Girls outperform boys in Turkish national university exam

ISTANBUL

The results of the second round of Turkey’s national university exam LYS revealed on July 12 that female students were more successful than their male counterparts as in previous years, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.  

A total of 512,975 boys and 559,423 girls took the LYS exams this year, five in total, conducted over a two-week period, according to data released by the Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM). 

In the mathematics-science stream, which requires students to sit the LYS-1 exam on science and the LYS-2 exam on mathematics, the average points of male candidates was 233,760, whereas 237,408 for female candidates. 

In the Turkish-mathematics stream, which requires students to sit the LYS-3 exam focusing on Turkish literature and geography and the LYS-2 exam on mathematics, the average points of male candidates stood at 209,160, whereas 215,624 for girls. 

And in terms of the Turkish-social sciences stream, which consists of the LYS-3 exam on Turkish literature and geography and the LYS-4 exam on history, male and female candidates scored 213,248 and 220, 216 respectively on average. 

Meanwhile, students at science high schools and private science high schools scored the best in the mathematics-science stream. Some 18,679 candidates at science high schools and some 4,940 candidates at private science schools scored 358,785 and 351,008 respectively on average in this score type. 

The most successful students specializing in the Turkish-mathematics stream were from science high schools and private science high schools as well as police colleges. 

Graduates of social sciences high schools, on the other hand, scored the highest in the Turkish-social sciences stream, with 290,464 points on average. Graduates of the İmam Hatip religious high schools followed with an average score of 235,756 points. 

There are two rounds in the Turkish national university exam. The first leg of the university entrance exam took place on March 12, with more than 2.2 million students across Turkey taking it to secure a place in universities. Only those who scored more than 180 were then able to apply to the second round, the LYS exams, which were completed on June 18.