Cancellation of Question 23 in AYT Exam; A Major Shift in Turkey's 2026 University Entrance Results

As the decisive moments for announcing the results of the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS 2026) approach, the country's educational atmosphere has been affected by breaking news. According to reports published in reputable media outlets such as the "Yeniçağ" newspaper and "Türkiye Gazetesi," Question 23 of the mathematics section in the Field Qualification Test (AYT), which had previously faced widespread objections, has been officially canceled [1][2].

Root of the Controversy; From Key Change to Court Ruling The saga began after the exam was held in June, when many mathematics professors and candidates objected to Question 23 of the mathematics booklet (related to the topic of integrals and graph analysis). The Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) initially settled for changing the correct option from "C" to "A" on July 1 [3]. However, this action failed to satisfy critics. One candidate filed a lawsuit in the administrative court, demanding the complete cancellation of the question due to scientific ambiguity and the possibility of multiple answers. Finally, on July 16 and 17, 2026, reports indicated that the court ruled for the complete cancellation of this question [2].

Impact of Question Cancellation on Candidate Scores According to ÖSYM's executive regulations, when a question in a national exam is canceled, that question is removed from the score calculation cycle, and its points are distributed among the other valid questions in the same section. This means that the weight of other mathematics questions in the AYT exam will increase [3]. This change can significantly shift borderline rankings, especially for candidates competing in engineering and medicine fields.

Final YKS 2026 Results Announcement Time While July 22 was previously considered for the announcement of results, the judicial process regarding mathematics Question 23, as well as similar reviews of Question 20 in the literature section, has led to speculation about a change in the announcement time. Some news sources have stated that ÖSYM is trying to publish the results on July 20 (Monday) by finalizing the new calculations, but if legal reviews continue, there is a possibility it will be postponed to the middle of next week [2].

Important Recommendations for Candidates Educational experts recommend that candidates refrain from revising their rank estimates based on unofficial software until an official statement is released by the website (osym.gov.tr). Due to the removal of this question, final scores may differ from what candidates predicted. It is expected that in the coming hours, the Turkish Assessment, Selection and Placement Center will officially announce the details of how the new scores will be calculated [1].