ÖSYM's Decisive Move: Scores of Millions of Turkish Exam Candidates to be Recalculated

Details of the Official Statement from ÖSYM

On July 1, 2026, the Assessment, Selection and Placement Center in Turkey (ÖSYM) shocked the country's educational community by releasing an official statement. According to the announcement, following scientific reviews and detailed analyses of objections received regarding the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) held on June 20 and 21, significant changes have been applied to the answer keys [3]. The organization stated that due to identified errors, candidate scores must be recalculated based on new standards. This action aims to ensure educational justice and respond to the substantiated objections of candidates and experts [1].

Which Questions Changed in the YKS 2026 Exam?

The announced changes pertain to the Field Qualification Test (AYT), which is the specialized section of the Turkish university entrance exam. According to published reports, two main items have been corrected in this exam:

1. Cancellation of the Literature Question: Question number 20 in the "Turkish Language and Literature-Social Sciences-1" booklet was completely cancelled. The reason for this cancellation was cited as an error in the name of one of the characters in the novel "Handan" by Halide Edip Adıvar, which caused confusion among candidates [2].

1. Change in the Mathematics Answer: In the Mathematics section of the AYT exam, the answer to question number 23, previously announced as option "C", was changed to option "A" following further scientific evaluations [4].

These corrections demonstrate the center's meticulousness in addressing potential errors in exam design that determine the academic future of millions.

Recalculation Method and Impact on Rankings

According to Article 3.10.1 of the YKS 2026 Guide, when a question is cancelled by ÖSYM or judicial authorities, that question is removed from the scoring process, and its points are distributed among the remaining valid questions [3]. In other words, the weight of the remaining questions is recalculated.

This process means that the final rankings of candidates may undergo minor or even major changes compared to what was initially perceived. For candidates who answered the mathematics question with option "A", this is considered positive news, while the removal of the literature question could shift the overall score averages in that section [1]. Educational experts believe these changes could intensify competition at the acceptance thresholds of popular departments.

Next Steps for Candidates and the Choice Process

Following this decision, the ÖSYM result viewing system will be updated, and candidates must wait for the announcement of final scores based on the new calculations. The organization emphasized that the university choice process (Tercih) will be conducted according to the new calendar, taking the corrected scores into account [2].

Candidates are advised to rely only on official announcements published on the osym.gov.tr website and avoid paying attention to rumors on social media. It is expected that by implementing these changes, transparency and justice will be maintained in one of the largest university entrance exams in the region [5].