As university exam time approaches, candidates take a break from school lessons with leave and reports to complete their subject deficiencies more efficiently and focus on the exam. Based on the needs of these high school senior students, mandatory attendance for 12th graders was abolished this year. Experts state that one reason for this implementation is to bring the unequal situation closer together due to the accommodation of people from the earthquake region in the surviving schools. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Education Institutions and Guidance Services Manager Ertuğrul Tut advises candidates to “discipline themselves as if they were going to school; maintain their morning wake-up times, evening bedtime, meal times, and study hours within a routine” to maximize the benefit from this decision.
Candidates who maintain discipline and do not disrupt their study routine can increase their scores…
Less than 2 months remain until the YKS, which will be held on June 17-18, 2023. As the exam date approaches, experts reiterate their warnings and list their recommendations for motivation and success.
Digitalization has become inevitable in education, as in all fields, and has broken some traditional molds. Considering our country's current conditions, some experts advocate for the necessity of face-to-face education, believing that the sociological and technological structure is not yet ready for this situation. Üsküdar Üniversitesi Education Institutions and Guidance Services Manager Ertuğrul Tut evaluated the abolition of mandatory attendance for 12th graders within the framework of this new education model, which began with digitalization.
Unfortunately, the majority of candidates have not acquired the habit of planned studying
Tut stated that school disciplines students for life, saying, “Going to school and adhering to school hours helps you plan everything from your sleep schedule to your meal times, and even the time you set aside for yourself. The abolition of mandatory attendance can negatively affect the concentration of students who cannot make an appropriate time plan for themselves. Unfortunately, the majority of candidates have not acquired the habit of planned studying. These students may experience problems with disciplined studying, which can lead to subsequent issues such as loss of motivation and stress disorder.” He added that this application could be advantageous for students accustomed to planned studying, giving them the opportunity to revisit deficient subjects, conduct subject analysis, and review themselves.
The psychology and opportunities of candidates in the earthquake region cause inequality
Tut stated that such a decision might have been made due to the accommodation of people living in the earthquake region in the surviving schools, creating an unequal situation for candidates living in the area. He said, “Of course, not only students in the region were affected by this situation. The entire country's population experienced this pain. This pain is valid for candidates preparing for the university exam, whether they are in the region or not. However, this decision, unfortunately, does not seem like one that will change the existing inequality. The difference between the psychologies and financial capabilities of those outside the earthquake region and those trying to prepare for the process in the earthquake region is quite significant.” He made a general assessment of the situation for candidates across Turkey.
Students will be exempt from subjects in the 12th Grade 2nd Semester curriculum
Ertuğrul Tut stated that the 12th-grade curriculum has not been entirely abolished, and students will be exempt from subjects in the 2nd-semester curriculum. He said, “Students need to cut their own umbilical cords. This means preparing for the process in a planned, programmatic, and targeted way within the remaining time frame, and getting through it with minimal damage. They should discipline themselves as if they were going to school; maintain their morning wake-up times, evening bedtime, meal times, and study hours within a routine. Long-term routine kills, but short-term routine is productive.”
A good opportunity to revisit deficient subjects
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Education Institutions and Guidance Services Manager Ertuğrul Tut concluded his remarks with the following recommendations:
“Candidates preparing for the university exam can quickly revisit deficient subjects by continuously solving practice tests in the remaining time. The exam is won not by focusing on beloved subjects, but by tackling disliked ones. Candidates usually solve tests for subjects they like, saving the ones they dislike for last, and the missed/unanswered questions during the exam often come from these disliked subjects. What we must not forget is that time is fleeting. With a plan that suits them, they can cover significant ground in the remaining time for more correct answers.”