TR - YÖS Exam
TR-YÖS (Turkish Exam for Foreign Students for Higher Education) is organized to measure the basic academic levels of international students who want to pursue associate or undergraduate education at universities in Turkey in a standard, fair, and reliable way. The exam evaluates basic mathematical competencies along with logic and numerical ability (IQ) skills. By creating a common evaluation criterion for the admission of foreign students to public and foundation universities, it aims to enable students to apply to numerous institutions across Turkey with a single exam result, without the need to take each university's individual exam.
As of 2023, TR-YÖS is centrally organized and administered by the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) of the Republic of Turkey. While each university used to organize a separate YÖS within its own structure in previous years, this task has been completely transferred to ÖSYM in order to make the system more transparent and standardized. This transition has increased the reliability of the exam results and reinforced its international validity.
The exam is held through a wide network of test centers around the world to allow for high global participation. Exams are held simultaneously every year in approximately 60 different countries and more than 80 centers, primarily in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as well as in Germany, the United States, France, Russia, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Nigeria. Candidates have the opportunity to take the exam by choosing the test center in their country of residence or the one closest to them during the application process.
The exam is prepared in a multilingual format so that international candidates can demonstrate their academic skills without encountering a language barrier. TR-YÖS question booklets are presented to candidates in a total of 6 different languages: Turkish, English, German, French, Russian, and Arabic. By selecting the language they wish to take the exam in during the application, candidates gain the advantage of solving the questions in their native language or the foreign language they are most proficient in.
TR-YÖS is held twice a year to provide flexibility to international students and increase their chances of university admission.
* TR-YÖS/1: Generally held in the spring term, in May. Applications are mostly received in February-March.
* TR-YÖS/2: Generally administered in the autumn term, in October.
Candidates have the right to take both exams if they wish and can use the highest score they received within the validity period for their university preferences. The exact application and administration dates of the exams are announced with the current exam calendar published on ÖSYM's official website at the beginning of each academic year.
