ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio)
INEP
Complete guide to passing the ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio) exam on your first attempt.
R$85 (~$17)
N/A (score-based)
Annual exam
Brazil
INEP
University admission
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Complete Overview
The Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio (Enem) is Brazil's national secondary-education exam, run by Inep, sat over two consecutive Sundays in November, and made up of four objective papers of 45 multiple-choice questions each plus one Portuguese-language essay. The registration fee for Enem 2026 is R$ 85,00, waived entirely for three groups of candidates, and the exam is taken mainly by final-year secondary students and by adults using the result to enter university through Sisu, to win a ProUni scholarship, to apply for Fies student finance, or to certify completion of secondary school. Edital 64, of 21 May 2026, governs the current edition. It sets the exam dates as 8 and 15 November 2026, opens the gates at 12h and closes them at 13h Brasilia time, starts both papers at 13h30, and ends day one at 19h and day two at 18h30. Day one covers Linguagens, Codigos e suas Tecnologias together with the redacao and Ciencias Humanas e suas Tecnologias, across 5 hours 30 minutes. Day two covers Ciencias da Natureza e suas Tecnologias and Matematica e suas Tecnologias, across 5 hours. You choose English or Spanish at registration and answer only the foreign-language questions in the language you picked. Scores for the objective papers are computed with Item Response Theory, so two candidates with the same number of correct answers can receive different proficiencies. Inep publishes the methodology on its portal. The redacao runs from 0 to 1000 and is marked independently by two examiners, each awarding 0 to 200 on five competencies. If their totals differ by more than 100 points, or any single competency differs by more than 80, a third examiner is triggered automatically. A dissertative-argumentative text that runs to seven handwritten lines or fewer scores zero as texto insuficiente, and any name or mark identifying you inside the essay space annuls the paper. Certification of secondary completion through Enem returned after a nine-year gap, on a decision the Ministry of Education announced in May 2025. Under Edital 64 and Portaria 7 of 13 January 2026, as amended by Portaria 15 of 16 January 2026, a candidate who flags the intention at registration, is 18 by the first exam day, and is neither a current final-year student nor a past graduate can obtain a certificate by scoring at least 450 in each of the four areas and at least 500 on the redacao. The Instituto Federal de Sao Paulo issues the certificate. The 2026 exam is paper-based throughout: answers go on the Cartao-Resposta and the essay on the Folha de Redacao, both in black ballpoint pen with a transparent barrel, and nothing written in the question booklet or on the rascunho is marked.
Why Get ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio) Certified?
Registration costs R$ 85,00, and three groups pay nothing: public-school students in their final year, candidates who completed all of secondary school in a public school or on a full private scholarship with household income of up to one and a half minimum wages per person, and CadUnico-registered candidates with a valid NIS.
One exam opens four separate routes: Sisu for federal institutions, ProUni scholarships, Fies student finance, and admission to Portuguese universities that hold cooperation agreements with Inep.
Enem 2025 drew 5.5 million registrations, a figure announced by Brazil's education minister in June 2025, which makes it one of the largest exams anywhere.
The result now certifies completion of secondary school again after a nine-year gap, at 450 points per area and 500 on the redacao, with the certificate issued by the Instituto Federal de Sao Paulo.
Partial proficiency declarations are available area by area, at 450 points in Ciencias Humanas, Ciencias da Natureza or Matematica, and at 450 on the objective paper plus 500 on the redacao for Linguagens.
Final-year public-school students in 2026 who miss the registration window are enrolled automatically from the Sistema MEC Gestao Presente under Portaria MEC 832 of 16 December 2025.
Inep guarantees accessibility provision, treatment by nome social, and a separate application for people in custody and for adolescents under custodial socio-educational measures.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
Two days totalling 630 minutes: 5 hours 30 minutes on day one, 5 hours on day two. Both days start at 13h30 Brasilia time; day one ends at 19h and day two at 18h30. Approved extra time adds 60 minutes per day, ending at 20h and 19h30, and a further approved category ends at 21h and 20h30.
Questions
180 multiple-choice questions, 45 in each of the four areas of knowledge, plus one essay
Passing Score
None for university access. The only official thresholds in the edital are for certification: at least 450 points in each of the four areas and at least 500 on the redacao.
Question Types
- Multiple choice with five options, marked on the Cartao-Resposta
- One dissertative-argumentative essay in Portuguese, written on the Folha de Redacao, from a situacao-problema
Delivery Method
Paper-based, in every state and the Federal District, at a location shown on the Cartao de Confirmacao da Inscricao. Answers must be transferred to the Cartao-Resposta and the essay to the Folha de Redacao using a black ballpoint pen with a transparent barrel. Marks in the question booklet and on the rascunho are not marked.
- Edital 64 of 21 May 2026 describes a paper application only. A separate edital covers Enem PPL, for adults serving custodial sentences and adolescents under custodial socio-educational measures.
How scoring works
Score scale
The redacao runs from 0 to 1000. The four objective areas are reported as Item Response Theory proficiencies rather than raw totals, and the edital does not fix a maximum for them; it points instead to the methodology document Inep publishes on its portal. The only fixed reference points in the edital are the certification thresholds of 450 per area and 500 on the redacao.
