TYT Turkish Topics: What the 40 Questions Test and How to Study Them

TYT Turkish topics are the best place to start if you want a strong YKS score. Turkish makes up 40 of the 120 TYT questions. For Arab and international students, it is often the part that feels hardest at first. The good news is that the test follows a clear pattern, so you can train for it step by step. In this guide, we look at the official scope, the layout of recent papers and how to study each topic.

Why the Turkish test matters so much

TYT gives you 165 minutes for 120 questions, and 40 of them are Turkish. In the TYT score, Turkish weighs 33, like basic maths, while social sciences and science weigh 17 each. TYT is also 40% of every SAY, EA, SÖZ and DİL score, as our guide to YKS score types explains. So a strong Turkish result helps you whatever track you choose.

Turkish also decides whether you get a score at all. A TYT score needs at least 0.5 net in Turkish or basic maths. Your net is your correct answers minus a quarter of your wrong ones. According to ÖSYM’s 2026 statistics, the average result in Turkish was about 20 out of 40. Therefore, every net you add above that level moves you ahead of many candidates.

What ÖSYM says the test measures

The 2026 YKS guide lists five skills for this test: correct use of Turkish, reading comprehension and interpretation, vocabulary, basic sentence knowledge and spelling rules. The guide also makes candidates responsible for the topics in MEB’s list of outcomes for the 2026 exams. In other words, the TYT Turkish topics follow the high school curriculum.

How recent papers lay out TYT Turkish topics

We counted the questions in ÖSYM’s 2026 TYT booklet and in the 2025 and 2024 papers. In all three, the Turkish test followed the same order:

• Word and phrase meaning: questions 1–4.
• Sentence meaning: questions 5–7.
• Grammar: questions 8–10.
• Spelling: questions 11–12.
• Punctuation: questions 13–14.
• Paragraph questions: questions 15–40.

So in recent papers, paragraph questions made up 26 of the 40, about two thirds of the test. However, this is our own count, not an official ÖSYM rule. Older papers also show small changes, so treat these numbers as a guide and check each new paper.

TYT Turkish topics one by one

Word and phrase meaning

The first questions test words: the right word for a gap, a word in brackets, an idiom (deyim) or an underlined phrase. So vocabulary is the key here. Keep a notebook of words and idioms from real questions, and write each one in a full sentence. Many Turkish words come from Arabic, which helps Arab students. However, meanings sometimes shift, so always check a word in its context.

Sentence meaning

Here you judge statements about numbered sentences, merge two sentences or find a sentence with the same meaning. For example, you need to see quickly whether a sentence gives a cause, a result, a condition or an opinion. You can practise by rewriting short sentences in your own words.

Grammar

Grammar has only three questions, but the topic changes each year. In 2026 they covered the possessive suffix (iyelik eki), verbals (fiilimsiler) and the order of sentence elements (öge dizilişi). The 2025 paper asked about sentence elements, participles (sıfat-fiil) and words (sözcükler). Similarly, the 2024 paper tested sentence elements, the predicate type and noun phrase types. Because sentence elements came up in all three years, learn them first, then move on to suffixes and verbals.

Spelling and punctuation

Spelling and punctuation had two questions each in recent papers. The spelling questions tested capital letters and words written together or apart, for example the small words “de” and “mi”. These rules are limited, so they are some of the fastest points you can win. Learn one rule at a time, then test yourself with short sets of past questions.

Paragraph questions

Paragraph questions are the heart of the Turkish test. In recent papers, the block opened with three question types. These were the mode of expression (anlatım biçimi), the sentence that breaks the flow and where to split a paragraph. Then came main idea, inference, gap-filling, “which is not mentioned” (değinilmemiştir) and passages with two questions. These questions reward reading speed and calm logic, so read a few paragraphs every day, always against the clock.

How to study TYT Turkish topics: a weekly plan

1. Start with a timed test. First, solve a full Turkish test from a past paper and count your nets per topic.
2. Practise paragraphs every day. For example, do one short timed set daily and check every wrong answer.
3. Rotate the rule topics. Spread grammar, spelling and punctuation over the week instead of cramming them.
4. Grow your vocabulary. Add new words and idioms to your notebook while you read, and review them at the weekend.
5. Learn the question stems. Watch for negative stems such as “değinilmemiştir” or “çıkarılamaz”, because students often miss the “not”.
6. Sit a full TYT every week or two. As a result, you learn how much time Turkish can take without hurting maths.

TYT Turkish topics: tips for Arab students

• Read Turkish every day. News, short articles and school texts all build speed.
• Do not translate every sentence in your head. Translation doubles your reading time, so try to understand the Turkish directly.
• Learn exam Turkish, not only everyday Turkish. Words such as “yargı”, “anlatım” and “düşünce” appear again and again in question stems.
• Leave hard questions for later. Under the net rule, an empty answer costs nothing, but a wrong one costs a quarter of a correct one.

How ILEAP Academy helps with TYT Turkish topics

ILEAP Academy is one of the first Arabic centers in Istanbul specialised in YKS. Exam Turkish is a core part of our program. Every student starts with a level test, so we know which TYT Turkish topics need the most work. Teachers explain the rules in Arabic and train exam Turkish step by step. They also run timed practice exams with clear net reports. We have three centers in Istanbul, and the same program also runs online. Discover ILEAP Academy to book a level test, and read our guide to TYT and AYT for both sessions.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions do the TYT Turkish topics have?

In our count of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 papers: 4 on word meaning, 3 on sentence meaning, 3 on grammar, 2 on spelling, 2 on punctuation and 26 paragraph questions. This is not an official rule, so check new papers each year.

Which TYT Turkish topics should I study first?

Start with paragraph questions and vocabulary, because they cover most of the test. In addition, spelling and punctuation give quick points once you learn the rules.

Can I do well in TYT Turkish if it is my second language?

Yes, but it takes steady work. Daily reading, a growing vocabulary and regular timed practice make the biggest difference, especially in paragraph questions.