KPSS exam marathon: Some made it just in time, others missed the doors

Some candidates sprinted into their exam centers just before the doors closed. Others arrived too late and could not enter the first sessions of Turkey’s 2026 Public Personnel Selection Examination, known as KPSS.

The General Ability and General Culture sessions, organized by the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center, began at 10:15 a.m. Candidates had arrived at schools in Istanbul from the early morning, reviewing their notes before saying goodbye to family members and friends.

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The process was difficult. I had sleepless days.

The school gates closed at 10 a.m. Candidates were required to leave behind belongings that the examination authorities had prohibited, either with relatives or at designated storage points. At Beylikdüzü Vali Muammer Güler Social Sciences High School, some candidates ran in at the last moment, while others missed the closing time and were not admitted. Relatives waited nearby, some on stools and others in their cars.

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I have a one-and-a-half-year-old son, and I could not give it my full attention while dealing with him, but I tried to study after work.

Özcan Can Polat, a recent history graduate from Yalova University, said he had prepared for about a year and was targeting a score of 80. “The process was difficult. I had sleepless days,” he said. Murat Ersoy, a mechanical engineering graduate working in the private sector, said he studied after work while caring for his 18-month-old son and hoped to secure a public-sector appointment.

Büşra Tarhan, a history teacher who graduated in 2015, said she had studied day and night during the final four months after hearing that many positions would open. She said she managed her preparation with two children and support from her husband, and believed she could score 85.

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I studied day and night during the last four months.

The KPSS field-knowledge exams will be held in three sessions on Sept. 12-13. The first covers public administration, international relations, and labor economics and industrial relations. The second covers law, economics and finance, while the third covers business, accounting and statistics. The KPSS associate-degree exam is scheduled for Oct. 4, the secondary-education exam for Oct. 25, and the Religious Services Field Knowledge Test for Nov. 1. Undergraduate KPSS results are due on Oct. 7.

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I believe I can score 85.