YDT Exam: The YKS Foreign Language Test, Including the Arabic YDT

The YDT exam is the foreign language session of YKS, and it is the only session that Arab students can take in Arabic. It has 80 questions in 120 minutes and leads to the DİL score type, which opens language, literature, translation and language-teaching programs. However, choosing your YDT language needs care, because not every program accepts every language. This guide explains the format, the scoring, the question types and the checks to make before you choose the Arabic YDT.

What is the YDT exam?

YDT (Yabancı Dil Testi) is the third session of YKS. In 2026, it took place on Sunday 21 June at 15:45, the same day as AYT, and lasted 120 minutes. According to the 2026 YKS guide, ÖSYM offers it in five languages: German, Arabic, French, English and Russian. You choose one language when you apply, and on exam day you receive only the booklet for that language.

In 2026, nobody could enter the building after 15:30. Also, you cannot leave the room during the first 90 minutes or the last 15 minutes. The fee is per session: in 2026, each session cost 700 TL, so TYT plus YDT cost 1,400 TL. Our guide to YKS registration explains the application steps.

Who takes the YDT exam?

In 2026, 203,640 candidates applied for YDT, according to ÖSYM’s 2026 figures. English was by far the largest group, with 136,745 valid candidates. The Arabic YDT had 3,451 valid candidates, while German, Russian and French each had fewer than 2,000.

How the YDT exam counts: the DİL score

YDT leads to one score type, DİL. Its formula is simple: TYT counts for 40% and YDT for 60%. So TYT still matters a lot, even for language students. To get a TYT score, you need at least 0.5 net in TYT Turkish or basic maths, and without a TYT score ÖSYM calculates no YDT score at all. Then you also need at least 0.5 net in YDT itself.

Finally, the OBP bonus from your diploma grade applies as usual, and DİL does not need AYT. Our guides to YKS score types and the YKS ranking explain how the score and the rank work.

YDT exam format: the 80 questions

The 2026 Arabic YDT booklet and the English booklet used the same 80-question layout, and the 2025 Arabic booklet was identical. In order, the question types were:

• One-sentence gap fills with a missing word or phrase (Q1–15)
• A cloze passage (Q16–20)
• Sentence completion (Q21–28)
• Reading, with five passages and three questions each (Q29–43)
• Dialogue completion (Q44–48)
• The sentence closest in meaning (Q49–53)
• What you would say in a given situation (Q54–58)
• The missing sentence in a paragraph (Q59–63)
• Translation from the foreign language into Turkish (Q64–69)
• Translation from Turkish into the foreign language (Q70–75)
• The sentence that does not fit a paragraph (Q76–80)

Two points stand out. First, 12 questions are translations, so your Turkish counts even in a foreign language test. Second, 80 questions in 120 minutes leave about 90 seconds per question, so the YDT exam rewards speed as well as knowledge.

The Arabic YDT: what Arab students should know

For a native Arabic speaker, the Arabic YDT can look like an easy choice. The format is the same as in the other languages, and most questions use your mother tongue. Still, the translation questions go between Arabic and Turkish, so your Turkish has to be solid.

Most importantly, no program requires the Arabic YDT specifically. Some programs accept it, while others accept only certain languages. In 2026, for example, the on-campus Arap Dili ve Edebiyatı program at Ankara Üniversitesi carried a condition that accepted only the German, French or English YDT. So a candidate with the Arabic YDT could not choose it.

Arabic programs in the DİL score type

In our count of the 2026 YÖK Atlas data, Arabic DİL programs fell into three groups:

• Arap Dili ve Edebiyatı: 13 programs, all at state universities, with about 690 places.
• Arapça Mütercim ve Tercümanlık: about 21 program rows with about 644 places, at state and foundation universities.
• Arapça Öğretmenliği: about 12 program rows with about 274 places, which also need a rank within the top 300,000, like all teaching programs.

Not every Arabic-taught program uses DİL, though. İlahiyat (Arapça) and İslami İlimler (Arapça), for example, use the SÖZ score type, so YDT does not count for them.

Check which YDT languages each program accepts

Before you choose your language, check every program on your list. In the 2026 programs and quotas guide, each program lists numbered conditions, and some of them limit the YDT language:

• Some programs accept any of the five languages, Arabic included.
• Others make the English YDT compulsory.
• A few accept only French or English.
• Some accept only German, French or English.
• Certain programs accept only German.

A program with no language condition does not limit your YDT language. You can also see each program’s conditions on YÖK Atlas. So decide your language from your list of programs, not the other way round.

How to prepare for the YDT exam

1. Build your program list first. Then choose the YDT language that every program on it accepts.
2. Practise with real papers. ÖSYM publishes past booklets, so use them to learn each question type.
3. Train with a timer. Aim for about 90 seconds per question, and save time for the reading passages.
4. Work on Turkish too. The 12 translation questions and the whole TYT depend on it.
5. Keep TYT in your weekly plan. It is 40% of your DİL score.
6. Apply for the session. YDT is a separate session, so select it and pay its fee when you register.

How ILEAP Academy helps with the YDT exam

ILEAP Academy is one of the first Arabic centers in Istanbul specialised in YKS. Because TYT is 40% of the DİL score, a strong TYT is the base of every YDT exam plan. We start with a level test, and then teachers explain each topic in Arabic and train the Turkish of the exam, which also helps with translation questions. In addition, regular timed practice exams build the speed that every YKS session demands. We have three centers in Istanbul, and the same program also runs online. Discover ILEAP Academy, and read our guide to TYT Turkish topics to plan your Turkish.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the YDT exam in Arabic?

Yes. ÖSYM offers YDT in Arabic, as well as German, French, English and Russian. However, check that each program on your list accepts the Arabic YDT.

Can I take YDT in two languages?

No. You choose one language when you apply, and you receive only that language’s booklet on exam day.

Does any program require the Arabic YDT?

No. In the 2026 quotas guide, no condition requires the Arabic YDT specifically. Some programs accept it, and some do not, so check each one.