COMIPEMS
Metropolitan Commission
Complete guide to passing the COMIPEMS exam on your first attempt.
~$20
~85%
1 year
Mexico
Metropolitan Commission
High school placement
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Complete Overview
COMIPEMS no longer exists. The single admission exam that assigned public upper secondary school places across the Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico was eliminated, and since 2025 the process has been run by ECOEMS, the Espacio de Coordinacion de la Educacion Media Superior, through the government platform Mi derecho, mi lugar at miderechomilugar.gob.mx. Registration is free. An exam is now taken only by students who want a place at UNAM or IPN, and for those students the fee is MXN 400 when the first option is a UNAM school, or a voluntary contribution to the IPN Patronato Corazon Guinda y Blanco when the first option is an IPN school.
The candidates are the same as before: students in the third year of secundaria, people who already hold a secondary certificate, and graduates of INEA adult education services, across Mexico City and 22 conurbated municipalities of the Estado de Mexico. What changed is how places are allocated. There are three participation modalities. Modality 1 is direct access without an exam, where you list between five and ten options and assignment runs on your stated order of preference and availability. Modality 2 is the exam route, where you list up to five IPN options and five UNAM options. Modality 3 is mixed, allowing up to 20 options in total. Under modality 3, if you are not assigned by exam you receive a place from the no-exam part of your list.
The exam itself is 128 multiple choice questions with a maximum of three effective hours, taken online at home through the LockDown Browser secure browser with webcam and microphone monitoring. It cannot be taken on a phone or a tablet. IPN and UNAM assign places based on the number of correct answers, the order of preference you registered, availability, and a minimum secundaria average of 7.0.
The 2026 calendar ran as follows: the convocatoria was published on 13 February 2026, registration ran from 17 March and was extended to 17 April, exam registration and payment ran from 18 to 22 May, photograph capture from 19 to 27 May, secure browser download from 8 to 12 June, a compulsory simulator from 16 to 19 June, the exam itself from 20 to 28 June on an assigned date and time, and results on 18 August 2026. A separate in-person sitting for candidates with disabilities ran on 24 June.
The Secretaria de Educacion Publica reported on 18 August 2026 that 141,738 of the more than 191,000 participants were assigned to their first option and that 99.2 percent were placed within their first three options. For comparison, 47,967 candidates reached their first option under COMIPEMS in 2024. After the 2025 round the SEP also reported that 80 percent of new entrants study less than 7 kilometres from home. Anyone still preparing for a paper COMIPEMS exam with a pencil and an answer sheet is preparing for a process that has been retired.
Why Get COMIPEMS Certified?
Registration through Mi derecho, mi lugar is free. Only UNAM and IPN options carry a payment, and for a UNAM first option that payment is MXN 400.
In 2026 the Secretaria de Educacion Publica assigned 141,738 of more than 191,000 participants to their first option, and 99.2 percent were placed within their first three options.
After the first round in 2025 the SEP reported that 80 percent of new entrants study less than 7 kilometres from home, and that 68.4 percent were placed in their first option.
The exam route gives access to UNAM's ENP and CCH schools and to IPN's CECyT and vocational schools, which no other admission process reaches.
You can register up to 20 options in the mixed modality, which protects you: if the exam does not place you, you are assigned from the no-exam part of your list.
The official study guide for the IPN-UNAM exam is included in the exam payment, so there is no separate purchase needed for the primary preparation material.
The exam is delivered online from home, which removes the travel and venue cost that the old COMIPEMS sitting required.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
Maximum 3 effective hours from your scheduled start time. You may log in 15 minutes early, but the exam starts at the exact time on your Cita de examen and lost time is not restored.
Questions
128 multiple choice questions
Passing Score
There is no pass mark. IPN and UNAM assign places by the number of correct answers, your registered order of preference, availability at each school, and a minimum secundaria average of 7.0.
Question Types
- Multiple choice, one correct answer per item
Delivery Method
Online from any location, on a Windows or macOS desktop or laptop with webcam and microphone, using the LockDown Browser secure browser. Phones, tablets and similar devices cannot be used. A separate in-person sitting is provided for candidates with disabilities.
