Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) President Professor Ali Demir said over the weekend that they were studying ways to change the current multiple-choice university examinations, hoping to replace it with an essay-based system.

The ÖSYM, which is in charge of all state placement tests, has been under fire due to the multiple-choice tests used for university placements perceived as unjust by some.

Demir, speaking at a seminar held at Istanbul Şehir University, said developed countries no longer used multiple-choice tests, adding, "We need to prepare ourselves for an essay-based system but this change won't happen overnight." He also criticized multiple-choice tests as tests that transformed students into robots.

Demir, who has been heading the ÖSYM since 2010, said justice was a key ingredient in social peace. "If Turkey is unlike Egypt, Iraq or Syria today, the ÖSYM has played a key part."

There are also plans to hold the University Entrance Examination (YGS) a few times a year instead of the current once a year format to minimize exam stress among students, said Demir, but added that the authority over changes in the YGS belonged to the Higher Education Board (YÖK). He said their deliberations with the YÖK on the matter continued.

The essay-based tests would first be used in examinations held for local administrators due to the small number of applications involved, he said, adding that optic readers could not be used for such tests.