Yunus Emre Institute Turkish Proficiency Exam (TYS)
The Turkish Proficiency Exam (Türkçe Yeterlik Sınavı, TYS®) is designed based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to measure the reading, listening, writing and speaking skills of individuals whose native language is not Turkish.
Implemented for the first time in May 2013, TYS has been administered periodically three times a year. The exam is delivered simultaneously in Turkey, and Yunus Emre Institute centers all around the world; so far TYS has been conducted in 29 different countries.
TYS is a 180-minute test. The first session lasts 105 minutes and includes reading and listening tests. The reading test has six texts and 40 multiple-choice questions, and the listening test has six passages and 30 multiple-choice questions. After a 15-minute break, the second session lasts 60 minutes and includes two writing tasks.
The first task requires the candidate to complete the missing part in a text or to fill in a form or to write a petition or to write a summary, or to interpret the information in a table/picture/graphic in 20 minutes. The second task requires the candidate to write a complete essay based on a given subject in 40 minutes. After another 15-minute break, the third session lasts 15 minutes and includes two speaking tasks. The first task, namely, independent talk, requires the candidate to prepare his/her ideas about a given subject and talk about it briefly. For this task, the candidate has a minimum of one and a maximum of three minutes to prepare, and he/she has five minutes to complete the task in total. The second task, namely, dialogue, requires the candidate to answer questions in a given subject by speaking face to face with the examiner. The candidate has about ten minutes to finish this task in this section.
Successful candidates are given the Turkish Proficiency Certificate at B2, C1, C2 levels depending on their scores. Applicants who have the certificate are exempt from Turkish preparatory classes when they enrolled at a college in Turkey. Besides, individuals who want to teach Turkish or work as a tour guide or as an official translator are generally required to prove their language skills, and TYS is suitable for this purpose.
Turkish Proficiency Certificate provides a great advantage for individuals in job applications.