How scoring works
Score scale
Raw correct answers, called aciertos, out of 128. There is no scaled score and no published conversion.
Score needed to pass
None published. IPN and UNAM assign places to candidates with a minimum secundaria average of 7.0, working down from the highest number of correct answers and honouring each candidate's registered order of preference until each school's places are filled.
When results arrive
In the 2026 cycle results were published on 18 August. The Gaceta Electronica de Resultados on miderechomilugar.gob.mx is the only official document, and the individual result and diagnostic available on the exam portal are informative only, with no official validity.
How the scale is built
The exam is a fixed 128-item multiple choice test with one correct answer per item. Nothing in the instructivo describes a penalty for a wrong answer, so an unanswered item can only cost you. Because assignment runs on aciertos plus preference order plus availability, the effective threshold for a given school is determined each year by how many higher-scoring candidates listed it, not by a standard set in advance.
Pacing and time budget
128 questions in 180 minutes gives you 1 minute 24 seconds on average across all 128 questions per question.
Minute 45
32 questions, one quarter of the exam, which confirms you are on the 1 minute 24 second pace
Minute 90
64 questions, exactly half, the point at which a deficit is still recoverable
Minute 135
96 questions, three quarters, leaving 45 minutes for the last 32
Minute 170
All 128, with the final ten minutes reserved for the items you flagged and for filling in any blank
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| Minute 45 | 32 questions, one quarter of the exam, which confirms you are on the 1 minute 24 second pace |
| Minute 90 | 64 questions, exactly half, the point at which a deficit is still recoverable |
| Minute 135 | 96 questions, three quarters, leaving 45 minutes for the last 32 |
| Minute 170 | All 128, with the final ten minutes reserved for the items you flagged and for filling in any blank |
- Answer every question. No penalty for a wrong answer is described in the instructivo, so a blank item is a guaranteed zero while a guess is not.
- Two blank sheets, a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener are the only permitted materials, and you must destroy the sheets in front of the camera when you finish. Plan what deserves written working: multi-step mathematics and physics unit conversions, not arithmetic you can do mentally.
- Reasoning items reward speed and content items reward recall. Move fast through habilidad verbal and habilidad matematica to bank time for mathematics and the sciences.
- Log in fifteen minutes early. The clock starts at the exact time on your Cita de examen whether you are in the platform or not, and lost minutes are not returned.
- If a technical problem interrupts you, use the platform chat immediately, because the instructivo states time consumed during an anomaly is not restored and any failure must be reported within 24 hours.
Where the marks are
Habilidad verbal
not published
Analogies, sentence completion and reading comprehension improve faster than any content subject, and they require no memorisation, so they return the most points per hour of study.
Habilidad matematica
not published
Series, proportional reasoning and word problems solved without a calculator. The difficulty is the clock rather than the mathematics, which makes timed drilling the effective preparation.
Matematicas
not published
Concrete secundaria content: fractions, linear and quadratic equations, area and volume, Pythagoras and probability. Studying it converts directly into correct answers.
Espanol
not published
Accentuation, spelling and punctuation are rule-based and predictable, so disciplined revision produces near-certain points where reasoning subjects cannot.
Ciencias sociales
not published
World history, Mexican history, geography and civics together form a large block of memorisable content, and Mexican history in particular rewards chronological study because each period explains the next.
Biologia
not published
The most diagram-driven area of the exam. Cell structure, body systems, genetics and ecosystems are learned faster by drawing and labelling than by reading.
Fisica y quimica
not published
Content is limited to basic secundaria formulas and the periodic table. Unit conversion errors in physics and misreading the periodic table in chemistry cause most of the lost marks.
