Failed ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio)? Here's Your Recovery Plan

Pro tip: 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.

• 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.

• Digital version (ENEM Digital) available
• 180 questions + essay over 2 days
• Write one full essay a week
• Use SISU score for federal universities
• Past exams available free on INEP site
• Focus on interdisciplinary questions