Score needed to pass
None for university access. Institutions set their own minimums and their own per-area weights inside Sisu. The only official cut scores in the edital are for certification: at least 450 points in each of the four areas and at least 500 on the redacao, and for partial proficiency, 450 in the individual area, or 450 plus 500 on the redacao for Linguagens.
Roughly what that means raw
Inep publishes no raw-to-scale conversion table, because Item Response Theory proficiency depends on which items were answered correctly rather than how many. Any conversion chart circulating on study sites is an estimate rather than an official mapping.
When results arrive
Answer keys for the objective papers by the tenth business day after day two. Individual results at enem.inep.gov.br/participante with CPF and password on a date announced by Inep, historically in January of the following year. Pedagogical view of the essay after the results, and treineiro results 60 days after the main release.
How the scale is built
Objective proficiencies are computed with Teoria de Resposta ao Item from the pattern of responses, not from a raw count, so equal totals can produce unequal scores. The redacao is marked twice independently, 0 to 200 on each of five competencies. Discrepancy over 100 points in total, over 80 points on any competency, or a divergence in situation triggers an automatic third marking. Only the Cartao-Resposta and the Folha de Redacao are marked; the booklet and the rascunho are ignored. There is no negative marking.
Pacing and time budget
180 questions in 630 minutes gives you Day one gives 3 minutes 40 seconds per objective question if you wrote no essay, so a workable split is 90 minutes for the redacao and 2 minutes 40 seconds for each of the 90 questions. Day two gives 3 minutes 20 seconds per question across 90 questions in 300 minutes. per question.
Day one, minute 90
45 of the 90 objective questions marked on the Cartao-Resposta, typically the whole Linguagens paper including the foreign-language questions in your chosen language
Day one, minute 210
All 90 objective questions marked, leaving 120 minutes for the redacao
Day one, minute 300
The redacao drafted on the Folha de Rascunho and fully copied onto the Folha de Redacao in black pen, with 30 minutes left to check the line count and remove any identifying mark
Day two, minute 150
45 of the 90 objective questions marked, half of the 5-hour session gone
Day two, minute 270
All 90 questions marked on the Cartao-Resposta, with 30 minutes to review the hardest items
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| Day one, minute 90 | 45 of the 90 objective questions marked on the Cartao-Resposta, typically the whole Linguagens paper including the foreign-language questions in your chosen language |
| Day one, minute 210 | All 90 objective questions marked, leaving 120 minutes for the redacao |
| Day one, minute 300 | The redacao drafted on the Folha de Rascunho and fully copied onto the Folha de Redacao in black pen, with 30 minutes left to check the line count and remove any identifying mark |
| Day two, minute 150 | 45 of the 90 objective questions marked, half of the 5-hour session gone |
| Day two, minute 270 | All 90 questions marked on the Cartao-Resposta, with 30 minutes to review the hardest items |
- Only the Cartao-Resposta and the Folha de Redacao are marked. Transfer answers block by block rather than in a single pass at the end, because a rushed transfer with erasures can defeat the optical reader.
- You cannot leave the room permanently before two hours have passed, and you may only take the question booklet away if you leave in the final 30 minutes. Plan to use the whole session rather than to escape early.
- Everything must be written with a black ballpoint pen made of transparent material. Carry a spare, because your bag is sealed in an envelope from the moment you enter the room.
- Lines copied from the Proposta de Redacao or the Caderno de Provas are discounted from your line count, so quoting the prompt at length can push a handwritten essay down to seven lines or fewer, which the edital classifies as Texto insuficiente and scores zero.
- There is no negative marking, so mark an answer for every question. Item Response Theory weighs which items you answered correctly rather than only how many, so leaving blanks costs you without protecting you.
Where the marks are
Linguagens, Codigos e suas Tecnologias
25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180
Six curricular components share one paper, so breadth beats depth. Expect text interpretation across verbal, non-verbal and mixed forms, plus the foreign-language questions in the language you chose at registration.
Ciencias Humanas e suas Tecnologias
25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180
Historia, Geografia, Filosofia and Sociologia in one paper, almost always built on a source. Reading the excerpt, map or table accurately matters more than recalling a date.
Ciencias da Natureza e suas Tecnologias
25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180
Quimica, Fisica and Biologia share 45 questions on day two. Items are contextualised in everyday or industrial situations, and no calculator is allowed, so estimation and unit handling decide several marks.
Matematica e suas Tecnologias
25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180
The only area with one curricular component, and the one where Sisu weights are highest for engineering and exact-science courses. Most items require modelling from a written situation before any calculation begins.
Redacao
Scored separately from 0 to 1000, outside the 180 objective questions
Marked twice independently on five competencies of 200 points each, with eight documented ways to score zero. It is also the only component with a hard threshold in the edital, at 500 points for certification.
Lingua Estrangeira, English or Spanish
not published
A subset of the 45 Linguagens questions in the language you selected at registration. Inep does not publish the item count, and candidates routinely neglect it because it sits inside a paper dominated by Portuguese.
