ALES Sayisal vs Sozel vs Esit Agirlik: which score you actually need

ALES is a single sit-down exam, but it produces three separate scores, and which one a university actually reads depends entirely on the programme or cadre a candidate is applying to. Confusing the three, or assuming a strong result in one means a strong result in all, is a common and avoidable mistake.

Where the three scores come from

ALES has two sections in one session: the Sayisal Bolum, covering mathematics and numerical reasoning, and the Sozel Bolum, covering Turkish reasoning and comprehension. From the same set of raw answers, OSYM computes three scaled scores. The Sayisal puan weights the quantitative section more heavily. The Sozel puan weights the verbal section more heavily. The Esit Agirlik (equal weight) puan blends the two sections evenly. Every candidate who sits ALES receives all three scores from that one sitting, regardless of which one they ultimately need.

Which fields tend to read which score

A candidate applying to a quantitative programme, mathematics, physics or engineering doctoral programmes among them, is typically judged on Sayisal. A candidate applying to an edebiyat (literature) or similarly verbal-heavy programme is typically judged on Sozel. A candidate applying to a hukuk (law) or iktisat (economics) programme is typically judged on Esit Agirlik. This is a general pattern rather than a fixed rule; the binding requirement for any specific programme is the puan turu stated in that programme’s own kontenjan ilani (quota notice), which can differ from the typical pattern for its field.

Why the three scores can look very different

Because Sayisal and Sozel weight the two sections in opposite directions, a candidate who performed strongly on the quantitative section but only averagely on the verbal one will see a noticeably higher Sayisal puan than Sozel puan, with Esit Agirlik landing somewhere between the two. This is a normal and expected outcome of how the scoring formula works, not a sign that anything went wrong with the exam itself.

Checking which score your target actually needs

Before assuming any single ALES score reflects your standing for a given application, check the specific programme’s or cadre’s own notice for the puan turu it reads. A graduate institute’s kontenjan ilani will state this explicitly, as will a university’s academic staff recruitment notice under Law 2547. Getting this wrong, submitting or optimising for the wrong score type, wastes preparation effort that could have gone toward the section that actually matters for that application.

How this connects to minimum thresholds

Once you know which score type applies, the next question is what minimum that score needs to clear. For graduate school admission the threshold varies by programme, generally in the 55 to 80 range, covered in how ALES is used for master’s and doctoral applications. For academic staff recruitment, the governing regulation sets a floor of 70 for most cadres, covered in the minimum ALES score for academic staff positions. And because a score stays usable for five years, it is worth knowing how that timing interacts with retaking the exam for a specific score type, covered in how long an ALES score stays valid.

The bigger picture on what ALES feeds

All three score types exist to serve the same underlying purpose, described more broadly in what ALES is actually used for: feeding someone else’s admission or hiring decision, never placing a candidate directly the way OSYM’s own KPSS tercih round does.

FAQ

Do I get all three ALES scores from one exam sitting? Yes. Sayisal, Sozel and Esit Agirlik are all calculated from the same raw answers in a single sitting; you do not choose which one to receive.

Which ALES score type is used for most doctoral programmes? It depends on the field. Quantitative doctoral programmes typically read Sayisal, verbal-heavy fields typically read Sozel, but the binding answer is always the specific programme’s own notice.

Can my Sayisal and Sozel scores be very different? Yes, because the two weight the exam’s sections in opposite directions; a gap between them is a normal outcome, not an error.

Is Esit Agirlik always the average of Sayisal and Sozel? It is calculated from the same two section scores with equal weighting, though the exact formula OSYM uses is set out in the ALES technical documentation rather than being a simple arithmetic average of the other two published scores.

How do I know which score type my target programme requires? Check that specific programme’s or cadre’s own kontenjan ilani or recruitment notice, which states the required puan turu explicitly.