Cancellation of Questions in YKS 2026; Teachers' Union Harshly Criticizes Turkish Assessment Center

The Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS), which determines the academic future of millions of candidates, has once again faced controversies regarding scientific errors in question design. On July 1, 2026, the Assessment, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) in Turkey issued an official statement announcing that after reviewing objections and scientific analyses, changes have been applied to the answer keys [1].

Details of Changes and Question Cancellations in the 2026 Exam According to the official announcement by ÖSYM, reviews conducted on the question booklets of the exams held on June 20 and 21, 2026, led to the identification of two key errors. First, in the Field Proficiency Test (AYT), the answer to question number 23 in the Mathematics section, which was previously announced as option "C", was changed to option "A" [4].

Additionally, in the Turkish Language and Literature and Social Sciences-1 section, question number 20 was completely cancelled. According to the organization's educational protocols, scoring for candidates will be performed by removing this question and redistributing its weight among the other valid questions [3]. This decision, taken just before the announcement of final results, has created a wave of concern among students and their families.

Sharp Reaction from Eğitim-Sen: "ÖSYM Did Not Surprise Us Again" The Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen) immediately issued a statement titled "ÖSYM Did Not Surprise Us Again," harshly criticizing the organization's performance [2]. The union believes that the occurrence of such errors in an exam of this importance is not merely a simple "technical mistake" but indicates a crisis in the management and supervisory structure of the country's assessment system.

In reports published by media outlets such as "İz Gazete" and "Bianet," Eğitim-Sen emphasized that instead of focusing on physical security and installing cameras in teachers' rooms, the assessment center should focus on scientific quality and the question review process [2]. The union pointed out that the annual repetition of these mistakes has severely damaged public trust in educational justice.

Structural Consequences and Impact on Candidates' Fates The cancellation of questions in an exam where competition is based on hundredths of a point can shift the final rankings of thousands of candidates. Critics believe this situation increases anxiety among young people who have worked for years for this exam [3].

In its statement, the teachers' union warned that the Turkish education system, instead of being learning-oriented, has become an exam-oriented and competitive system where even the organizing body cannot guarantee its own scientific standards [2]. They called for full transparency in the question design process and the presence of independent experts in the review stages to prevent such incidents in the coming years [4].