YDT Exam Guide: Format, Net Scoring & Strategy
YDT (Yabancı Dil Testi, Foreign Language Test) is the third session of YKS, the Turkish university entrance exam. Candidates who want to study in foreign-language programmes — such as English Language Teaching, English Language and Literature, Translation and Interpreting, or Linguistics — take it to obtain a DİL score.
The DİL score is calculated from your TYT and YDT results together with your secondary school score, so TYT also matters. Some programmes (for example, teacher training) have additional ranking requirements; always check the current ÖSYM guide for the year you apply.
This is the order used in recent exams. The number of questions per type may change slightly from year to year, so treat it as a guide rather than a fixed rule.
| Questions | Question type | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Vocabulary | 5 |
| 6–15 | Grammar (tenses, prepositions, linkers, determiners) | 10 |
| 16–20 | Cloze test (one passage) | 5 |
| 21–28 | Sentence completion | 8 |
| 29–34 | Translation: English → Turkish | 6 |
| 35–40 | Translation: Turkish → English | 6 |
| 41–55 | Reading comprehension | 15 |
| 56–60 | Closest in meaning | 5 |
| 61–65 | Paragraph completion | 5 |
| 66–70 | Situation questions | 5 |
| 71–75 | Dialogue completion | 5 |
| 76–80 | Irrelevant sentence | 5 |
Unlike YDS, YDT penalises wrong answers. Your result is calculated as a net: net = correct − wrong ÷ 4. Blank answers neither add nor subtract anything.
Example: 64 correct, 12 wrong and 4 blank → 64 − 12 ÷ 4 = 61 net. Those 12 wrong answers cost you 3 full questions.
With five options, a completely blind guess gains nothing on average (1/5 × 1 − 4/5 × 0.25 = 0). But as soon as you can confidently eliminate even one option, guessing becomes profitable in the long run. The rule: never guess blindly, but do guess after eliminating.
| Options eliminated | Chance of guessing right | Expected net per guess |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1/5 | 0 (no gain on average) |
| 1 | 1/4 | +0.06 |
| 2 | 1/3 | +0.17 |
| 3 | 1/2 | +0.38 |
- You have 1.5 minutes per question on average — 30 seconds less than in YDS. Speed matters more.
- Questions 1–20 (vocabulary, grammar, cloze): about 15 minutes. These are fast points; do not get stuck on one item.
- Sentence completion and translation (21–40): about 30 minutes.
- Reading (41–55): about 35 minutes — roughly 7 minutes per passage.
- Questions 56–80: about 35 minutes, leaving 5 minutes to transfer answers and check blanks.
| Feature | YDS | YDT |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Academic and professional language certificate | University entrance for language programmes |
| Questions / time | 80 / 180 minutes | 80 / 120 minutes |
| Wrong answers | No penalty | 4 wrong = −1 correct |
| Unique question types | Two cloze passages, 20 reading questions | Situation questions, 12 translation questions |
| Text level | Academic (B2–C1) | General and semi-academic (B1–B2) |
- Every question type has its own unit in this section, in exam order: Vocabulary (1–5) · Grammar (6–15) · Cloze (16–20) · Sentence completion (21–28) · Translation (29–40) · Reading (41–55) · Closest in meaning (56–60) · Paragraph completion (61–65) · Situation (66–70) · Dialogue (71–75) · Irrelevant sentence (76–80).
- Vocabulary: start with YDT Core Words 1 and 2; for more, the YDS Academic Words lists are also useful.
- Extra practice: the question types are the same as in YDS (at a slightly easier level), so the YDS units give you harder practice once you finish this section.
- Full practice exams: finish with Practice Exams 1–3 under real time limits (120 minutes).