Following the announcement of the Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) results on July 21, the university preference excitement has begun for millions of candidates. Experts highlight that the most striking result of the 2026 YKS was the accumulation in the numerical field, noting that students had high scores but low rankings.
Underlining that the most critical indicator in university preferences is the success ranking, Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan reminded that it is necessary to look at the success ranking instead of the score, as university quotas and base scores change every year.
Akoğlan noted that the preference list should not consist only of difficult-to-reach departments, saying, “When making your preferences, you should create your list according to your placement success ranking, preparing a flexible preference list that covers ranges above and below your own ranking.”
Üsküdar University Manager of Educational Institutions and Guidance Services, Specialist Psychological Counselor Özgür Akoğlan, explained that the 2026 YKS results should be carefully analyzed.
Scores in the result documents are divided into two main groups
Özgür Akoğlan pointed out that reading the result document correctly is the first step to making sound choices, stating, "In your result document, scores are divided into two main groups. Exam scores are calculated only with your exam net scores, which is the part where your school score has not yet been added. Placement scores (Y-YKS), on the other hand, are your final scores formed after your Secondary Education Achievement Score (OBP) is added to your exam score. When making preferences, you should only consider your placement scores (Y-TYT, Y-SAY, Y-EA, Y-SÖZ, Y-DİL)."
Success Ranking is More Important Than Score
Underlining that the most critical indicator in university preferences is the success ranking, Özgür Akoğlan said, “The most critical value in the preference process is the success ranking. Since university quotas and base scores change every year, it is necessary to look at the success ranking instead of the score. For 4-year undergraduate programs, the Y-SAY, Y-EA, Y-SÖZ, or Y-DİL placement success ranking is considered; for 2-year associate degree programs, the Y-TYT placement success ranking is considered.”
Some Departments Have a Success Ranking Requirement
Özgür Akoğlan stated that the success ranking thresholds determined by ÖSYM for the departments to be preferred must be taken into account, saying, “To be able to choose certain departments, it is necessary to pass the minimum success ranking thresholds set by ÖSYM. For example, being within the first 50 thousand for Medicine, first 80 thousand for Dentistry, first 100 thousand for Pharmacy, first 100 thousand for Law, first 250 thousand for Architecture, and first 300 thousand for Engineering and Teaching programs (including PDR) is mandatory.”
Correct-Incorrect Analysis Shows Candidate's Performance
Özgür Akoğlan stated that the number of correct and incorrect answers in the result document should also be carefully examined, saying, “The correct and incorrect numbers at the bottom of the document form your net scores. 4 incorrect answers cancel out 1 correct answer. This section shows how much efficiency you gained from each subject.”
Preference List Should Be Prepared Balancedly
Özgür Akoğlan noted that the preference list should not consist only of difficult-to-reach departments, saying, “When making your preferences, you should create your list according to your placement success ranking, preparing a flexible preference list that covers ranges above and below your own ranking.”
The Most Striking Result of the 2026 YKS Was the Accumulation in the Numerical Field
Özgür Akoğlan stated that one of the most important features of the 2026 YKS was the intense accumulation particularly in the numerical score type, saying, “When the 2026 YKS results are examined, the ease of the exam and the fact that most of the so-called 'eliminator' questions were answered incorrectly led to an accumulation among students with scores above 360 in the numerical score type.”
What Will Candidates Aiming for Medicine and Dentistry Do?
Özgür Akoğlan stated that this situation in the numerical field particularly affected departments with a success ranking requirement, saying, "This year's ranking change will cause candidates aiming for medicine and dentistry to get stuck at the department thresholds, and due to this situation, they might tend not to make choices.”
Higher Scores Were Required for the Same Success Ranking
Comparing the 2025 and 2026 results, Özgür Akoğlan concluded, “Students achieved high scores but low rankings. For example, in the 2025 YKS, a success ranking of 50,000 could be surpassed with a numerical score of 453, whereas in the 2026 YKS, a score above 465 was required to enter the 50,000 rankings. It has once again become clearly evident that the impact of Secondary Education Achievement Scores on placement scores is very significant.”