Filosofia and Sociologia within Ciencias Humanas
not published
Two of the four components in a 45-question paper, with no published split. Items usually present an argument and ask what follows from it, which rewards reading philosophy as reasoning rather than as biography.
Artes, Educacao Fisica and Tecnologias da Informacao e Comunicacao within Linguagens
not published
Three of the six components in the Linguagens paper, named explicitly in the edital's structure table. They produce the non-verbal and mixed-text items that candidates who revise only grammar tend to lose.
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Linguagens, Codigos e suas Tecnologias | 25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180 | Six curricular components share one paper, so breadth beats depth. Expect text interpretation across verbal, non-verbal and mixed forms, plus the foreign-language questions in the language you chose at registration. |
| Ciencias Humanas e suas Tecnologias | 25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180 | Historia, Geografia, Filosofia and Sociologia in one paper, almost always built on a source. Reading the excerpt, map or table accurately matters more than recalling a date. |
| Ciencias da Natureza e suas Tecnologias | 25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180 | Quimica, Fisica and Biologia share 45 questions on day two. Items are contextualised in everyday or industrial situations, and no calculator is allowed, so estimation and unit handling decide several marks. |
| Matematica e suas Tecnologias | 25% of the objective questions, 45 of 180 | The only area with one curricular component, and the one where Sisu weights are highest for engineering and exact-science courses. Most items require modelling from a written situation before any calculation begins. |
| Redacao | Scored separately from 0 to 1000, outside the 180 objective questions | Marked twice independently on five competencies of 200 points each, with eight documented ways to score zero. It is also the only component with a hard threshold in the edital, at 500 points for certification. |
| Lingua Estrangeira, English or Spanish | not published | A subset of the 45 Linguagens questions in the language you selected at registration. Inep does not publish the item count, and candidates routinely neglect it because it sits inside a paper dominated by Portuguese. |
| Filosofia and Sociologia within Ciencias Humanas | not published | Two of the four components in a 45-question paper, with no published split. Items usually present an argument and ask what follows from it, which rewards reading philosophy as reasoning rather than as biography. |
| Artes, Educacao Fisica and Tecnologias da Informacao e Comunicacao within Linguagens | not published | Three of the six components in the Linguagens paper, named explicitly in the edital's structure table. They produce the non-verbal and mixed-text items that candidates who revise only grammar tend to lose. |
The numbers
R$ 85,00, paid by GRU Cobranca and processed by Banco do Brasil
Registration fee
Source: Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep, item 6.2
Four objective papers of 45 multiple-choice questions each, 180 in total, plus one essay in Portuguese
Structure
Source: Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep, item 3.2
Gates open 12h, close 13h, papers begin 13h30; day one ends 19h and day two ends 18h30, Brasilia time
Timings
Source: Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep, item 1.7
8 and 15 November 2026. The edital set registration at 25 May to 5 June and payment to 10 June; Inep later extended registration to 12 June and payment to 17 June
Enem 2026 exam dates
Source: Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep, item 1.3, with the later extension confirmed by Inep and reported by g1 on 3 July 2026
At least 450 points in each of the four areas and at least 500 on the redacao, certificate issued by the Instituto Federal de Sao Paulo
Certification thresholds
Source: Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep, item 16.5, applying Portaria 7 de 13 de janeiro de 2026, amended by Portaria 15 de 16 de janeiro de 2026
5,055,818 confirmed registrations for Enem 2026, the largest recent edition and 48.8 percent above 2022; Enem 2025 confirmed 4,811,338
Scale of the exam
Source: Inep registration balance published 3 July 2026, reported by g1
If you fail
Wait before retaking
One year. The Enem runs once a year on two consecutive Sundays in November, so the next opportunity after Enem 2026 is Enem 2027. There is no mid-year sitting.
Attempt limit
None published. Inep sets no cap on how many editions a candidate may sit, and many candidates sit several years running to improve an area score.
Retake fee
R$ 85,00 for each edition, unless you qualify for the isencao. The waiver must be requested in its own window, which for Enem 2026 was governed by Edital 21 of 25 March 2026, separately from registration itself.
Two rules catch repeat candidates. First, a candidate who receives the isencao and attends neither exam day must justify the absence in the Enem 2027 isencao system before applying for a waiver again, under rules that the Enem 2027 edital will set. Second, a candidate who sits both the application and a reapplication has their final result taken from the reapplication, with the original scores disregarded for all purposes. Eliminated candidates receive no result at all, even if they sat both days. Note also that a candidate who was absent from Enem 2025, justified the absence, and had an Enem 2026 waiver approved still had to complete a fresh registration.
Exam Domains & Topics
45 of the 180 objective questions, sat on day one alongside the redacao and Ciencias Humanas. The edital lists its curricular components explicitly.
