Extensive Investigation into ÖSYM Performance; Fate of 2.5 Million Candidates in Limbo

Today, June 27, 2026, the Turkish educational landscape was met with shocking news. The Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) officially announced that it has launched an extensive investigation into several controversial questions from the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS). This decision was made after educational experts and candidates protested against scientific and technical errors in the question booklets [1].

Controversy Over Incorrect Questions in Literature and Mathematics The primary focus of the inspectors is on two key questions that could change the fate of many candidates. In the Literature section, a question regarding the famous novel "Handan" by Halide Edip Adıvar was presented, in which the character name "Neriman" was mistakenly printed as "Nermin." This typographical error caused confusion for thousands of students during the exam session [3].

Furthermore, question 23 of the Mathematics exam (AYT), which concerns the analysis of a derivative graph, has sparked a wave of criticism. While the official answer key declared option "C" as correct, many prominent mathematics professors believe that based on scientific reasoning, option "A" should be the correct answer. ÖSYM has stated that the final expert report regarding the cancellation or correction of these questions will be released next week [1].

Legal Case and the Potential Ranking Shift for 2.5 Million People Alongside the question errors, a larger legal challenge threatens the validity of this year's exam. According to published reports, a lawsuit has been filed in the Ankara Administrative Court against the School Success Score (OBP) calculation system. The plaintiff claims that the GPA scores of some schools were considered unrealistically high, which contradicts the principle of equality in the constitution [2].

If the court orders a stay of execution for this system, the rankings of all 2.4 to 2.5 million candidates who participated in the June 20-21 exam must be recalculated. This issue has caused severe anxiety for families and students awaiting the announcement of results on July 22 [2].

Official Reactions and Next Steps The President of ÖSYM, Professor Bayram Ali Ersoy, while confirming the start of the investigation process, announced that all CCTV footage from exam centers will also be reviewed to assess the situation of candidates who were barred from the exam due to delays of just a few seconds. The Turkish government has emphasized that educational justice is their red line, and if any error is proven, necessary actions will be taken to prevent the violation of candidates' rights [3].