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Habilidad verbal | not published | Analogies, sentence completion and reading comprehension improve faster than any content subject, and they require no memorisation, so they return the most points per hour of study. |
| Habilidad matematica | not published | Series, proportional reasoning and word problems solved without a calculator. The difficulty is the clock rather than the mathematics, which makes timed drilling the effective preparation. |
| Matematicas | not published | Concrete secundaria content: fractions, linear and quadratic equations, area and volume, Pythagoras and probability. Studying it converts directly into correct answers. |
| Espanol | not published | Accentuation, spelling and punctuation are rule-based and predictable, so disciplined revision produces near-certain points where reasoning subjects cannot. |
| Ciencias sociales | not published | World history, Mexican history, geography and civics together form a large block of memorisable content, and Mexican history in particular rewards chronological study because each period explains the next. |
| Biologia | not published | The most diagram-driven area of the exam. Cell structure, body systems, genetics and ecosystems are learned faster by drawing and labelling than by reading. |
| Fisica y quimica | not published | Content is limited to basic secundaria formulas and the periodic table. Unit conversion errors in physics and misreading the periodic table in chemistry cause most of the lost marks. |
The numbers
128 multiple choice questions in a maximum of 3 effective hours
Exam length
Source: Instructivo del examen IPN-UNAM, Proceso de Asignacion 2026, DGAE-UNAM and DAE-IPN
MXN 400 for a UNAM first option, in a single non-refundable payment; a voluntary contribution to the IPN Patronato Corazon Guinda y Blanco for an IPN first option
Exam fee
Source: Instructivo del examen IPN-UNAM, Etapa 1, Proceso de Asignacion 2026
141,738 of more than 191,000 participants assigned to their first option, and 99.2 percent placed within their first three options, against 47,967 first-option placements under COMIPEMS in 2024
First-option placement, 2026
Source: Secretaria de Educacion Publica, Boletin 267, 18 August 2026, gob.mx
80 percent of new entrants study less than 7 kilometres from home. In the 2025 round 68.4 percent were placed in their first option, 21.1 percent in their second and 7.9 percent in their third
Distance from home
Source: Secretaria de Educacion Publica, Boletin 76, 23 February 2026, gob.mx
A secundaria average of 7.0, applied alongside correct answers, preference order and availability
Minimum academic requirement for UNAM and IPN
Source: Instructivo del examen IPN-UNAM and Convocatoria ECOEMS 2026, DGAE-UNAM and DAE-IPN
Registration 17 March to 17 April; payment 18 to 22 May; photograph 19 to 27 May; secure browser 8 to 12 June; simulator 16 to 19 June; online exam 20 to 28 June, with the in-person sitting for candidates with disabilities on 24 June; results 18 August
2026 process dates
Source: Cronograma Ingreso a Bachillerato 2026, dgae.unam.mx, and Instructivo del examen IPN-UNAM
If you fail
Wait before retaking
There is no retake inside a cycle. You sit the exam once, on the single date and time printed on your Cita de examen, and the instructivo states there is no change of date or time. The next opportunity is the following annual process.
Attempt limit
No limit is published on how many annual cycles you may enter. UNAM and IPN do apply their own exclusions: UNAM bars re-entry to a CCH or ENP system where you already had a trajectory and applies generation rules from the Reglamento General de Inscripciones, and IPN refuses entry to anyone who holds an upper secondary boleta, is enrolled, or previously enrolled and withdrew.
Retake fee
The full fee again in a later cycle. Payments are never refunded, and the instructivo states this explicitly for the IPN contribution. Registration for no-exam options remains free in any cycle.
The safety net inside the same cycle is not a retake but the extemporaneous registration period after results, which ran from 19 to 26 August 2026 and which the SEP says covers two groups: those who never started or never completed ordinary registration, and those who listed only UNAM or IPN options and did not get a favourable exam result. Registering in the mixed modality with up to 20 options avoids needing it, because an unsuccessful exam leads to assignment from the no-exam part of your list. A cancelled exam is a different matter: if any of the twelve prohibited behaviours is confirmed, the exam is annulled, and the instructivo warns that annulment can follow even after assignment and enrolment.
Exam Domains & Topics
Verbal reasoning. ECOEMS, UNAM and IPN do not publish a per-subject item count for the 128-question exam, so any distribution you see quoted comes from study guide publishers rather than the institutions.
Key Topics to Master:
- Reading comprehension of short passages
- Identifying the main idea and the author's purpose
- Vocabulary in context, synonyms and antonyms
- Analogies and relationships between word pairs
- Completing sentences with the option that preserves meaning
- Inference from stated information
Mathematical reasoning. Tests problem solving under time pressure rather than recall of formulas.