Key Topics to Master:
- Lingua Portuguesa: text comprehension, genre, register, grammar in use and language variation
- Literatura: Brazilian literary movements and the reading of literary texts in context
- Lingua Estrangeira, English or Spanish, chosen at registration; you answer only your chosen language
- Artes: reading visual, musical and performance works as texts
- Educacao Fisica: body, movement, health and sport as cultural practice
- Tecnologias da Informacao e Comunicacao: media literacy and digital text forms
- Non-verbal and mixed texts, including cartoons, charts, advertisements and infographics, which appear across the paper
45 of the 180 objective questions, also sat on day one. The edital names four curricular components for this area.
Key Topics to Master:
- Historia: Brazilian and world history, with heavy weight on documents, images and interpretation rather than dates
- Geografia: physical and human geography, urbanisation, agrarian questions, climate and cartography
- Filosofia: classical, modern and contemporary thought applied to a presented argument
- Sociologia: work, citizenship, social movements, culture and inequality
- Source interpretation, since items typically open with an excerpt, table, map or image that must be read before the question makes sense
- Cross-cutting themes such as human rights, environment and Brazilian social formation that link the four components
45 of the 180 objective questions, sat on day two alongside Matematica within a 5-hour session.
Key Topics to Master:
- Quimica: stoichiometry, organic chemistry, solutions, electrochemistry and environmental chemistry
- Fisica: mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, waves and optics
- Biologia: cell biology, genetics, ecology, human physiology and evolution
- Contextualised problems, where the physics or chemistry sits inside an everyday or industrial situation
- Graph, table and diagram reading, which recurs in every component of this area
- Unit handling and estimation, because no calculator of any kind is permitted
45 of the 180 objective questions, the only area with a single curricular component, sat on day two.
Key Topics to Master:
- Numbers, proportion and percentage, including financial arithmetic
- Functions: affine, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic
- Plane and spatial geometry, areas, volumes and analytic geometry
- Statistics: mean, median, mode, dispersion and reading of charts
- Probability and combinatorics
- Modelling from text, since most items give a described situation rather than a bare equation
- Mental and written arithmetic, because calculators are prohibited and appear on the edital's list of items that trigger elimination
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Read Edital 64 of 21 May 2026 end to end, especially sections 3, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16, so the rules that eliminate candidates are known before you study any content
- 2Download the matriz de referencia from download.inep.gov.br and map each of its competencies to a topic you can revise
- 3Decide English or Spanish for the foreign-language section, remembering the choice is made at registration and you answer only that language
- 4Decide whether you will flag the certification intention at registration; you must be 18 by the first exam day and be neither a current final-year student nor a past graduate
- 5Download the Cartilha do Participante for the redacao from the Inep portal and read the five competencies before writing anything
- 1Sit a full past day one under real conditions: 5 hours 30 minutes, 13h30 start, no phone, black transparent-barrel ballpoint pen only
- 2Sit a full past day two the following Sunday at 5 hours, so the two-day rhythm is rehearsed rather than imagined
- 3Score yourself by area and note which of the four is weakest, since each area is exactly 45 questions and 25 percent of the objective total
- 4Note where you ran out of time, and whether the essay or the objective questions caused it
- 5Get one essay marked against the five competencies, out of 200 each
- 1Learn the four things that trigger a zero before anything else: off-topic or non-dissertative structure, blank sheet, seven handwritten lines or fewer, and identification inside the essay space
- 2Practise producing a full dissertative-argumentative text with a proposta de intervencao inside 90 minutes
- 3Practise on the real geometry: draft on the Folha de Rascunho, then copy in black pen onto the Folha de Redacao, timing the copying separately
- 4Stop quoting the Proposta de Redacao at length, because copied lines are discounted from the minimum line count
- 5Write two essays a week from here to the exam and have both marked against the competency descriptors
- 1Work through past Linguagens papers by component: Lingua Portuguesa, Literatura, Artes, Educacao Fisica and Tecnologias da Informacao e Comunicacao
- 2Drill non-verbal and mixed texts, including cartoons, advertisements and infographics
- 3Practise the foreign-language questions in the language you selected at registration, not both
- 4Revise language variation and register, which recur in this paper year after year
- 5Read a long-form Portuguese text daily and summarise its thesis in two sentences
- 1Work past papers for Historia, Geografia, Filosofia and Sociologia in that order
- 2Practise reading the source first and the question second, since almost every item opens with an excerpt, map, table or image
- 3Build a timeline of Brazilian history from colonisation to the present, and attach one interpretation question to each period
- 4Revise the philosophers and sociologists who recur: their arguments, not their biographies
- 5Practise questions on human rights, environment and inequality, the cross-cutting themes that link the four components
- 1Split practice evenly across Quimica, Fisica and Biologia, since the 45 questions are drawn from all three
- 2Practise stoichiometry and unit conversion by hand, because no calculator is permitted anywhere in the exam
- 3Drill graph, table and diagram interpretation, which appears in every component of this area
