Education in Brazil: school stages, ENEM, FUVEST and professional exams

In short

Brazilian schooling is organised by the Ministry of Education together with state and municipal systems. Basic education ends with the three years of ensino medio, and most students then sit the ENEM, the national secondary education exam. Some universities, such as the University of Sao Paulo, also run their own entrance exams. Professional careers such as law and medicine have their own national licensing or validation exams.

School stages

Basic education covers early childhood education, nine years of ensino fundamental and three years of ensino medio. Public schools are run by municipalities and states, and there is also a large private school sector. Students can also follow technical courses alongside or after ensino medio.

The ENEM

The Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio is run by INEP, the national educational research institute. It covers languages and codes, human sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, together with a written essay. Its results are used for several national admission and funding programmes, and many universities accept it in place of their own entrance exam, so for most students it is the central exam of the final school years.

FUVEST

FUVEST is the entrance exam for the University of Sao Paulo. It is taken in two phases. The first phase is a test of general knowledge across the school subjects, and candidates who pass it move to a second phase with more detailed subject papers, depending on the course they chose.

Professional exams

• OAB exam: law graduates need to succeed in the Brazilian Bar Association exam before they can practise as lawyers. It has an objective first phase and a second phase on a practical, professional area chosen by the candidate.
• Revalida: doctors with a diploma from a foreign medical school must validate it in Brazil through the national Revalida exam, which has a written stage and a practical stage.

Studying in Brazil

Portuguese is the language of instruction and of the exams. English is taught as a foreign language and is useful for university study and for careers abroad. Brazil is a large country, and exam dates, registration rules and fees are set by the organisers each year, so students should rely on the official announcements.

Preparing for Brazilian exams

Preparation for the ENEM and FUVEST often starts in the first year of ensino medio. A useful method is to cover each subject by topic, solve past-style questions on a timer and keep a notebook of the mistakes that repeat. For the ENEM essay, practise a clear argument with a proposal for action and ask a teacher to read it. For the OAB, work through the main areas of law and practise reading case problems carefully, because many wrong answers come from small details in the question. Doctors preparing for the Revalida should combine clinical knowledge with practice for the practical stage.

Teachers can set a mock test or a flashcard deck as homework for a class, and parents can follow a child's progress from a family group. Both are free.

Preparing with GetMyMockTest

GetMyMockTest offers free practice in English for the exams below. Check the official format and dates with the organisers.

• ENEM: practice across the main areas of the exam.
• FUVEST: practice for the first phase subjects.
• OAB exam: law practice questions for the first phase.
• Revalida: clinical practice for the written stage.
• General knowledge: questions on Brazil's history, geography, science and culture.