Key Topics to Master:
- Numeric and figural series
- Proportional reasoning and rule of three problems
- Word problems requiring translation into an equation
- Interpreting tables, charts and simple statistics
- Spatial reasoning with figures and rotations
- Estimation and order of magnitude checks
Curriculum mathematics from the three years of secundaria.
Key Topics to Master:
- Operations with integers, fractions and decimals
- Powers, roots and scientific notation
- Algebraic expressions, linear equations and systems of two equations
- Quadratic equations and factorisation
- Perimeter, area and volume of standard figures and solids
- Pythagoras, similarity and basic trigonometric ratios
- Probability and basic descriptive statistics
Spanish language rules rather than reasoning. Predictable content that rewards disciplined revision.
Key Topics to Master:
- Accentuation rules, including diacritical accents
- Spelling of commonly confused letter pairs
- Punctuation, especially comma and semicolon use
- Parts of speech and sentence structure
- Verb tenses and agreement
- Text types and their features
- Literary genres and figures of speech
The three experimental sciences as taught across secundaria.
Key Topics to Master:
- Biology: cell structure, human body systems, genetics and inheritance, ecosystems and energy flow, evolution, health and nutrition
- Physics: motion, speed and acceleration, forces and Newton's laws, work, energy and power, heat and temperature, waves, electricity and magnetism
- Physics units, since unit conversion errors are the common trap
- Chemistry: the periodic table and how to read it rather than memorise it
- Chemistry: atomic structure, chemical bonds, reactions and balancing equations, mixtures and separation methods, acids and bases
The social science content of the secundaria curriculum, split across world history, Mexican history, geography and civics.
Key Topics to Master:
- World history: ancient civilisations, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, revolutions, the two world wars, the Cold War
- Mexican history: prehispanic civilisations, conquest and colony, independence, reform, Porfiriato, revolution, twentieth century Mexico
- Geography: physical geography, climate, natural regions, population and migration, economic activity, map reading
- Civics and ethics: rights and obligations, the Mexican constitution, forms of government and division of powers
- Civics and ethics: democracy, citizen participation, human rights, diversity and discrimination
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Read the ECOEMS convocatoria on miderechomilugar.gob.mx in full, since the process replaced COMIPEMS and older advice no longer applies
- 2Obtain your Llave MX at llave.gob.mx, because registration is impossible without it
- 3Decide your modality: direct access without exam, exam for IPN and UNAM, or mixed
- 4Check that you will hold a Certificado de Educacion Secundaria, since assignment is only made to candidates who have one
- 5If you are aiming at IPN or UNAM, confirm you will reach the minimum secundaria average of 7.0
- 1Read the catalogo de opciones educativas published on miderechomilugar.gob.mx from the start of registration
- 2In the no-exam modality, choose between five and ten options; in the mixed modality you may register up to 20
- 3Order your list honestly by preference, because the SEP states that this order is the assignment criterion
- 4Use the distance data: the SEP reports 80 percent of new entrants now study within 7 kilometres of home, so nearby options are realistic ones
- 5Have a parent or guardian read the list with you, since the registration of a minor is a shared responsibility under the instructivo
- 1Sit a full 128-question practice exam in one three-hour block to find your starting point
- 2Score by subject area so you know where your correct answers actually come from
- 3Note where you ran out of time rather than out of knowledge, which is a different problem
- 4Download the official guide from the exam portal once your payment is processed, since it is included in the fee
- 5Register for Prueb@te UNAM Bachillerato at pruebate.bach.unam.mx, noting that its cost is not included in the exam payment
- 1Work analogies daily until you can name the relationship type before looking at the options
- 2Read one non-fiction article a day and write the main idea in a single sentence
- 3Build a vocabulary list from words you meet in practice items rather than from a generic list
- 4Practise sentence completion by predicting the missing word before reading the choices
- 5Time yourself: verbal items should take well under the overall average of 1 minute 24 seconds each
- 1Drill numeric and figural series until you recognise the common patterns on sight
- 2Practise proportional reasoning and rule of three problems without a calculator, since calculators are prohibited
- 3Work word problems by translating each sentence into an equation before solving
