Turkey’s largest LGS project

LGS Arkadaşım

Let’s Achieve Together!

The mission of the project is to provide 8th grade students from all over Turkey with:

  • one-on-one mentoring,
  • free resources,
  • question solving
  • and so much more.
  • Turkey’s largest LGS project
  • Entirely volunteer-run
  • 4 million TL in book support
  • One-on-one mentoring
  • Weekly online exams
  • Learning-outcome analyses
  • Since 2021
  • Students from all over Turkey

Last year, 24 out of 146 students made it into the top 1%.

2 of our students also got a perfect score.

Share of students in the top 1%

Turkey overall 1%
LGS Arkadaşım students 16.4%

LGS 2026, 146 of our students

Total book support

So far we have received 4 million TL worth of book support.

Our publisher sponsors provide books and study resources for the project. Thanks to this support, we help our students get access to the resources they need. We thank every publisher who has contributed.

See our sponsors

Our mission and vision

Our mission

To bring one-to-one mentoring, free resources, question solving and much more to LGS students all over Turkey on a volunteer basis. To make sure every student, whatever city they live in and whatever resources they have, can follow a high-quality, well-planned and closely supported LGS preparation, and to accompany them as they reach their full potential on this journey.

Our vision

We imagine a Turkey where every student preparing for the LGS has a friend by their side, ready to share what they have learned. By growing this network of solidarity, built on equal opportunity and volunteering, every year, we aim to become Turkey’s most comprehensive and most trusted LGS mentoring program, and to help our young volunteers grow into people who add value to society.

Our principles

  • Equal opportunity

    Quality preparation should not depend on the city a student lives in or on what their family can afford. That is why our program is completely free.

  • Volunteering

    Everyone who works on LGS Arkadaşım is a volunteer. Nobody earns money from this work; our only goal is to support our students.

  • Friendship

    Our mentors went down this road only a few years ago and know the excitement and stress of the exam well. We speak the same language as our students and move forward side by side.

  • Order and follow-up

    Weekly exams, learning-outcome analyses and homework keep every student’s work on track, so that no student is left alone on the way.

What exactly do we do?

LGS Arkadaşım is a mentoring and support program, run entirely by volunteers, that prepares 8th grade students for the LGS over a full school year. We match every student with a mentor from one of Turkey’s leading high schools and, through weekly exams, learning-outcome analyses, homework and question-solving classes, make the work regular and measurable. We do not let go of our students after the exam either: we stay by their side during the high school selection period. Throughout the year we also organize seminars on student psychology. LGS Arkadaşım is not a private tutoring or cram-course program: our focus is one-to-one mentoring, free resources and question solving.

  • One-to-one mentoring

    Each student has their own mentor. Mentors contact their students on a regular basis, answer their questions and give advice on how to organise their study.

  • Weekly online exams

    Every week there is an exam taken from various publishers. This way students get to know different question styles and get used to the pace of the exam and to managing their time.

  • Learning-outcome analyses

    Our online system prepares a learning-outcome analysis for every exam. It shows clearly which topics a student is strong in and which ones need more support.

  • Personalised homework

    Mentors look at the analyses and give their students questions and homework on the topics they are missing. The work is shaped around each student’s needs.

  • Question-solving classes on WhatsApp

    A class is opened on WhatsApp for each subject, where our mentors help students by solving the questions they had a hard time with.

  • Morale and motivation

    The LGS is a long and tiring journey. Mentors keep in touch with their students every week, giving them morale on hard days and motivation on good ones.

  • Student psychology seminars

    Throughout the school year we organize seminars on student psychology. We care about supporting students emotionally as well, on the long and tiring road to the LGS.

  • Support in the selection period

    After the exam, mentors stay with their students during the high school selection period and guide them on which school to choose.

  • Resource support

    Thanks to the book support from our publisher sponsors, we help our students get access to study resources.

See how the program runs through the year

Who can apply?

LGS Arkadaşım is designed for 8th grade students who are preparing for the LGS and are looking for support to prepare well.

