Strategies for those taking the YKS exam: Underlining, coding, and use of pen

The Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) will be held on June 8-9, 2024. Preference Expert Ergin Sarar listed what students should pay attention to for a successful exam. YKS’s first session, the Basic Proficiency Test (TYT), will be held on June 8th at 10:15. This year, 3,120,878 candidates applied for the TYT. The second session, the Area Proficiency Tests (AYT), will be held on June 9th at 10:15, with 2,019,709 applicants. Out of the applicants for YKS, 1,428,926 candidates will take the exam for the first time. Just before the exam days, Dogus University Preference Expert Ergin Sarar provided advice for students.
“Mild anxiety can increase motivation” Sarar stated that when exam anxiety is experienced at a mild level, it can increase the student’s success and motivation. He mentioned that when anxiety levels increase and start to negatively affect performance, the student can control this situation with various strategies. These include providing alternative explanations instead of negative automatic thoughts, reminding oneself that they are in control, focusing on questions they can answer, and using techniques to reduce anxiety (such as rapid relaxation, attention increasing techniques, controlled breathing exercises). These strategies can be applied during the exam and can be made more effective by practicing regularly.
“Choose comfortable clothes” Sarar emphasized the importance of reducing stress to achieve successful performance. He advised students to focus on relaxation techniques in the last days instead of constantly studying, and to allocate time to rest mentally and physically. Also, visit the exam venue a day before the exam to reduce stress on the exam day. This can eliminate stress sources such as finding the exam venue on the exam day. By preparing the items you need to take with you a day before, you can avoid rushing on the exam day. Choosing comfortable clothes can also help reduce exam stress. Finally, set off early on the exam day to reduce the risk of encountering traffic or unexpected situations. Trust yourself and maintain your belief that you can succeed, as your belief in your ability to pass the exam will increase your motivation.
“Maintain your motivation” Sarar said that students should keep their motivation high in the last days of the exam. He advised not to get caught up in various speculations about the exams every year, as it is not possible to predict how difficult or easy the exam will be in advance. Remember that if the exam is difficult, it is the same for all candidates, and if the exam is easy, it is easy for everyone. Therefore, do not let such predictions affect you and maintain your motivation.
“Do not approach questions with prejudice” Sarar continued his speech by saying, “It is important to focus on the process, not the result.” He advised not to focus on the score you will get in the exam or whether you will be able to get into the school you want, as this can increase exam anxiety. Instead, you can have a more effective preparation process by focusing on the progress you experience during the process. Do not approach the questions in the exams with prejudice. There will be both difficult and easy questions; do not be mistaken by saying ‘This question cannot be this easy.’ Remember, many students make mistakes in the simplest questions. Do not think that long questions are difficult; read them carefully. When in doubt, do not change the initial option you marked; usually, your first choice is correct. Trust your instincts, avoid making changes hastily. With these strategies, you will be one step closer to success.
Pay attention to these strategies Preference Expert Ergin Sarar shared important strategies for success in exams and provided information about a technique called ‘skipping method.’ Sarar stated that the method helps to use time efficiently. “Struggling with difficult questions during the exam for a long time usually leads to time loss. Therefore, by using the skipping management, you can immediately leave the questions you find challenging blank and move on to other questions. Thus, at the end of the exam, when you have time left, you can go back and solve these questions again. The skipping method also allows you to quickly move to the next question by marking the questions you cannot solve without stubbornness. In this way, you prevent time loss. Also, by putting reminder symbols next to the questions you cannot solve, you can save time when you go back. This strategy allows you to see all the questions in the exam, solve the questions you couldn’t solve in the first round more easily in the second round. It also prevents you from missing the correct answers under exam stress. By using the skipping method, you can get one step closer to success in exams. Remember, when you enter the exam equipped with the right strategies, it will be easier to achieve success.”
“You can maximize your exam performance” Providing information about ‘coding and using a pen,’ which is an important part of exam strategies, Sarar said, “These methods also play a critical role in achieving success. Instead of coding the answers at the end of the exam, coding after each question or page ensures time management and error-free work, maximizing your exam performance. Using your pen for questions requiring operations is also extremely important. Doing mental calculations increases the likelihood of making mistakes and can cause time loss. Therefore, writing down the step-by-step operations with your pen makes it easier to find the correct answers, minimizes errors, increases your chances of success, and reduces exam stress.”