- 4Practise reading tables and charts and answering only what the question asked
- 5Do mental arithmetic daily so paper is used for working rather than for basic operations
- 1Review operations with fractions, decimals and negative numbers until they are automatic
- 2Solve linear equations and systems of two equations by both substitution and elimination
- 3Factorise and solve quadratics, and know when the quadratic formula is faster than factorising
- 4Revise perimeter, area and volume formulas and practise applying them to composite figures
- 5Work Pythagoras and similarity problems, then basic trigonometric ratios
- 1Learn the accentuation rules systematically: agudas, graves, esdrujulas and sobresdrujulas, then diacritical accents
- 2Drill the commonly confused letter pairs until spelling items are automatic
- 3Revise punctuation rules with real sentences rather than isolated rules
- 4Revise verb tenses and subject-verb agreement
- 5Learn literary genres and the main figures of speech with one clear example each
- 1Draw the cell and label it from memory, since biology is the most visual area of the exam
- 2Draw and label the human body systems, one per day
- 3Work Mendelian genetics problems with Punnett squares
- 4Diagram energy flow through an ecosystem and the main biogeochemical cycles
- 5Revise health, nutrition and reproduction, which are standard secundaria content
- 1Build a formula sheet for motion, force, work, energy and power, then rebuild it from memory
- 2Practise unit conversion deliberately, because units are the most frequent source of wrong answers in physics items
- 3Practise reading the periodic table rather than memorising elements: groups, periods, atomic number and mass
- 4Balance chemical equations until the method is mechanical
- 5Revise acids and bases, mixtures and separation methods
- 1Build one timeline for world history and one for Mexican history, and study in chronological order
- 2Revise Mexican history in sequence, since each period explains the next
- 3Study geography on maps rather than from lists of names
- 4Revise climate, natural regions, population and economic activity
- 5Use spaced repetition for dates: short daily reviews beat one long session
- 1Revise rights and obligations, the constitution, division of powers and forms of government
- 2Revise democracy, participation, human rights and discrimination
- 3Download and install the LockDown Browser during the published window, on the exact computer you will use
- 4Uninstall any screen recording software, because the secure browser detects it and will not run
- 5Test the webcam and microphone with the practice check, and repeat it up to 72 hours before the exam
- 1Sit the official simulator at the exact date and time on your Cita de examen, since there is no rescheduling and it is compulsory
- 2Use the simulator to fix lighting, camera angle and background, because the AI monitoring flags images of people in the background
- 3Sit two more full 128-question rehearsals in three-hour blocks
- 4Rehearse with only the permitted materials: two blank sheets, pencil, eraser and sharpener
- 5Confirm your exam date and time from Documento B and tell everyone in the house
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Best Study Resources
Mi derecho, mi lugar (miderechomilugar.gob.mx)
Official platformThe government platform that runs the whole assignment process: registration, the catalogo de opciones educativas, the instructivo, the requirements document and the Gaceta Electronica de Resultados.
Free
Llave MX (llave.gob.mx)
Official identity serviceThe digital identity key required to register. The SEP states that applicants must obtain it before registration, so it is the first step, not a formality to leave until later.
Free
Instructivo del examen IPN-UNAM
Official rules documentPublished by DGAE-UNAM and DAE-IPN. It contains the calendar, the technical requirements, the list of permitted materials and the twelve behaviours that cancel your exam. It is the single most important document for the exam route.
Free
Official guide for the IPN-UNAM exam
Study guideDownloadable from the Guia tab on the exam portal after payment, available from 19 May to 19 June in the 2026 cycle. Written by the institutions that write the exam.
Included in the exam payment
Prueb@te UNAM Bachillerato
Official web appA UNAM and IPN study tool for reviewing your academic position, at pruebate.bach.unam.mx. The instructivo states plainly that registering for it does not guarantee assignment and does not replace registration or payment.
Not included in the exam payment
Official exam simulator on the ipn-unam.edtest.ai platform
Compulsory rehearsalAn exact replica of the exam conditions, lasting roughly 20 to 30 minutes. It does not count towards your result, and its questions bear no relation to the real exam content or question count. Its purpose is to prove your equipment and space work.
