Controversy Over Incorrect Questions in Turkey's 2026 YKS Exam; Possible Cancellation of Literature and Math Questions

After the administration of Turkey's national Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) in June 2026, heated debates have emerged regarding scientific and typographical errors in the question booklets. Candidates and educational experts believe at least two questions in the Literature and Mathematics sections contain fundamental flaws that could alter the final ranking outcomes [1].

Error in Novel Character Name in the Literature Exam One of the primary points of protest concerns question number 20 in the Field Proficiency Test (AYT) for Turkish Language and Literature. This question, which examined the famous novel "Handan" by Halide Edib Adıvar, contained a glaring typographical error in the character names. In the text of the question, the character name "Neriman" was incorrectly written as "Nermin" [2]. Experts such as Professor İbrahim Şahin have emphasized that such naming errors can cause serious confusion for candidates in identifying the work and answering correctly; therefore, the cancellation of this question is the most likely outcome [3].

Expert Disagreement Over Math Question 23 In the Mathematics section of the AYT exam, question number 23, which concerned the analysis of derivative and function graphs, has also become controversial. While ÖSYM announced option "C" as the correct answer, many mathematics professors believe that due to deficiencies in the question's phrasing and the possibility of drawing different graphs, option "A" could also be correct [1][3]. Dr. Can Ozan Oğuz, a professor at Galatasaray University, noted that ambiguity in the question's data has split experts into two groups—a situation that typically leads to the removal of the question from the scoring cycle [3].

Official Response from ÖSYM and Legal Procedures Following widespread protests on social media and the submission of thousands of review requests, ÖSYM officially announced that it has begun the technical review process for these questions [4]. According to published statements, an independent committee of experts (Bilirkişi) has been commissioned to submit their final report on the scientific accuracy of these questions. A final decision regarding the cancellation of the questions or a change in the answer key is expected to be announced to the public in the first week of July 2026 [2][4].

Impact of Question Cancellation on Candidate Scores Should the Turkish assessment center rule to cancel these questions, according to exam regulations, these questions will be excluded from the total score calculation, and their points will be distributed proportionally among the remaining questions of the same subject [1]. This issue is vital for candidates who spent significant time solving these challenging questions. Currently, all eyes are on the final report of the expert committee to see whether educational justice will be upheld in one of Turkey's largest academic competitions of the year.