Inep is considering expanding the application of the Enem test to include Mercosur countries Brazil

This announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, in a press conference held on Sunday (16). According to him, the idea is that tests will be conducted in the capitals of Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Asuncion for Brazilians and foreigners. The Minister stated that this meets the request made by the students themselves.

Inep President Manuel Palacios said that the completion of studies on the feasibility of applying to Mercosur countries should take place in March next year, so that it can be included in the notification for the 2026 exam and the need to increase vacancies can also be assessed. “It is a proposal that we will study and I am sure that we will find a good way to meet this request (from the Ministry of Trade and Industry) and intensify (regional) integration,” Palacios said this evening.

Meanwhile, the ENP president said that implementing the test digitally is under consideration. “We are studying the model that will be used,” he said.

Another novelty announced by Camilo is that, starting in 2026, Enem will also be the test that will be used to evaluate high school students in Brazil. This is currently done through the Saeb test, which takes place every two years.

The Education Minister said that this possibility is being evaluated by Inep at the request of the administration. According to him, since the Enem test is done annually, it is possible to make a more realistic assessment of Brazilian education. Furthermore, he claims that students focus their studies on the Enem test more than the Saeb test, and are therefore able to present a more realistic scenario. Saeb will continue to be tested.

The 2025 Enem exams were held on the 9th and this Sunday. In an overview of the two weekends, Camilo stated that the tests were successful and took place without major complications.

According to him, about 70% of attendees were registered on both days, a similar percentage to 2024. The exam included 4.8 million confirmed registrations, with about 1,700 deleted due to inappropriate behavior.

Camilo stated that Rio Grande do Sul was suffering from power problems, but the minister assured that the students would not be affected. He commented, “Everyone who feels harmed has the right to resubmit the application.”