Free, included
Catalogo de opciones educativas
Official referencePublished on the platform at the start of registration, listing every participating school with its requirements. Reading it is how you build a preference list that will actually place you.
Free
ECOEMS institutional mesas de ayuda
Official supportUNAM at Av. del Iman 7, Ciudad Universitaria, and IPN at Modulo 4 of the Departamento de Admision in Zacatenco, plus published phone lines. A minor must attend with a parent or guardian carrying photo identification.
Free
Technical support desk for the online exam
Official supportReachable through the platform chat, by WhatsApp message and by email to [email protected]. Any technical failure must be reported within 24 hours of finishing the exam.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Preparing for COMIPEMS
COMIPEMS was eliminated and replaced by the ECOEMS process on the Mi derecho, mi lugar platform. Registration now runs through a government portal with three modalities, and an exam applies only to UNAM and IPN options. Old guides describe a process that no longer runs.
Expecting a paper exam at an assigned venue
The IPN-UNAM exam is taken online through the LockDown Browser on a Windows or macOS computer with webcam and microphone. It cannot be sat on a phone or tablet. Only candidates with disabilities have an in-person sitting, which in 2026 was on 24 June.
Leaving the payment to the last day
The payment window is five days and there is no extension. In 2026 the deposit slip had to be downloaded by 15:00 on 22 May and the payment registered by 15:59 the same day. The instructivo states there is no prorroga and no refund.
Skipping the simulator
The simulator is compulsory and runs only at the date and time on your Cita de examen, with no changes possible. It is the only chance to fix your camera, microphone, connection and room before the real exam, and the instructivo warns that time lost to a problem on exam day is not restored.
Sitting the exam with posters, dolls or pictures of people in the background
The instructivo states the AI monitoring is designed to detect the possible presence of other people, so images of people in the background can trigger an incident. Clear the wall behind you and avoid sitting with a light source behind your head.
Wearing headphones or a cap
The instructivo prohibits headphones and earphones of any kind, since the exam has no audio content, and prohibits covering your face or head with hats, scarves, caps, sunglasses or face masks. Prescription glasses are the only permitted accessory.
Bringing a calculator
Books, notebooks, crib sheets, calculators, phones, smart watches, tablets, portable consoles and cameras are all prohibited. The only permitted materials are two blank sheets of paper, a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener, and you must destroy the sheets on camera at the end.
Listing only aspirational schools
Assignment runs on your registered order of preference and availability. The no-exam modality asks for five to ten options and the mixed modality allows up to 20. A short list of highly demanded schools is how a candidate ends up in the extemporaneous round.
Ignoring the secundaria average
The SEP states that IPN and UNAM assign places to candidates with a minimum secundaria average of 7.0, alongside correct answers, preference order and availability. A strong exam score does not compensate for falling below that threshold.
Paying for a guaranteed place
UNAM and IPN state that they have no agreements with any organisation or person offering preparation courses with guarantees of admission, that any such offer is false, and that paying for exam questions makes you a fraud victim and a participant in a reportable offence. The process is audited in the presence of a notary.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Log in up to 15 minutes early, but know the exam starts at the exact time on your Cita de examen and any time lost by arriving late is not restored.
- 2
Close every program before opening the secure browser, and make sure screen recording software is uninstalled, because LockDown Browser will refuse to run if it detects it.
- 3
Clean the webcam lens so the image transmits clearly, and set the camera so your whole face is visible for the full three hours.
- 4
Lay out exactly the permitted materials: two blank sheets, a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener. Nothing else on the desk.
- 5
Position the camera so it can also see your working paper, since the instructivo requires the camera's field of view to include the materials you use.
- 6
Expect the platform to ask you to show your surroundings on camera at specific moments during the exam. That is normal and is not a sign of suspicion.
- 7
Looking down to work on your permitted paper is explicitly not grounds for cancellation, and neither is background noise, as long as nobody interacts with you about the content.
- 8
Do not read the questions aloud. Reading exam content aloud is one of the twelve listed grounds for cancelling your exam.
- 9
Use the platform chat if you need to leave the camera's field of view, because unauthorised absence from view is grounds for cancellation.