- 4Learn to estimate, so a plausible answer can be selected quickly when a full calculation would overrun
- 5Revise ecology and human physiology, which produce the most contextualised items
- 1Work past Matematica papers by topic: proportion and percentage, functions, geometry, statistics, probability
- 2Practise modelling from text, because most items describe a situation rather than presenting an equation
- 3Rebuild arithmetic speed with no calculator, including percentages, fractions and square roots
- 4Drill statistics questions, which are consistently among the most frequent and among the fastest to answer
- 5Learn the plane and solid geometry formulas by heart, since no formula sheet is supplied
- 1Sit a complete day one at 5 hours 30 minutes covering Linguagens, Ciencias Humanas and the redacao
- 2Practise the split you intend to use on the day, for example 90 minutes for the essay and 240 minutes for the 90 objective questions
- 3Transfer answers to a printed Cartao-Resposta as you go rather than at the end, since only the card is marked
- 4Copy the essay in full onto a Folha de Redacao and time the copying step
- 5Review every wrong answer against the matriz de referencia competency it tests
- 1Sit a complete day two at 5 hours covering Ciencias da Natureza and Matematica
- 2Aim at 3 minutes 20 seconds per question, which is 90 questions across 300 minutes
- 3Decide your order between the two papers and keep it, so the decision costs no time on the day
- 4Practise leaving hard items and returning, since the whole session is one continuous block
- 5Check that you have transferred all 90 answers with 30 minutes still on the clock
- 1Rank the four areas by your simulation scores and give the weakest one half your study time this week
- 2Rework every question you missed in weeks 8 and 9, writing out why the correct option is correct
- 3Write two more essays and check specifically that neither runs short of the line minimum
- 4Revise the foreign language you chose, which is easy to neglect and sits inside a 25 percent area
- 5Re-read section 12 of the edital, the elimination list, and check your habits against it
- 1Download the Cartao de Confirmacao da Inscricao from enem.inep.gov.br/participante and check the venue, the foreign-language option and any approved accessibility provision
- 2Check your identity document is valid and on the edital's list: for Brazilians this includes passport, CNH, Carteira de Trabalho issued after 27 January 1997 and the Carteira de Identidade Nacional, plus digital versions of e-Titulo, CNH and CIN in the official apps or the Gov.br app
- 3Buy at least two black ballpoint pens with transparent barrels, since nothing can be fetched from your bag once it is sealed
- 4Print the Declaracao de Comparecimento for each day if you need to prove attendance, and plan to hand it to the chefe de sala at the door
- 5Travel to the venue once in advance and time the journey against a 13h gate closure
- 1Shift your study window to 13h30 to 19h so your concentration peaks at the right hours
- 2Do light review rather than new content: formulas, connectives for the essay, and the elimination list
- 3Plan food and water inside the rules, remembering alcohol, cigarettes including electronic ones and illicit drugs are prohibited at the venue
- 4Prepare a transparent bottle and clothing without a cap, hat, visor or hood, all of which are prohibited outside the sealed envelope
- 5Sleep on the same schedule for the week before both Sundays
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Best Study Resources
Edital 64, de 21 de maio de 2026, Inep
Official regulationThe governing document for Enem 2026. Twenty-one pages covering the calendar, the R$ 85,00 fee, the structure, the timings, the accessibility provisions, the identity documents accepted, the elimination list, the marking rules and the certification thresholds. Published in the Diario Oficial da Uniao.
Free
Matriz de referencia do Enem, download.inep.gov.br
Official blueprintThe competency and skill framework the edital names as the basis of the exam. Every objective question maps to a habilidade in this document, which makes it the most efficient revision index available.
Free
A Redacao no Enem, Cartilha do Participante, Inep
Official essay guidePublished annually and named in the edital as the reference matrix for the essay. It sets out the five competencies, each worth 0 to 200 points, with annotated example essays at each level.
Free
Provas e gabaritos anteriores, Inep portal
Past papersEvery past edition with its official answer key. Sitting these under the real 5 hour 30 minute and 5 hour limits is the single highest-value preparation activity, because the format rewards endurance as much as knowledge.
Free
Pagina do Participante, enem.inep.gov.br/participante
Official candidate portalWhere you register, generate the GRU for the fee, request accessibility provision, download the Cartao de Confirmacao and the Declaracao de Comparecimento, and later read your results and the pedagogical view of your essay. Access uses the Gov.br Login Unico.
Free
Sistema de Selecao Unificada (Sisu)
Admissions platformThe federal platform that converts Enem scores into places at public institutions. Each institution sets its own weights per area, so the same total can be competitive for one course and not another.
Free
Programa Universidade para Todos (ProUni)
Scholarship programmeAwards full and partial scholarships at private institutions on the basis of Enem scores and household income. Rules are published for each cycle by the Ministry of Education.
Free to apply
Fundo de Financiamento Estudantil (Fies)
Student financeGovernment student finance for higher education, available to Enem participants under the rules in force for each cycle. Named in the edital as one of the exam's purposes.
Free to apply
Enem Portugal, Inep cooperation agreements
International access routePortuguese higher education institutions that hold cooperation agreements with Inep accept Enem results for admission. Inep publishes the list of participating institutions on its portal.
