Following the conclusion of Turkey's 2026 Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) marathon, a wave of protests has emerged regarding incorrect questions in the literature and mathematics sections. The central focus of this controversy is the discrepancy between a character's name in a question and the original text of the book.
After the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) held in recent days, heated debates have emerged in the media and social networks regarding the potential annulment of certain questions. Approximately 2.5 million candidates who participated in this decisive competition are waiting for clarification from Turkey's Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) regarding questions said to contain gross scientific and typographical errors [1].
Neriman or Nermin? The Mystery of a Single Letter in the Literature Question The biggest controversy concerns the Field Proficiency Test (AYT) in the Turkish Language and Literature section. In one of the questions dedicated to the famous novel 'Handan' by Halide Edib Adıvar, the name of one of the main characters was incorrectly listed. While the character's name is 'Neriman' in the original text and textbooks, the name 'Nermin' was used in the exam booklet [2].
This seemingly small mistake has caused widespread confusion among candidates. Educational experts believe that the name 'Nermin' exists as a main character in other literary works such as 'Esir Şehrin İnsanları' by Kemal Tahir or 'Tutunamayanlar' by Oğuz Atay, and this name similarity could completely mislead candidates in choosing the correct option [3].
Expert Perspectives: Will the Question Be Annulled? Teachers and literature specialists are divided on this issue. Talat Almaz, an educational expert, believes that this scientific error has compromised the question's validity and it should be annulled. He emphasizes that in an exam with this level of sensitivity, even a single letter can change the fate of thousands of people [1].
On the other hand, Cevdet Eyüboğlu, head of the literature department at Uğur Schools, says that although the mistake caused confusion, candidates could have identified the novel 'Handan' because the character 'Refik Cemal' was also mentioned in the question text. However, he does not consider the possibility of annulment far-fetched due to social and scientific pressure [4].
Beyond Literature: Controversy in the Mathematics Section Protests are not limited to the literature section. In the AYT mathematics section, a question regarding 'finding the interval of function roots from a derivative graph' has come under heavy criticism. Some mathematics professors claim that the option announced by ÖSYM as the correct answer does not align with scientific calculations and that the question contains structural ambiguity [3].
Candidate Reactions and Waiting for the Final Decision On social media, hashtags related to the annulment of YKS 2026 questions have trended. Many students have shared images of their textbooks, emphasizing the difference between the names 'Neriman' and 'Nermin' and demanding educational justice. Currently, all eyes are on the official statement from ÖSYM to see whether these questions will be removed from the score calculations or not [2][4]. According to regulations, if an error is confirmed, the question is annulled and its points are either distributed equally among all candidates or deducted from the total score.
Candidates protesting typographical and scientific errors in the Turkey YKS 2026 exam questions.
linkSources
- YKS’de hatalı soru tartışması: Kitapta Neriman sınavda Nermin — Milliyet (2026-06-24)
- YKS’de hatalı soru mu? Tek harf bilmecesi: Kitapta Neriman sınavda Nermin — CNN Türk (2026-06-24)
- YKS'de edebiyat testindeki 'Handan' sorusunda karakterin isminin Neriman yerine Nermin olarak yazılması tartışmalara neden oldu — Sputnik Türkiye (2026-06-24)
- YKS’de hatalı soru tartışması: Nermin mi Neriman mı — Dünya Gazetesi (2026-06-24)