- 10
Destroy your working sheets in front of the camera when you finish, as the instructivo requires.
- 11
If you have a technical failure, report it within 24 hours of finishing through the support channels, or through the DGAE help link if the support desk cannot resolve it.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
UNAM: Escuela Nacional Preparatoria or Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades
Reached through modality 2 or 3 with up to five UNAM options listed. Students who previously had a trajectory in the ENP or CCH cannot re-enter the same system through this process, and generation rules under the Reglamento General de Inscripciones restrict older applicants.
Exam route only, assigned on correct answers, preference order, availability and a minimum secundaria average of 7.0
IPN: CECyT and vocational schools
Reached through modality 2 or 3 with up to five IPN options listed. Entry is refused to anyone who already holds an IPN boleta at upper secondary level, is currently enrolled, or previously enrolled and withdrew.
Exam route only, with a voluntary contribution to the Patronato Corazon Guinda y Blanco instead of the UNAM fee of MXN 400
Colegio de Bachilleres, IEMS and DGB schools
General bachillerato preparing for university entrance. Available in modality 1 with no exam and no fee, and as the safety net in modality 3 if the exam does not place you.
Direct access without an exam, assigned on preference order and availability among five to ten listed options
CONALEP and technical schools including DGETI and DGETAyCM
Vocational and technical routes that give a professional technical qualification as well as continued study options. Part of the ECOEMS group and available without an exam.
Direct access without an exam, with a technical qualification alongside the bachillerato certificate
Estado de Mexico options: SECTI and UAEMex
Schools run by the Secretaria de Educacion, Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion of the Estado de Mexico and by the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, both members of ECOEMS.
Direct access for the 22 conurbated municipalities covered by the process, assigned on preference and availability
Extemporaneous registration
The SEP states that candidates not assigned by exam under modality 2 may register in the extemporaneous period for no-exam options with capacity. It is the route back into the system rather than a lost year.
Available after results are published, for no-exam options that still have places
Prerequisites & Requirements
- Be in the third year of secundaria, hold a secondary certificate, or be a graduate of INEA adult education services.
- Obtain a Llave MX digital identity at llave.gob.mx before registering, because registration on miderechomilugar.gob.mx depends on it.
- Hold a Certificado de Educacion Secundaria by the assignment stage. The SEP states places are assigned only to candidates who have one, and IPN will not enrol on provisional certificates or grade slips.
- For UNAM and IPN options, a minimum secundaria average of 7.0.
- For the exam route, a Windows or macOS desktop or laptop with a working webcam and microphone, at least 2 GB of RAM, 200 MB of free storage and a connection of at least 2 megabytes per second. Phones and tablets cannot run the secure browser.
- Payment of MXN 400 if your first option is a UNAM school, or the voluntary contribution to the IPN Patronato Corazon Guinda y Blanco if your first option is an IPN school. There is no fee for the no-exam modality.
- If you are a minor, a parent or legal guardian shares responsibility for registration and for completing every stage on time.
- Attendance in person for the photograph, unless your registered address is outside Mexico City and the Estado de Mexico, in which case you upload a photograph and identification instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the COMIPEMS exam still exist?
No. It was eliminated and replaced by the ECOEMS assignment process run through the Mi derecho, mi lugar platform. An exam now applies only to candidates choosing UNAM or IPN options. Everyone else is assigned without sitting an exam.
What does it cost?
Registration is free. If your first option is a UNAM school, the exam payment is MXN 400 in a single payment. If your first option is an IPN school, you make a voluntary contribution to the IPN Patronato Corazon Guinda y Blanco instead, obtained through the QR code on your photograph appointment document. Neither payment is refundable.
How many questions does the exam have and how long is it?
128 multiple choice questions, with a maximum of three effective hours from your scheduled start time. The instructivo states that three hours is considered enough time to answer all 128 questions working continuously.
How are places actually assigned?
For UNAM and IPN, by the number of correct answers, your registered order of preference, availability at each school, and a minimum secundaria average of 7.0. For no-exam options, by preference order and availability alone. The SEP states explicitly that the order in which you list your options is an assignment criterion.
Is there a passing score?
