The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, said on Sunday (16) that the government is considering implementing the Enem test in the capitals of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The MEC asked Inep (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira) to conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing the test in Portuguese in neighboring countries. The plan is to conduct testing in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Asuncion in 2026.
“The idea is that we can open the doors of our universities to Mercosur students. We want to do that, Enem is studying, but we want to have more specific data regarding the cost of that and where to apply,” the minister said while releasing the balance of the second day of the application for the 2025 edition of Enem.
The head of Inep (National Institute for Educational Studies and Research Anício Teixeira), Manuel Palacios, said that studies should be ready by the end of March to implement the plan to implement the test abroad next year.
Regarding the 2025 edition, Camilo and Palacios said that the event saw about 30% abstentions. The numbers are still being compiled, but the percentage should be similar to the percentage in 2024, according to the ministry.
“The race took place practically without any serious complications,” Camilo Santana said.
Candidates asked 90 questions in natural sciences and mathematics on Sunday (16).
On the ninth day they answered questions about humanities and languages and had to write an essay on the topic “Perspectives on Aging in Brazilian Society.”
The Minister of Education said that Enem will be used as a means of evaluating secondary education, which is currently done using the Saeb (Basic Education Evaluation System) test.
On this second day of testing, the questions dealt with the drug Ozempic, hormonal pollution, and video games. Course teachers say the test, as in previous years, raised questions about everyday situations.
“There were everyday examples, with national elements, including situations occurring in Brazil, allowing the student to actually apply or demonstrate their literacy, that is, the understanding they have of the theoretical content in each area of knowledge, and the ability to apply it in real situations,” says Samantha Vecchio, educational specialist at Sistema Positivo de Ensino, about the natural sciences test.
One question dealt with a species of lizard from the US desert that produces a hormone capable of regulating glucose and was essential in the formation of ozympic. Another question spoke about the irregular disposal of hormones that cause soil pollution.
In mathematics, teachers highlighted the presence of questions involving video games.
“One of the main aspects of the test was the questions that focused on gameplay,” said Wagner Araujo, Mathematics Coordinator at Elite Rede de Ensino. “In many of the questions, the starting point for solving and understanding each one was gameplay, bringing in programming and gaming situations in general.”
Thiago Pereira Armao, educational specialist at Geekie, highlighted something new in the test. “More than half of the questions had some visual resource as part of the question text, whether it was a graph, table, image, or diagram.”
For him, this can be a positive thing, as some answers can be deduced with logic and explanation.
Anderson Marques, from Sistema Positivo de Ensino, also highlighted the context of issues and current affairs. One question, for example, dealt with the speed of runners. Another mentioned the name of Jamaican Usain Bolt and asked the candidate to calculate the speed at which he ran the 100-meter race.
He also highlighted a question related to public security, asking candidates to calculate the number of police officers needed every 200 meters to ensure security in the square. “This is a very hot topic in our daily lives.”
Chemistry questions were considered the most content-based. According to the professors, the expressions in this subject were direct, without the candidate being able to solve them except through simultaneous translation.
The Enem degree is the main means of entry to higher education in Brazil. The result was taken into account for Sisu (Unified Selection System), Prouni (University for All Programme) and FIES (Student Finance Fund).
INM calendar 2025
- Announcement of the answer key for the second day of testing: November 20th
- Request to retest: from November 17 to 21
- Examination application for the cities of Belém, Ananendoa and Maritoba (in Pará): November 30 and December 7
- Enem 2025 reapplication date: December 16 and 17
Due to the UN Climate Conference (COP30), the national examination will be held on different days in Belém, Ananandua and Maritoba in Pará State. For these cities, tests will be conducted on November 30 and December 7.
In Paraná, testing will be reintroduced on December 16 and 17. The state was hit by a hurricane last weekend. Candidates who wish to participate on these dates must request to re-apply between November 17 and 21.
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