Research Assistant and Lecturer Entry Score Calculator
Enter your ALES, foreign language score and undergraduate grade: your pre-selection score for research assistant and lecturer posts and, with the entrance exam score, your final score follow the weights in YÖK’s regulation on academic posts. A 4-point grade is converted with YÖK’s table.
- Undergraduate grade (3.20 → YÖK table)81.33
- Pre-selection (Foreign language 40% + ALES 60%)78.50
- Lowest entrance score for a final 6528.67
YÖK academic-post regulation: YÖK
YÖK 4-to-100 table: YÖK Personel Dairesi Başkanlığı — “4’lük Sistemdeki Notların 100’lük Sistemdeki Karşılıkları” tablosu (PDF, 2008; mevzuat sayfası personel.yok.gov.tr/tr/page/283)
How it is calculated
Universities hire research assistants and lecturers under YÖK’s “Regulation on the central exam and entrance exams for appointments to non-faculty academic posts” (RG 9/11/2018-30590 (son değişiklik RG 6/3/2026-33188)). There are two stages. First the jury calls 10 times the number of posts to the entrance exam by pre-selection score (art. 10). Then the entrance exam is held and as many candidates as posts, plus as many reserves, are announced by final evaluation score (arts. 12, 13); a final score under 65 fails. The weights depend on the post: lecturer posts in foreign-language teaching, in programmes taught in a foreign language and in international-relations and applied foreign-language units weigh the language more and require at least 85 (art. 6(4)); vocational schools require no language and pre-select on ALES and the undergraduate grade (art. 14(2)). Priority-field posts YÖK allocates to research universities call 3 times the posts and weigh ALES 40%, grade 15%, language 30% and entrance exam 15%, with a pass mark of 70 (art. 15(2)). The 6/3/2026 amendment also brought the selection of students for YÖK’s priority-field doctoral programmes under this regulation (art. 15(3)): at most 4 times the quota are pre-selected for a written exam that YÖK runs centrally; the central-exam exemption of art. 14(1) is for appointments, so this selection needs an ALES score. For a 4- or 5-point undergraduate grade the 100-point equivalent is set by YÖK (art. 6(3)); the tool converts 4-point grades with YÖK’s table. For 5-point and other scales, enter the 100-point equivalent your university states.
Pre-selection = ALES × 60% + language × 40% · Final = ALES × 30% + undergraduate grade × 30% + language × 10% + entrance exam × 30% (general posts)All scores are out of 100. A 4-point undergraduate grade is converted with YÖK’s “100-point equivalents of 4-point grades” table (art. 6(3)). An exempt candidate’s ALES counts as 70.- Eligibility: ALES at least 70, language at least 50 (85 for foreign-language posts; none for vocational-school posts). A senate may set higher minimums, except for vocational-school lecturer posts in the specialty fields YÖK designates (art. 6(2)).
- Pre-selection: general posts ALES 60% + language 40%; foreign-language posts ALES 40% + language 60%; vocational schools ALES 70% + undergraduate grade 30%. 10 times the number of posts are called to the entrance exam.
- Entrance exam: oral in units whose field is a foreign language, for the compulsory language course and in programmes taught in a foreign language (at least 60; if the senate so decides, those with 60 or more also sit a written exam and the entrance score is the average of the two), written for all other posts, including international-relations and applied foreign-language units (art. 11(1)).
- Final evaluation: general posts ALES 30%, grade 30%, language 10%, entrance 30%; foreign-language posts 30%, 10%, 30%, 30%; vocational schools ALES 35%, grade 30%, entrance 35%. A score under 65 fails.
Example
General post, ALES 82.5, language 72.5, grade 3.20 (81.33 in YÖK’s table), entrance exam 75: pre-selection 82.5 × 0.6 + 72.5 × 0.4 = 78.5; final 82.5 × 0.3 + 81.33 × 0.3 + 72.5 × 0.1 + 75 × 0.3 = 78.899.
Frequently asked questions
How is the research assistant score worked out?
For general posts, pre-selection is ALES 60% + language 40%; the final score is ALES 30% + undergraduate grade 30% + language 10% + entrance exam 30%. The final score must be at least 65 (arts. 10, 12).
Does this apply to ÖYP?
This page is for today’s hiring rather than ÖYP: research assistant and lecturer posts advertised by universities are filled under this regulation, and YÖK’s priority-field posts fall under its art. 15. If you see a post opened under the faculty development programme (ÖYP), check that announcement’s own conditions.
How is a 4-point grade converted to 100?
Hiring under this regulation uses YÖK’s table of 100-point equivalents of 4-point grades (art. 6(3)). It maps 4.00 to 100, 3.00 to 76.66 and 2.00 to 53.33; the tool reads your grade from it. Shortcuts such as “× 25” do not match the table.
Can I apply without a language score?
Only for vocational-school posts outside foreign-language teaching (art. 14(2)). Other posts need at least 50 and foreign-language posts at least 85; the equivalent of an accepted exam also counts.
What entrance exam score do I need?
Leave the entrance exam field blank and the tool shows the lowest entrance score that, with your other scores, reaches the final pass mark. In oral exams a score under 60 also fails (art. 11(3)).