YKS Study Plan: Eight Months From Autumn to the June Exam

A good YKS study plan turns a huge exam into small weekly steps. ÖSYM usually holds YKS on a weekend in June, so a student who starts in October has about eight months. That is enough time for a strong result, but only with a clear order and steady practice. This guide gives you a month-by-month plan, a weekly routine and the mistakes to avoid, with special notes for Arab students who study in Turkish.

Before you start: three decisions

First, choose your score type. SAY leads to medicine and engineering, EA to law and business, SÖZ to history and literature, and DİL to language programs. Your score type decides which AYT tests you study, so it shapes half of the plan. If you are not sure about the tests, read our guide to TYT and AYT.

Second, measure your starting level. Take one full TYT practice exam under real time limits, then count your nets per subject. This number is your baseline, and every month you compare against it.

Third, set a realistic target. Look at last year’s rankings for your target programs on YÖK Atlas, then translate the ranking into a target net for each test.

The YKS study plan month by month

October and November: build the TYT base. Focus on Turkish and basic maths, because they carry two thirds of the TYT weight. At the same time, start a vocabulary notebook for the Turkish words that appear in questions. Science and social sciences get shorter weekly sessions.

December and January: start AYT. Keep TYT practice going, but add the AYT tests of your score type topic by topic. For SAY, that means AYT maths plus physics, chemistry and biology. For EA, it means AYT maths plus literature, history and geography.

February: register and review. Applications usually open in early February, so register as soon as ÖSYM opens the system. Meanwhile, review the TYT topics from autumn, because students often forget them by winter.

March and April: full practice exams. Now take a full timed practice exam every week, alternating TYT and AYT. After each exam, spend more time on the review than on the exam itself. Write every mistake in a notebook and group them by topic.

May: close the gaps. Use your mistake notebook to choose the topics that bring the most nets. In other words, stop studying everything and fix what costs you points.

June: the final weeks. Lower the amount of new material, keep one or two practice exams a week and sleep well. Then, in the last days, check your exam centre, your ID and the entry time.

A simple weekly routine

A typical school week can hold a solid routine:

• Weekdays: two focused study blocks of about 50 minutes, one for TYT and one for AYT.
• Every day: 20 minutes of Turkish reading, for example short paragraph questions.
• Weekend: one timed practice exam, followed by a full review of the mistakes.
• One evening a week: rest, because tired students make careless mistakes.

Of course, the exact hours depend on your school timetable. The point is regularity: five steady days beat one long weekend.

How to track your progress

Keep one simple table with the date, your nets per test and your total. Then compare the numbers every month. If a subject stays flat for two months, change how you study it, not only how long. For example, a student who is stuck on Turkish paragraphs usually needs more timed reading, not more grammar rules.

Notes for Arab students

If you studied in Arabic for years, add Turkish to your YKS study plan from the very first week. Read questions aloud, underline the key words and build a list of question patterns, such as “hangisi” (which one) or “değildir” (is not). Many points are lost because a student misses a small word like “not” in a long Turkish question.

Moreover, do not wait until your Turkish is perfect to start practice exams. Timed practice is exactly what trains your reading speed. For the full background on the exam itself, see our complete YKS exam guide.

Common mistakes in a YKS study plan

• Starting with hard AYT topics before the TYT base is solid.
• Studying without a timer, so the real exam suddenly feels too fast.
• Taking practice exams but never reviewing the mistakes.
• Changing the plan every week instead of following it for a month.

Following your plan with ILEAP Academy

ILEAP Academy is one of the first Arabic centers in Istanbul specialised in YKS. We build a YKS study plan for each student, explain topics in Arabic, teach the Turkish exam terms and run timed practice exams with clear net reports. Classes run in person in Istanbul and online. Discover ILEAP Academy and tell us your starting level.

Frequently asked questions

Is eight months enough for YKS?

For most students, yes, if the plan starts with a solid TYT base and includes weekly timed practice exams from March.

How many hours a day should I study?

It depends on your school day, but two focused blocks on weekdays and a practice exam at the weekend is a strong rhythm for most students.

When should I start practice exams?

Take one at the very start to measure your level, then move to weekly full exams from about March.