Student applications are taken every year in September; the dates and the application link are announced on our Instagram account. See our schedule page for the current calendar.

  • 8th grade students

    Our program is for 8th graders who will take the LGS that year.

  • State school or fully funded private school

    Students at state schools can apply, as can students at private schools who are there on a full scholarship.

  • From anywhere in Turkey

    Classes and exams are held online, so it does not matter which city you live in; we accept students from all over Turkey.

  • Completely free

    Neither our students nor their families are asked for any fee.

Which high schools do our mentors come from?

Our mentors are students chosen through interviews from the most outstanding high schools in Turkey. Volunteers from the following schools are part of our team:

  • Koç High School
  • Galatasaray High School
  • Robert College
  • Istanbul Erkek High School
  • Kabataş Erkek High School
  • Üsküdar American Academy
  • and other leading high schools in Istanbul

How are mentors selected?

Every year, students from the major high schools in Istanbul can apply to be mentors. Candidates are chosen through interviews; our aim is to build a team of successful volunteers who can set time aside for their students and keep them motivated.

Where do our students come from?

Our students join from all over Turkey, from state schools and from private schools where they study on a full scholarship. Because classes and exams are held online, there are no geographical limits.

We work entirely on a volunteer basis.

Everyone who works on LGS Arkadaşım is a volunteer. Our mentors are students chosen through interviews from the most outstanding high schools in Turkey. We do not charge our students or their families anything; the program runs on the work of volunteers and the support of our sponsors.

Publishers who support us

So far we have received a total of 4 million TL worth of book support. We sincerely thank Eksen Publishing Group, Paraf Publishing Group, Hız Publications and every publisher that has stood by us in previous years.

Go to our sponsors page

2026-2027 Academic Year Schedule

From mentor applications to exam day, the program moves forward step by step.

  1. July 2026

    Mentor applications

    Mentor applications open at the leading high schools in Istanbul for the program. Candidates are selected through interviews.

  2. 20 September – 1 October 2026

    Student applications

    Applications open for LGS students all over Turkey. The application link is announced on our Instagram account.

  3. Late October 2026

    LGS Arkadaşım begins!

    Mentor-Student Matching. Once applications close, every student is matched with their own mentor and the program officially begins at the end of October.

  4. October 2026 – June 2027

    Weekly program

    Throughout the school year, until the exam, the cycle below repeats every week.

  5. June 2027

    Exam day! LGS 2027

    Mentors also help their students during the high school selection period after the exam.

See the full schedule

What are the duties of a mentor?

  • The mentor will communicate with their student every week.

  • The mentor will give their student homework by looking at the learning-outcome analyses of the weekly online exams, prepared on our online system.

  • The mentor will give their student morale and motivation.

Classes that Students can Take Support on

You can get support in all the classes included in the High School Entrance Exam.

  • Turkish
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History of the Turkish Revolution and Kemalism
  • Religious Culture and Ethics
  • English

Frequently asked questions

Here are the questions people ask us most about the program. If you cannot find what you are looking for, write to us.

See all questions

What is LGS Arkadaşım?

LGS Arkadaşım (My LGS Friend) is an LGS mentoring program founded in 2021 and run entirely on a volunteer basis. It offers 8th grade students all over Turkey one-to-one mentoring, weekly exams, learning-outcome analyses, question-solving classes and support during the high school selection period. It also organizes seminars on student psychology throughout the year.

Does the program cost anything?

No. Because the program is run entirely by volunteers, we do not ask our students or their families for any fee.

Do you offer private tutoring?

No. LGS Arkadaşım does not provide private tutoring or a course. What we offer is one-to-one mentoring, free resources and question solving: every student has their own mentor, who guides them using the weekly exam analyses and helps by solving the questions the student cannot.

Who can apply?

8th grade students who will take the LGS that year can apply. Applicants must be studying at a state school or at a private school on a full scholarship.

When are applications taken?

Student applications are taken every year in September. In 2026-2027 they were open from 20 September to 1 October 2026. We announce the next round on our Instagram account. The program officially starts at the end of October.

Have a question?

If you have any questions, you can fill out the message form.

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