A New Era of Questions in Turkey's National Exams; MEB Transformation Report

233-Page Report; A New Educational Roadmap Turkey's Ministry of National Education (MEB) published a new research report titled "Skill Assessment Report" on July 6, 2026. This 233-page document, prepared within the framework of the "Turkey Century Education Model," explains the scientific and operational details of how questions will be designed in future central exams [1]. The report is the result of meticulous analysis of exams from 2018 to 2024, aiming to align Turkey's assessment system with international standards such as PISA.

'Context-Based' Questions; The End of the Memorization Era One of the key concepts introduced in this report is the introduction of "context-based" questions. In this new approach, questions will no longer be based solely on information recall and memorization. Instead, students will face real-life scenarios where they must apply their knowledge to solve complex problems, analyze data, and interpret long texts [2]. This change will be applied not only to humanities but also to mathematics and sciences, making reading comprehension an integral part of all subjects.

MEB and ÖSYM Collaboration for New Standards The published report indicates that the Ministry of National Education and the Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) have begun close cooperation to unify the standards for the High School Entrance Exam (LGS) and the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) [1]. Based on this collaboration, joint criteria have been developed to evaluate the "reading load" of questions and their content validity. The goal is for students to focus on deep learning and critical thinking rather than quick test-taking techniques [3].

Expert Recommendations for Students and Parents In light of the sample questions provided in this report, educational experts believe that students must change their study strategies. Since the new questions, even in mathematics, contain long and analytical texts, strengthening reading and text analysis skills is vital [2]. Experts recommend that students increase their reading of non-textbook materials and base their practice on solving multi-step, scenario-based problems to prepare for the new assessment system in the 2026-2027 academic year.