Free to use the score; institutions charge their own fees
Inep helpline, 0800 616161
Official supportThe number the gov.br service page gives for Enem queries, alongside the self-service channel. Useful for isencao disputes, accessibility requests and registration problems, all of which run to fixed deadlines.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Writing the essay entirely in the question booklet and running out of time to copy it
Only the Folha de Redacao is marked, and only in black ballpoint pen with a transparent barrel. Time the copying step in every practice run and start it with at least 40 minutes left, because an uncopied essay scores nothing.
Writing a short essay under time pressure
A text of seven handwritten lines or fewer is scored zero as texto insuficiente, or ten lines or fewer in Braille. Worse, lines copied from the Proposta de Redacao or the Caderno de Provas are discounted from the count, so a padded short essay can fall under the floor without you realising.
Signing or otherwise identifying yourself in the essay space
A name, signature, initials or any other identifying mark inside the space reserved for the essay text annuls the redacao outright. Inep also refuses the pedagogical view of the essay in annulment cases, so you never see why.
Answering both English and Spanish questions
You answer only the foreign-language questions for the language you selected in the registration system. Time spent on the other language is time taken from the other 40 Linguagens questions.
Leaving a smartwatch or phone switched on inside the sealed envelope
If a device emits any sound, vibration or alarm from the envelope, you are eliminated. Watches of any type, wearable tech, digital bottles, electronic earplugs and electronic cigarettes are all on the prohibited list.
Bringing a pencil, ruler, correction fluid or a non-transparent pen
All of those must go in the sealed envelope. Only a black ballpoint pen made of transparent material may be used, and answers must be marked without erasures or corrections, because the card is read optically.
Planning to leave early to beat the crowd
You cannot leave the room permanently before two hours have elapsed, and you may take the Caderno de Questoes and Folha de Rascunho away only if you leave in the final 30 minutes. The last three candidates in a room must also leave together after signing the Ata de Sala.
Registering as a treineiro without understanding what it costs
Inep defines a treineiro as a candidate under 18 on the first exam day who will finish secondary school after the 2026 school year. Treineiro results are released 60 days after everyone else's and cannot be used for certification, higher education access or student finance.
Flagging the certification option while still enrolled in the final year
Certification is only for candidates who are neither concluintes nor past graduates and who are 18 by the first exam day. Students who ticked the box while enrolled in their final year have been refused the certificate, because someone still enrolled receives the qualification from their school at the end of the school year.
Getting the isencao and then skipping both exam days
A candidate who receives the fee waiver and attends neither day must justify the absence in the Enem 2027 isencao system to apply for a waiver again. Sitting one day is enough to avoid the requirement.
Assuming the payment deadline matches the registration deadline
For Enem 2026 registration ran 25 May to 5 June while payment ran 25 May to 10 June. A payment of any amount other than R$ 85,00 is not refunded, a payment below R$ 85,00 does not confirm the registration, and the fee cannot be transferred to another person.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Gates open at 12h and close at 13h Brasilia time, and you must be at the door of your room by 13h for identification. There is no discretion after the gates close.
- 2
Bring an original valid photo ID from the edital's list. For Brazilians that includes a passport, the CNH, a Carteira de Trabalho issued after 27 January 1997, the Carteira de Identidade Nacional, and digital versions of the e-Titulo, CNH and CIN shown in the official apps or the Gov.br app. Without one you wait outside until a valid document reaches you, and only until the gates close.
- 3
Foreign candidates need a passport, a Ministry of Justice identity document including those issued to recognised refugees, a CRNM or DPRNM, a Mercosul civil identity document, or the digital CRNM and DPRNM in the Carteira Digital do Migrante app.
- 4
Bring two black ballpoint pens with transparent barrels. Everything else, including pencils, rulers, correction fluid, caps, hats, sunglasses and any electronic device, goes into the sealed envelope before you enter the room.
- 5
Switch every device fully off, alarms included, before sealing the envelope. A single beep or vibration from inside it eliminates you.
- 6
Transcribe the sentence printed on the cover of the Caderno de Questoes onto the Cartao-Resposta when instructed. It is a handwriting sample and a required step.
- 7
Transfer answers to the Cartao-Resposta as you finish each block, not at the end. Marks in the booklet and on the rascunho are never marked, and a rushed transfer with erasures can defeat the optical reader.
- 8
If you need the bathroom before 13h you must be identified again on returning to the room, and after your exam ends you may not use the venue bathroom on the way out.
- 9
Budget the day-one session deliberately. A common split is 90 minutes for the redacao and 240 minutes for the 90 objective questions, which is 2 minutes 40 seconds each.
- 10
Print the Declaracao de Comparecimento for each day if you need proof of attendance, hand it to the chefe de sala at the door and then store it in the envelope, because holding it during the exam is prohibited.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Undergraduate at a federal university via Sisu
The most competitive route. Each institution sets its own weights per area within Sisu, so a candidate strong in Matematica and weak in Linguagens can be competitive for one course and not another with the same overall total.
No tuition. Federal institutions charge no undergraduate tuition, so for many candidates the R$ 85,00 registration fee is the entire cost of entry, and it is waived for the three isencao profiles.
Scholarship student at a private institution via ProUni
The route with the widest geographic reach, because private institutions are distributed far more evenly across Brazil than federal campuses. Check each cycle's published minimum score, since it is set by the programme rather than by the edital.
