take the first session and answer 80 questions. After the first session concludes, students who wish to apply to bachelor’s programs will determine whether they have reached the 180-point threshold and, based on that judgment, decide whether to proceed to the second session. For candidates who take both sessions, the final undergraduate placement score will be calculated using 40% of the first session score and 60% of the second session score. The foreign language exam will be administered on the Sunday following the two-session exam day; students will be responsible for answering 80 questions on that test.