Overview
YKS (Yükseköğretim Kurumları Sınavı, the Higher Education Institutions Exam) is Turkey's national university entrance exam. It is run by ÖSYM (the Measuring, Selection and Placement Centre). The exam has three sessions, and every session is a separate test with its own date.
Official ÖSYM material for YKS is in Turkish. The application guide for each year is published on the ÖSYM site before registration opens.
Exam pattern
| Session | Test | Date in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st session | TYT (Temel Yeterlilik Testi, Basic Proficiency Test) | Saturday 20 June |
| 2nd session | AYT (Alan Yeterlilik Testleri, Field Proficiency Tests) | Sunday 21 June |
| 3rd session | YDT (Yabancı Dil Testi, Foreign Language Test) | Sunday 21 June |
The question counts below are taken from the 2026 booklets that ÖSYM published after the exam.
TYT
| Test | Questions |
|---|---|
| Turkish | 40 |
| Social Sciences (History 5, Geography 5, Philosophy 5, Religious Culture and Ethics 5) | 20 |
| Basic Mathematics | 40 |
| Natural Sciences (Physics 7, Chemistry 7, Biology 6) | 20 |
The 2026 Social Sciences booklet prints 25 questions, but each candidate answers 20: candidates who are not required to take the Religious Culture and Ethics course, or who followed a different curriculum, answer a set of 5 Philosophy questions in place of the Religious Culture and Ethics set.
AYT
| Test | Questions |
|---|---|
| Turkish Language and Literature - Social Sciences 1 (Literature 24, History-1 10, Geography-1 6) | 40 |
| Social Sciences 2 (History-2 11, Geography-2 11, Philosophy group 12, Religious Culture and Ethics 6) | 40 |
| Mathematics | 40 |
| Natural Sciences (Physics 14, Chemistry 13, Biology 13) | 40 |
The Social Sciences 2 booklet prints 46 questions. Like the TYT social test, it has an alternative set (6 Philosophy group questions) for candidates who do not take the Religious Culture and Ethics course.
YDT
The 2026 English YDT booklet has 80 questions. In 2026 ÖSYM published YDT booklets in five languages: English, German, French, Russian and Arabic.
Important dates
For the 2026 cycle, ÖSYM's calendar lists:
6 February to 2 March 2026: application period for all three sessions.
10 to 12 March 2026: late application days.
20 and 21 June 2026: exam days.
21 July 2026, 06:00: results published.
29 July to 10 August 2026: placement preferences (tercih) period.
17 to 21 September 2026: preferences for the additional (ek) placement.
Check the ÖSYM calendar for later years.
After the exam
ÖSYM publishes the question booklets and answer keys after the exam and announces results on its results system. Candidates then enter their programme preferences in the placement period, and ÖSYM places them. If seats remain unfilled, an additional placement round is held, as it was in September 2026. There is also a separate preference window for national sportspeople (17 to 24 August 2026).
Preparation tips
Work through ÖSYM's published past booklets under timed conditions, so you know the question counts and layout of each test.
Treat TYT as the foundation: it covers Turkish, basic mathematics, social sciences and natural sciences.
Check the ÖSYM guide for which tests count toward the programmes you plan to rank, and focus on those.
How many sessions does YKS have?
Three: TYT, AYT and YDT. In 2026 TYT was on 20 June, and AYT and YDT were on 21 June.
How many questions are on TYT?
In 2026 TYT had 120 questions: 40 Turkish, 40 Basic Mathematics, 20 Social Sciences and 20 Natural Sciences.
Which languages can I take in YDT?
In 2026 ÖSYM published YDT booklets in English, German, French, Russian and Arabic.
When were YKS 2026 results announced?
ÖSYM's calendar lists 21 July 2026 at 06:00.