No. There is no fixed pass mark. Your correct answer count determines which of your listed options you can reach, so the effective threshold is set each year by demand for each school rather than published in advance.
What can I take into the exam?
Two blank sheets of paper, a pencil, an eraser and a sharpener. Nothing else. You must destroy the sheets you used in front of the camera when you finish.
Can I use a calculator?
No. Calculators are on the prohibited list along with books, notebooks, crib sheets, phones, smart watches, tablets, portable consoles and cameras. Using any of them cancels your exam.
Can I take the exam on a phone or tablet?
No. The LockDown Browser requires Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 11 to 15 or later, and cannot be installed on smartphones, tablets or similar devices. You need a desktop or laptop with a webcam and microphone.
How does the online proctoring work?
The secure browser blocks other screens, websites, additional programs and video recording. The system records and monitors throughout, and AI flags incidents to human supervisors. The instructivo states that the AI itself does not cancel exams: recordings and evidence are reviewed only by authorised IPN and UNAM personnel.
What gets my exam cancelled?
Twelve listed behaviours: impersonation, talking or interacting with anyone, sharing exam content on social media or chats, recording or transcribing the exam, using prohibited materials, unjustified absence from camera view, a badly positioned camera, blocking the camera or microphone, wearing headphones, covering your face or head, reading aloud, and repeatedly looking away from the screen.
What is not grounds for cancellation?
Two things are named explicitly: background noise where nobody interacts with you about the exam content, and looking down to work on your permitted paper. Both are normal and expected.
What identification do I need?
For the photograph appointment you bring the printed Cita para toma de fotografia, an original photo identification such as a school credential, a certificate of studies with a photograph, or a passport, and your payment receipt. If your registered address is outside Mexico City and the Estado de Mexico, you upload a JPEG photograph of up to 200 KB at 480 by 600 pixels plus a colour scan of the identification instead.
What accommodations exist for candidates with disabilities?
A separate in-person sitting is scheduled, which in the 2026 cycle was on 24 June at the place and time given in the Cita de examen. Candidates who need it should follow the instructions in their examination documents rather than assume the online format applies.
Can I retake the exam if I do not like my assignment?
Not in the same cycle. The exam is sat once, on the single date and time in your Cita de examen, and there is no rescheduling. If you are not assigned through the exam, the extemporaneous registration period after results lets you take a no-exam option that still has capacity. Otherwise the next opportunity is the following annual process.
When do results come out?
In the 2026 cycle, on Tuesday 18 August. The Gaceta Electronica de Resultados on miderechomilugar.gob.mx is the only official document. A separate individual diagnostic is available on the exam portal, but the instructivo states it is informative only and has no official validity.
What are the odds of getting my first choice?
Better than they were. In 2026 the SEP assigned 141,738 of more than 191,000 participants to their first option and placed 99.2 percent within their first three options. Under COMIPEMS in 2024, 47,967 candidates reached their first option.
How many options should I list?
Between five and ten in the no-exam modality. In the exam modality you may list up to five IPN and five UNAM options. In the mixed modality you may register up to 20 options in total, which is the safest structure because an unsuccessful exam still leads to assignment from the no-exam part of your list.
What if I already studied at a UNAM or IPN upper secondary school?
You are likely to be excluded. UNAM bars re-entry to the same system, CCH or ENP, where you previously had a trajectory, and applies generation rules from the Reglamento General de Inscripciones. IPN refuses entry to anyone holding an upper secondary boleta, currently enrolled, or previously enrolled and withdrawn.
How does the exam route compare with direct access?
Direct access is free, needs no exam, and assigns on preference and availability among five to ten options. The exam route costs MXN 400 for a UNAM first option, requires a 128-question online exam under proctoring, a 7.0 secundaria average, and a photograph appointment, and is the only way into ENP, CCH, CECyT and IPN vocational schools.
What subjects does the exam cover?
The official guide covers verbal reasoning, mathematical reasoning, mathematics, Spanish, physics, chemistry, biology, world history, Mexican history, geography, and civics and ethics. ECOEMS, UNAM and IPN do not publish how many of the 128 items fall in each area, so per-subject distributions circulating online are estimates from study guide publishers rather than official figures.
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