Golden Advice from an Expert for YKS Preparation!

Experts state that after determining the program goal in the YKS preparation process, it is of great importance to also determine the net score target required to enter the desired department, adding that one of the biggest mistakes candidates make is studying the same topics repeatedly. Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “Especially do not neglect to take mock exams; reduce your mock exam solving frequency to every 3 days a month before the exam.”

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, Manager of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Educational Institutions and Guidance Services, shared important strategies and recommendations to help candidates increase their net scores during the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) process, which will be held on June 21-22, 2025.

High Net Scores, the Sole Goal of Many Candidates

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, stating that high net scores are the sole goal of many candidates, said, “In a preparation process where declines and rises can occur, there can be multiple reasons for this. Stress, anxiety, and excitement are among the main causes. Despite all these, it is not difficult to achieve high net scores and reach the desired targets.” 

Determine Your Net Score Target!

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, stating that after determining the program goal in the YKS preparation process, it is of great importance to also determine the net score target required to enter the desired department, said, “Determining net targets prevents stubbornness with questions during the exam, and consequently, losing time and experiencing low morale. For example, if the net score required for our desired department for TYT is 80, from another perspective, it means we have the right to leave 40 questions blank in TYT.”

Don't Constantly Focus on the Same Topics

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, answering frequently asked questions from candidates such as "How do my net scores increase?", "What is the maximum net score I can achieve?", and "How can my net scores increase quickly?", continued as follows:

“One of the biggest mistakes made by candidates is repeatedly studying the same topics. For this reason, in mock exams, answers are only given to questions from the parts that have been focused on. Let's not forget that studying new topics and newly learned subjects will advance us. Learning the current topics and question distributions that may appear in YKS and giving more study weight to topics from which more questions will appear is a study method that should be done especially in the last 2 months before the exam. This way, you will know what to study and can prepare your lesson plan accordingly.”

Don't Study Inefficiently

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, drawing attention to the fact that inefficient studying could be a reason for not achieving desired results in mock exams, said, “There can be many reasons for inefficient studying. For example, you might be getting stuck on unnecessary parts of topics, losing time taking unnecessary notes, or making wrong timings due to sleeplessness and fatigue. To eliminate these problems, you can identify the areas where you are making mistakes through your school's guidance counselor. This way, you will identify and control errors in your study system and routine. Above all, do not compromise on identifying your mistakes and trying to correct them.” 

Be Organized

Emphasizing that it is crucial to know very well which topics to study and what to do before starting to work, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “If you internalize what you are doing and use it as a source of motivation, you can implement your plan without getting tired. Instead of making detailed long-term plans, planning should be done for a limited period. Because often, one item that goes awry in the plan shifts the timetable of all other items and leads to disappointment. However, if you have a limited plan list instead, your chance to compensate for any setback is more feasible compared to the first option.”

See Many Question Types

Reminding that the questions in the exams are also prepared by teachers, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “The more questions we solve from different sources, the more we begin to approach questions from the perspective of many different teachers. One of the greatest contributions of solving many questions is seeing a large number of diverse question types. This way, you can turn your limited question pool into an ocean. You must see easy, medium, and difficult level questions in environments such as reference books and the internet. This way, you will identify the easiest and most difficult questions that can appear on a given topic.”

Perform Question Analyses

“Especially do not neglect to take mock exams; reduce your mock exam solving frequency to every 3 days a month before the exam,” said Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, continuing as follows:

“You might be solving mock exams and test books but continually making the same mistakes. Another mistake made by candidates is leaving mock exams and tests without analyzing them after solving. After every mock exam and test, you should analyze the questions you answered incorrectly one by one to see which topics and areas you made mistakes in. This way, you will not fall into the same trap later.  Thus, you will learn how much progress you have made over time and your general scores.”

Avoid Careless Reading

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, stating that trying to read questions too quickly under the influence of exam stress can lead to difficulty in comprehension or complete failure to understand, said, “While you can read a question at a speed you can understand and give the correct answer, avoid reading quickly and answering incorrectly.”

Grasp the Logic

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, stating that in recent years ÖSYM has changed its question styles, placing more emphasis on analytical thinking, focus, interpretation, and logic, said, “In these types of questions, which challenge students and can cause many contradictions while solving them, what is important is not your own internal interpretations, but being able to answer based on what is described in the question. To avoid making mistakes, you should refrain from personal interpretation and think with the question's own narrative.”

Have a Goal

Reminding that the YKS preference period is quite limited, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “After the exam, many students don't have much time to think while making their choices. Even candidates who achieve good results after intense studies and various difficulties cannot choose the right department due to wrong or incomplete thinking. To avoid such mistakes, you should set your goal at the beginning of the journey and proceed with a realistic study program accordingly.”

Utilize Time Well, Develop Your Biological Clock

Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, stating that many candidates, despite mastering every topic before the exam, cannot get the return for their efforts and cannot experience an increase in net scores because they cannot use time well during the exam, concluded his words by saying, “Regularly timing yourself while solving mock exams and tests seems to be the most important solution to remedy this mistake. Getting used to timing will support the more active use of our biological clock, so when you take the exam, you will use time efficiently by moving to the next question without spending too much time on one. Finally, remember that anyone who knows and corrects their mistakes can easily achieve their desired goal with good preparation.”