1 mln students sit for high school entry exam

ISTANBUL

Over 1 million eighth-grade students on June 2 exerted themselves for nearly three hours to achieve high scores in a nationwide high school entrance exam.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, students who took the exam in their own schools will now sit for it in different schools within their districts, continuing the years-long practice of distributing students to various schools for joint exams in the country.

With the exam commencing at 9:30 a.m., students were not admitted to the exam halls if they were more than 15 minutes late. Local media captured those delayed due to traffic congestion in front of closed school gates.

The students tackled 90 questions in tests, as the non-math test in the first session, comprising 50 questions, covered Turkish language, history, foreign language and theology-related test to be completed in 75 minutes.

Following a 45-minute break, students solved math and science questions in the second session.

This year's test-takers will also be the first generation to undergo the extensive curriculum changes announced by the Education Ministry. The new curriculum aims to equip students with literacy skills in nine areas: Knowledge, digital, financial, visual, cultural, citizenship, data, sustainability and art, Minister Yusuf Tekin earlier said.

The results of the exam on June 2 are expected to be announced on June 28.

Some 562 students answered all questions correctly last year, with the most successful students emerging from the northern province of Trabzon and the Marmara province of Kocaeli, according to the official data by the ministry.

Over the past five years, Türkiye’s most popular high schools have seen little change. Galatasaray and Istanbul High School, with the highest minimum scores for students, remain the top two schools. These venerable institutions perennially top the list of millions of students aspiring for university, distinguished by both their educational quality and school cultures. Galatasaray High School also provides additional quotas for admission to Galatasaray University for its graduates, offering another reason for students to choose it.

At Istanbul High School, the academic program enables students to pursue academic excellence and acquire fluency and literacy in German and Turkish. The school usually accepts students from the top 600 in the country Germany recognizes the school as a Deutsche Auslandsschule-German international school.

Similarly, many top-ranking students in Türkiye opt for the private institution, Robert College, known for its high standards and correspondingly high fees.