What OABT tests and who can sit it

OABT, the Ogretmenlik Alan Bilgisi Testi, is the part of the KPSS Lisans cycle that tests a teacher candidate’s actual subject knowledge, separate from the general Egitim Bilimleri session that tests pedagogical knowledge shared across every teaching branch. First introduced in 2013, OABT exists because knowing how to teach and knowing the subject being taught are tested as two distinct things.

What OABT actually covers

OABT tests content and pedagogy specific to the candidate’s teaching branch, whether that is mathematics, biology, history, English or any other subject a Turkish school teaches. The question structure differs slightly by branch: for English teaching and sinif ogretmenligi (classroom teaching), the exam splits roughly 45 questions on alan bilgisi (subject content) and 30 on alan egitimi (subject pedagogy), totalling 70 questions; for most other branches, the split runs roughly 60 questions on alan bilgisi and 15 on alan egitimi. The exact figures for any given cycle are set out in that cycle’s KPSS Kilavuzu.

Who is eligible to sit it

Candidates from education faculties, and from fen edebiyat (science and literature) faculties whose programme is recognised as leading to a teaching branch, are eligible to sit OABT, provided they hold or are on track to hold the relevant degree within the current guide’s graduation window. Eligibility is tied to the specific branch being tested, so a candidate sits the OABT variant that matches their own degree background, not a generic version.

How OABT fits with the rest of KPSS Lisans

A teacher candidate’s overall appointment profile draws on three separately scored pieces: the common Genel Yetenek and Genel Kultur session everyone sits, the Egitim Bilimleri session covering general pedagogical knowledge, and OABT for the candidate’s specific branch. What Egitim Bilimleri covers in more depth, and how the two sessions combine at the appointment stage, is explained in what the KPSS Egitim Bilimleri session covers.

Why OABT sits apart from Alan Bilgisi

OABT should not be confused with Alan Bilgisi, the session A group specialist candidates sit, which draws on entirely different subjects like Hukuk, Iktisat and Kamu Yonetimi rather than teaching-branch content. Which university departments feed into Alan Bilgisi, and how its score types differ, is covered in which departments KPSS Alan Bilgisi covers.

Where OABT fits in the score type system

Like the rest of KPSS, OABT results feed into their own branch-specific score types used at the teacher appointment stage, separate from the general P1, P2 and P3 score types read for standard B group placement. The broader mechanics of how KPSS produces multiple scores from one exam cycle are explained in KPSS score types explained.

Why preparing for OABT is its own project

Because OABT weighs subject content much more heavily than pedagogy in most branches, and because it is scored and combined separately from Egitim Bilimleri, treating OABT preparation as distinct from general KPSS preparation, rather than an afterthought layered on top, reflects how much of the final teacher appointment score it actually determines.

FAQ

Is OABT the same test for every teaching branch? No. OABT has branch-specific variants; a candidate sits the version matching their own teaching branch, and question counts differ slightly by branch.

Who is eligible to sit OABT? Candidates from education faculties, or from fen edebiyat faculties in programmes recognised as leading to a teaching branch, who hold or are on track to hold the relevant degree.

How is OABT different from Egitim Bilimleri? OABT tests subject-specific content and pedagogy for one teaching branch; Egitim Bilimleri tests general pedagogical knowledge shared across every branch.

How is OABT different from Alan Bilgisi? Alan Bilgisi is for A group specialist cadres and draws on subjects like Hukuk and Iktisat; OABT is exclusively for teaching branches and draws on each branch’s own subject content.

How many questions does OABT have? Around 70 in most branches, with the exact split between subject content and subject pedagogy varying by branch as set out in the current KPSS Kilavuzu.