Can TOEFL Replace YDS? The Official Turkish Equivalency Table

There's a lot of conflicting information about this online. Some sites say IELTS counts toward YDS, others say it doesn't. Both are half-right, because the rule changed in 2014 and a lot of pages still copy the old table. We went to ÖSYM's current official document directly.

The short answer

ÖSYM's "International Foreign Language Exam Equivalencies Document", updated 11 March 2025, accepts only these English exams as equivalent to YDS: TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C2 Proficiency, Cambridge C1 Advanced, Cambridge Linguaskill General, Oxford Test of English Advanced, and Oxford Test of English. IELTS is not on that list.

Why IELTS isn't on the list

This is the part most sources skip, and it's actually worth knowing. IELTS was on the YDS equivalency table until 2014, when ÖSYM removed it.

According to the then-president of ÖSYM, Ali Demir, the reason was this: some candidates who consistently scored low on ÖSYM's own exams showed unexpectedly large jumps in score when they sat IELTS instead. ÖSYM asked the organisations administering IELTS for original result documents and exam papers to investigate, and those requests were refused on confidentiality grounds. Unable to verify the scores, ÖSYM removed IELTS from the equivalency table entirely.

What your TOEFL iBT score is worth in YDS terms

ÖSYM's table is built on TOEFL's old 0-120 scale. TOEFL moved to a new 1-6 scoring system on 21 January 2026, but this is the equivalency table that's currently in force:

But where does this score actually help you

This is the part that confuses people most. "Equivalent to YDS" doesn't mean the same thing everywhere.

1. What do you need the score for?
   1. Master's / doctoral application
      1. Usually yes, subject to the university's own admission requirement
   2. Academic post / associate professorship
      1. Yes, valid under the official equivalency document
   3. Language allowance
      1. No, no international exam qualifiesOnly ÖSYM's own exams (YDS, e-YDS, YÖKDİL, e-YÖKDİL) can be used
   4. University prep exemption
      1. Depends on that university's own policyNot ÖSYM's document - each university sets its own senate decision

So three separate rules are actually in play:

1. Academic purposes (graduate admission, academic appointment): ÖSYM's official equivalency document applies. TOEFL iBT counts as a YDS equivalent here.
2. Language allowance: No international exam qualifies - not TOEFL, not IELTS. Only ÖSYM's own exams (YDS, e-YDS, YÖKDİL, e-YÖKDİL) can be used.
3. University prep exemption: This is entirely separate from ÖSYM's document. Each university decides for itself, by its own senate resolution, which exams and scores it accepts - some do accept IELTS, some don't.

This is where most people make the wrong call, because these three rules get mixed together. A friend telling you "my TOEFL score worked" doesn't mean it will work for your specific purpose - it depends entirely on what you're using it for.

It's worth checking this before you spend money on an exam, not after. A TOEFL score that's perfectly valid for one purpose can be completely useless for another, and the fee for retaking either exam is not small. The safest habit is to write down exactly what you need the score for, then check that specific purpose's rule - ÖSYM's document, the language allowance regulation, or your own university's senate decision - rather than assuming one score works everywhere the way it worked for someone else.

What to actually do

Before booking a TOEFL or PTE test, check one thing first: where will you use the score?

• If you want a language allowance, TOEFL won't help you at all - you need to sit YDS or e-YDS directly.
• If it's for an academic application, aim for the score in ÖSYM's equivalency document, but also check the specific institution's own minimum - some universities ask for a higher TOEFL score than ÖSYM's equivalent.
• If you want to be exempt from university prep, forget the ÖSYM table entirely and check what your own School of Foreign Languages actually accepts.

If you're not sure which exam to sit

Sometimes the fastest path isn't retaking YDS again and again - it's choosing the right exam for your actual goal from the start. A conversation with a teacher can clarify which exam actually serves your situation, and how ready your English is for it.

LingoPath's one-to-one English lessons work toward your goal, whether that's YDS/YÖKDİL or TOEFL and IELTS.

Reserve your free trial lesson and work out the right exam and preparation path with a teacher.

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The equivalency scores in this article come from ÖSYM's official "International Foreign Language Exam Equivalencies Document," updated 11 March 2025. ÖSYM revises this document periodically - always check the current table before you rely on it.

• ÖSYM - International Foreign Language Exam Equivalencies - the official document and current table
• ÖSYM equivalency document dated 11.03.2025 (PDF) - full table, page 3
• Memurlar.Net - IELTS equivalency removed - news coverage of the 2014 decision
• METU Human Resources - equivalency tables - confirms IELTS was removed on 14.02.2014