According to the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) preference calendar shared by the Presidency of the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM), the additional preference process, which started on September 12, will end on September 17, 2023, at 23:59. Education Specialist Ertuğrul Tut, stating that unlike the first placement, scores should be considered in additional placement, warned, “Because the system can allow us to choose places equal to or lower than our own score. Therefore, the places we prefer must be equal to our score.”
Üsküdar University Educational Institutions and Guidance Services Manager, Education Specialist Ertuğrul Tut, made warnings and reminders about what candidates should pay attention to when making additional preferences according to the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) preference calendar.
Candidates placed in any program cannot benefit from additional placement!
Ertuğrul Tut stated that they advised students during the first placement to “Determine professional groups, then make university choices,” and continued:
"My fellow candidates might not have included some of the professional groups they desired in their initial preference lists. They should check the guide for these. With how many points did those professional groups accept students, are they equivalent to our own score or not? Of course, this is important, so it needs to be checked. By looking at this, they can still include the professions they want and desire in their lists and submit their preferences. This can create an opportunity for candidates, but of course, it is not valid for candidates who have already been placed. We receive this question very frequently. It doesn't matter if a candidate has been placed in any program, whether they registered or not; this candidate cannot benefit from additional placement."
In additional placement, preferences should be made according to scores!
Education Specialist Tut also pointed out what candidates should pay attention to during this period, stating:
"In the first placement, we looked at the ranking; we started the list with places better than our own ranking and closed the list with places below our own rankings. However, this is not possible in additional placement. We look at the score. Because the system only allows us to prefer places equal to or lower than our own score. Therefore, the places we prefer will be equal to our score. That is, if a department or program has a base score, it must either be equal to our score, including the decimal part, or lower than our score. This is one of the most important things we need to pay attention to. Apart from this, staying out of university for a year, rather than choosing a program you don't want just to avoid being a graduate and then regretting studying that department, is one of the things we recommend much more."
No changes in the preference guide!
Emphasizing that there are no changes in the preference guide compared to last year, Tut said:
"The same rules continue. The only change here is this: Actually, it's not something that existed in previous years, so we cannot call it a change. Unlike previous years, we have quotas for martyr and veteran relatives, earthquake victims, and women over 34. This was also present in the first placement. Generally, one quota was allocated for these programs, but in some programs, two quotas have been allocated. If there are candidates with these characteristics and there are two quotas, that score criterion also applies here. One candidate was placed, and one quota remained empty. The score of the candidate placed in the first placement must be equal to or better than theirs. In places where a score has been formed, the most important factor we need to pay attention to is that it will be our score or lower than our score. We cannot apply to a higher-scoring place."
Suggestions for those considering taking a gap year
Education Specialist Ertuğrul Tut also offered the following suggestions to those considering taking a gap year:
"First of all, they need to analyze the previous year. This is one of the most important things. Where did I make a mistake? Where did I go wrong, or where were my shortcomings? They need to analyze these, and as we always say, the candidate needs to define themselves. They need to start their journey by learning from the mistakes they made last year. Their goal must be clear. Which profession or professions will be on my list, and how many correct answers do I need to achieve for these professions, how many correct answers for which branches – they need to clarify this once. Therefore, the goal is clear. When they direct their studies in line with this goal, there is already less than a year left until next year's exam. Therefore, it is much more probable, much more possible for them to reach their goal here. In other words, unfortunately, repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results leads to frustration. Therefore, the most important thing I will recommend, as I said at the beginning, is to have a clear goal and channel your efforts in that direction."
They can gain insight by taking a career test
Addressing candidates who have not yet determined their goals and are still confused, Tut said, 'My fellow candidates can experience confusion like 'I want departments from verbal as well, is it equally weighted or verbal?' What we should do best here, of course, does not give 100% accuracy. Knowing ourselves is very important, but in terms of providing guidance and shedding light, our candidates can take a career test. By taking a career test, they can gain some insight, and their confusion can at least somewhat dissipate. This way, they can eliminate professional groups that are in their minds or bothering them. They can narrow the circle a bit, and it has this contribution, but as I said, if this is 50% of the job, the other 50% will be about knowing oneself.'