Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Educational Institutions and Guidance Services, shared important strategies and recommendations that will help candidates increase their scores during the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) process, which will be held on June 21-22, 2025.
High scores, the sole goal of many candidates
Stating that high scores are the sole goal of many candidates, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “In a preparation process where ups and downs can be experienced, 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 scores and reach desired goals.”
Setting score targets prevents getting stuck on questions in the exam
Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan stated that after determining the program goal in the YKS preparation process, it is of great importance to also determine the score target required to enter the desired department. He continued, “Setting score targets prevents getting stuck on questions in the exam, thereby losing time and experiencing demoralization. For example, if the required score for the department we want is 80 for TYT, from another perspective, it means we have the right to leave 40 questions blank in TYT.”
Don't constantly focus on the same topics
Answering frequently asked questions from candidates such as “How do my scores increase?”, “What is the maximum score I can achieve?”, and “How can my scores increase quickly?”, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan continued as follows:
“One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is repeatedly studying the same topics. For this reason, in practice exams, questions are answered only from the parts that have been focused on. Let's not forget that studying new topics and newly learned subjects will advance us. Learning about current topics and question distributions that may appear in the YKS, and focusing your study efforts on topics from which more questions are likely to appear, is a study method that should especially be done in the last 2 months before the exam. This way, you will know what you need to study and can prepare your lesson plan accordingly.”
Don't study inefficiently
Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan pointed out that one reason for not getting desired results in practice exams could be inefficient studying, stating, “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 mismanaging your time due to lack of sleep and fatigue. To eliminate these problems, you can identify your problematic areas through your school guidance counselor. This way, you can identify and control errors in your study system and routine. Above all, do not compromise on identifying and trying to correct your mistakes.”
Be Organized
Emphasizing that it is crucial to know exactly what 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 most of the time, a setback in one item of the plan shifts the timeline of all other items and leads to disappointment. However, if you have a limited plan list instead, your chances of compensating for any setback are 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 biggest contributions of solving many questions is seeing a large number of various question types. This way, you can turn your question pool, which you might think is limited, into an ocean. You must see easy, medium, and difficult level questions from environments such as reference books and the internet. This way, you will determine the easiest and most difficult questions that can come up on a topic.”
Perform question analyses
“Especially do not neglect to take practice exams; reduce your practice exam interval to every 3 days when there is 1 month left until the exam,” said Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, continuing as follows:
“You might be solving practice exams and test books but constantly falling into the same mistakes. Another mistake candidates make is leaving practice exams and tests without analyzing them after solving. After every practice 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 avoid making the same mistake later. Thus, you will learn how much progress you have made over time and your overall scores.”
Avoid careless reading
Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan stated that trying to read questions too quickly under the influence of exam stress can lead to difficulty in understanding or not understanding at all, adding, “While you could read a question at a speed you can understand and give the correct answer, refrain from reading quickly and answering incorrectly.”
Grasp the logic
Stating that in recent years, ÖSYM has changed its question styles, giving more weight to question types that measure analytical thinking, focus, interpretation, and logic, Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan said, “In these types of questions, which challenge students and can cause many contradictions while solving them, what is important is to be able to answer based on what is described in the question, not your own internal interpretations. 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 do not have much opportunity to think while making their preferences. Even candidates who have gone through intense studies, experienced various difficulties, and achieved good results cannot choose the right department due to wrong or incomplete thinking. To avoid such mistakes, you should set your goal at the beginning and proceed with a realistic study program accordingly.”
Use time well, develop your biological clock
Expert Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan stated that many candidates, despite mastering every subject before the exam, cannot get the reward for their efforts and cannot increase their scores because they cannot use their time well during the exam. He concluded his words by saying, “Regularly timing yourself while solving practice and tests seems to be the most important solution to overcome 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 your time efficiently by moving from one question to another without spending too much time on a single one. Finally, remember that anyone who knows and corrects their mistakes can easily achieve their desired goal with good effort.”
