ALES Score Calculator - Estimate Numerical, Verbal and Equal-Weight Scores from Nets
Estimate your ALES score
| Test | Correct | Wrong | Net | Standard score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numerical / 50 | 30 | 67 | ||
| Verbal / 50 | 30 | 57 |
Exam statistics used (mean and standard deviation of nets)
Estimate. ÖSYM converts nets to standard scores with the mean and standard deviation of all candidates in the sitting, then applies 70 + 30·[2(AP − X) − S] / [2(B − X) − S], where AP is your weighted score, X its mean (50 by construction), S its standard deviation and B the highest AP. X and S above are editable; B is taken from a full-net candidate. Net = correct minus a quarter of wrong. Parameter set: 2026
How ALES is scored
ALES, the Academic Personnel and Graduate Education Entrance Exam, has two tests of 50 questions each, numerical and verbal. Four wrong answers cancel one correct answer. ÖSYM converts each test's net into a standard score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10, combines the two with weights for each score type, and rescales the result to 0 to 100. The numerical score weights the numerical test at 75 percent, the verbal score weights the verbal test at 75 percent, and the equal-weight score uses 50 percent each. This tool reproduces that chain with typical exam statistics.
Steps
- 1 Enter your correct and wrong answers for the numerical and verbal tests; nets and standard scores update immediately.
- 2 Read the three score types. The equal-weight score is what most social-science programmes ask for, the numerical score most engineering and science programmes.
- 3 If ÖSYM has published the mean and standard deviation of the sitting you took, enter them under the statistics panel for a closer estimate.
Why nets alone do not give the score
The same 30 nets can be worth 70 in a hard sitting where the average candidate scores 12, and 65 in an easier one where the average is 15. Standard scoring expresses your net as a distance from the mean in units of the standard deviation, so difficulty cancels out. This is why ÖSYM cannot publish a fixed net-to-score table and why every calculator before results day is an estimate.
The three score types
ALES numerical, verbal and equal-weight scores are weighted combinations of the two standard scores: 75 and 25 for numerical, 25 and 75 for verbal, 50 and 50 for equal weight. Graduate programmes state which type they use and the minimum, commonly 55 for master's and doctorate admission under YÖK's regulation, with higher cut-offs at competitive departments. Academic staff appointments typically require 70.
Validity and the 100-point ceiling
ALES scores are valid for five years. The 100-point conversion is fixed by the guide: 70 + 30·[2(AP − X) − S] / [2(B − X) − S]. The highest weighted score in the sitting, B, maps to exactly 100, a candidate half a standard deviation above the mean lands on 70, and results below zero are reported as 0. Before results day B and S are unknown; this tool takes B from a candidate with full nets in both tests and lets you edit S.
Limits of this estimate
The mean and standard deviation are typical values, not those of your sitting. Expect the official score to differ by a few points, more when a sitting is unusually easy or hard. Use the tool for practice tests and target setting; the official ÖSYM result is the only authoritative score.