A full or partial tuition scholarship rather than a wage. ProUni awards scholarships at private institutions on the basis of Enem scores and household income, under rules the Ministry of Education publishes for each cycle.
Financed student via Fies
Named in Edital 64 as one of the purposes of the exam. Useful where a course is available privately but the candidate misses the ProUni threshold or income criteria.
Deferred cost rather than income. Fies lends the tuition and is repaid after graduation, under the rules in force for each cycle.
Adult certifying secondary completion
The route reopened after nine years. It reaches a large population: IBGE's PNAD Educacao counted 7.7 million people aged 14 to 29 who had not completed secondary school in 2025, down from 8.7 million in 2024, either through dropping out or never attending.
No wage attaches to the certificate itself. The threshold is 450 points in each of the four areas and 500 on the redacao, with the certificate issued by the Instituto Federal de Sao Paulo.
Partial proficiency holder building toward a full certificate
Declaracoes Parciais de Proficiencia are issued area by area by the certifying institutions, which lets a candidate bank one area at a time across editions rather than needing all four in a single year.
No wage. The area thresholds are 450 points each in Ciencias Humanas, Ciencias da Natureza and Matematica, and 450 on the objective paper plus 500 on the redacao for Linguagens.
Applicant to a Portuguese university via Enem Portugal
A route out of the Sisu competition entirely, using the same score. Inep publishes which institutions participate, and each sets its own minimum and its own tuition.
No wage, and institutional fees apply. Portuguese higher education institutions that hold cooperation agreements with Inep accept Enem results for admission.
Prerequisites & Requirements
- No academic prerequisite. Anyone may sit the Enem, including candidates who only want to test their knowledge.
- A CPF and a Gov.br account at Bronze, Prata or Ouro level, used through the Login Unico to register at enem.inep.gov.br/participante.
- R$ 85,00 for the registration fee, paid by GRU Cobranca and processed by Banco do Brasil, unless you obtained the isencao.
- For the isencao: being in the final year of secondary school in a public school in the year of the edition; or having completed all of secondary school in a public school or on a full private scholarship with household income of up to one and a half minimum wages per person; or being registered in CadUnico with a single valid NIS and household income of up to half a minimum wage per person or up to three minimum wages in total.
- For certification: 18 years complete by the first exam day, the intention flagged at registration, and being neither a current final-year student nor a past graduate.
- An original, valid photo identity document from the list in section 10 of the edital, presented on both days.
- For accessibility provision: a request made during registration, with supporting documentation, within the published window. For Enem 2026 the request window was 25 May to 5 June, results came on 19 June, appeals ran 22 to 26 June and appeal results came on 3 July.
- For candidates under 18 without a Gov.br account, the platform requires documents recovering the account through a responsible adult, described on the gov.br service page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Enem cost and who pays nothing?
R$ 85,00 for Enem 2026, per item 6.2 of Edital 64. Three groups pay nothing: students in the final year of secondary school at a public school in the year of the edition; candidates who completed all of secondary school at a public school or on a full private scholarship with household income of up to one and a half minimum wages per person; and candidates registered in CadUnico with a valid NIS. The fee is the same everywhere in Brazil, since Inep sets one national price.
What happens if I pay the wrong amount or pay twice?
You lose it. The edital states the fee is not refunded except in specified cases, that duplicate payments and payments of an amount other than R$ 85,00 are not refunded, and that a payment below R$ 85,00 does not confirm the registration. The fee also cannot be transferred to another candidate. Registration is only confirmed once Banco do Brasil has processed the payment.
How is the exam structured?
Four objective papers of 45 multiple-choice questions each, 180 in total, plus one essay in Portuguese. Day one covers Linguagens, Codigos e suas Tecnologias with the redacao, and Ciencias Humanas e suas Tecnologias, over 5 hours 30 minutes. Day two covers Ciencias da Natureza e suas Tecnologias and Matematica e suas Tecnologias, over 5 hours.
How does Item Response Theory scoring work?
Inep computes each candidate's proficiency from their pattern of responses using Teoria de Resposta ao Item, weighing each question's own characteristics rather than simply counting correct answers. Two candidates with the same raw total can therefore receive different scores. Inep publishes the methodology document and the criteria used on its portal, under the Enem section for outros documentos.
How is the essay marked?
From 0 to 1000, by two examiners working independently. Each awards between 0 and 200 points on each of five competencies, and their total is the sum. Discrepancy is declared if the two totals differ by more than 100 points, if any single competency differs by more than 80 points, or if the two examiners record different situations. Discrepancy triggers an automatic third marking, and in some configurations a three-examiner panel replaces all earlier scores.
What makes an essay score zero?
Eight situations in the edital. Failing to address the proposal or using a structure other than dissertative-argumentative; a blank sheet; seven handwritten lines or fewer, or ten lines or fewer in Braille, which counts as texto insuficiente; insults, drawings or other deliberate annulment; a section deliberately disconnected from the theme; any name, signature or identifying mark in the essay space; writing predominantly or entirely in a foreign language; and handwriting illegible to two independent markers.
