The exam is being held in three sessions over the weekend, taking place in two phases.

YKS is a 3-session exam. All applicants applying to YKS are required to attend the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT). Other sessions are optional.

The second session, comprising of the Field Proficiency Tests (AYT), will be held on Sunday, while students will take the Foreign Language Test (YDT) Sunday afternoon.

Candidates with a score of 150 or higher in the TYT will be able to choose higher education programs that take students with TYT points. Candidates who scored 150 or more in TYT, SAY, EA, DIL scores of 180 and above, with these point types and students with undergraduate degree programs with TYT score, will be able to choose the undergraduate programs.

Candidates who have a score of 180 or more in TYT have the right to choose only associate degree programs. These candidates do not have the right to choose undergraduate, undergraduate, and graduate programs with SAY (Maths and Science), VERBAL (Turkish, Social Sciences (history II, geography II and religion/philosophy II), EA (Maths, Turkish and History I and Geography I) and LANGUAGE (English, French, German, Russian and Arabic) score.

In order to apply for higher education programs that take students with a special aptitude test, the TYT score should be min. 180 and above (for disabled students 100 and above).

Results are announced in the second half of June and students have to make their university preferences by the last week of July. They are placed in courses according to their scores and this is announced at the end of August. In the Turkish educational system, schools follow a curriculum completely decided by the state, which makes it easier to hold nationwide exams.