Lawsuit Filed Against Derivative Question in Turkey's 2026 YKS; Possible Revision of Results

Controversy Over Math Question 23 in the AYT Exam The 2026 Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS), held on June 20 and 21, remains at the forefront of the country's educational news. After the release of the initial answer key, the Assessment, Selection and Placement Center of Turkey (ÖSYM) announced on July 1 that, based on scientific reviews, the answer to Question 23 in the Field Proficiency Test (AYT) Mathematics section—specifically the derivative topic—was changed from option "C" to option "A" [3]. The organization also completely canceled one question from the literature section. However, the change to the derivative question key has sparked a new wave of protests instead of calming the situation.

Lawsuit by Sakarya Candidate and Request for Full Annulment Many candidates and educational experts believe that simply changing the correct option in an ambiguous question does not ensure educational justice. In this regard, a candidate residing in Sakarya province named Doruk Kerem Atam has filed a formal lawsuit against ÖSYM in the administrative court [2][4]. In his petition, the candidate argued that Math Question 23 is subject to dual interpretation due to structural and scientific ambiguity, and the only way to establish justice is the complete annulment of the question and its removal from the scoring process [1]. According to the lawyers in this case, changing the answer key after the exam causes unfair shifts in rankings within a highly competitive environment.

Legal Process and the Role of the Scientific Expert Panel With the case referred to judicial authorities on July 8, 2026, the court is now required to receive ÖSYM's defense [1]. According to standard procedures in Turkey, the court will refer the case to an expert panel consisting of prominent university mathematics professors to provide a technical report on the question's scientific validity [4]. Legal experts predict that if the panel confirms the ambiguity, the court will issue a stay of execution for the results related to this question and order its cancellation. This process typically concludes within 10 to 15 days to avoid disrupting the university placement calendar [2].

Potential Impact on Final Results and Rankings Should the court rule for the complete annulment of the derivative question, ÖSYM will be required to recalculate all candidate scores and rankings [1]. In this scenario, the canceled question would be removed from the entire exam, and its points would either be redistributed among other questions or, according to handbook rules, the score would not be counted for any candidate. This could lead to significant changes in top rankings, where even a hundredth of a point determines admission to popular fields like medicine and engineering. ÖSYM has stated that it is prepared for any potential scenario and has a "Plan B" for a rapid revision of results [4].