Can I use the Enem to certify completion of secondary school?
Yes, and this returned after a nine-year gap on a Ministry of Education decision announced in May 2025. You must flag the intention at registration, be 18 by the first exam day, and be neither a current final-year student nor a past graduate. The thresholds set by Portaria 7 of 13 January 2026, as amended by Portaria 15 of 16 January 2026, are at least 450 points in each of the four areas and at least 500 on the redacao.
Who actually issues the certificate?
Not Inep. The edital states plainly that issuing the certificate and the partial proficiency declaration is not Inep's responsibility. For candidates who flag the intention at registration and hit the thresholds, the Instituto Federal de Sao Paulo issues the certificate and makes it available at certificacaodigital.inep.gov.br. Candidates who did not flag it must approach one of the certifying institutions listed on the Inep portal.
What is a Declaracao Parcial de Proficiencia?
A per-area certification. For Ciencias Humanas, Ciencias da Natureza and Matematica you need at least 450 points in the area concerned. For Linguagens you need at least 450 on the objective paper and at least 500 on the redacao. It is requested from the certifying institutions Inep publishes, and it lets a candidate accumulate areas across editions instead of clearing all four at once.
What are the rules for treineiros?
Inep defines a treineiro as a candidate who is under 18 on the first exam day and who will complete secondary school after the 2026 school year. Treineiros sit under identical rules but their results are released 60 days after everyone else's, and cannot be used for certification, for higher education access or for government student finance. The candidate must declare in the system that they understand this.
When do results come out?
The answer keys for the objective papers are published on the Inep portal by the tenth business day after day two. Individual results appear at enem.inep.gov.br/participante using your CPF and password on a date Inep announces, historically in January of the following year. The pedagogical view of your essay follows after results, and treineiro results follow 60 days after the main release.
Can I see my marked essay?
Yes, for pedagogical purposes only, in the Pagina do Participante after the results are released. There are exceptions: the view is not provided where the essay was annulled for insults or drawings, for a deliberately disconnected passage, for identification in the essay space, or for illegible handwriting.
What identification do I need on the day?
An original, valid photo document. Brazilians may use a passport, the CNH, a Carteira de Trabalho e Previdencia Social issued after 27 January 1997, the Carteira de Identidade Nacional, or a digital e-Titulo, CNH or CIN shown in the relevant official app or the Gov.br app. Foreign candidates may use a passport, a Ministry of Justice identity document including one issued to a recognised refugee, a CRNM, a DPRNM, a Mercosul civil identity document, or the digital CRNM and DPRNM in the Carteira Digital do Migrante app. Inep accepts no responsibility if an app fails.
Can I take a calculator, a formula sheet or notes?
No. Calculators, electronic diaries, books, manuals, printed material and notes all appear in the edital's list of items that may not be held outside the sealed envelope, and using books, notes, papers or printed matter during the exam is grounds for elimination. No formula sheet is supplied, so geometry and physics formulas must be memorised.
What gets me eliminated?
Section 12 of the edital runs to a long list. The most common traps are holding any prohibited item outside the sealed envelope, a device emitting sound, vibration or an alarm from inside the envelope, using books, notes or printed material, attempting any internal or external communication, and recording or publishing images, video or sound of the exam. Eliminated candidates receive no result even if they sat both days.
When can I leave the room?
Not before two hours have elapsed from the start of the papers. If you want to take the Caderno de Questoes and the Folha de Rascunho home you must leave in the last 30 minutes. The final three candidates in a room must leave together after signing the Ata de Sala, except in specialised accessibility rooms.
What accessibility provision is available?
Inep guarantees accessibility resources for candidates who request them and prove the need, covering conditions such as low vision, blindness and others, plus treatment by nome social. Provision includes enlarged papers with 18-point answer sheets, a trained transcriber for objective answers and for the essay, Braille essay writing with your own Perkins machine or reglete and puncao, and differentiated essay marking for candidates with deafness, hearing impairment, deafblindness, autism spectrum disorder or dyslexia. Approved extra time adds 60 minutes per day.
How many times can I take the Enem?
There is no published limit on the number of editions you may sit. The exam runs once a year on two consecutive Sundays in November, so the practical constraint is the annual cycle rather than a retake rule. If you sit both the application and a reapplication, only the reapplication counts and the original scores are discarded for all purposes.
Do I have to register if I am a public-school final-year student?
Not necessarily. A candidate completing secondary school in 2026 at a public school who does not register within the window is enrolled automatically from data in the Sistema MEC Gestao Presente, under Portaria MEC 832 of 16 December 2025. No GRU is generated for that candidate even if they did not apply for the isencao in the earlier window.
How does the Enem compare with a university's own vestibular?
The Enem is national, sat once a year on fixed dates, marked with Item Response Theory, and usable through Sisu, ProUni, Fies and Portuguese institutions at the same time. A vestibular is set by one institution to its own calendar and syllabus. The edital is explicit that using Enem results for admission is optional, that institutions must opt in, and that opting in does not remove their legal freedom to run their own selection process as well.
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