Millions of Brazilian students who aspire to attend college participate, this Sunday (10), in the second day of the National High School Exam (Enem) 2024. Created in 1998 to evaluate the academic performance of those who completed basic education, the test has become the main gateway to higher education. Across the country, public and private educational institutions use individual Enem results to select new students. 
In Brasília, the first candidates began arriving early at the test locations. Trying to avoid setbacks or surprises, there were those who arrived before 11 am – an hour before the official opening of the gates; 90 minutes before the start of the test.
Identification documents, black ballpoint pens and, in most cases, a small snack in hand, many could not hide the natural anxiety of those who know they are taking an important step for their future.
This is the case of Daniel de Sousa Silva, 27 years old. Self-employed and former student of a public school, Daniel and his wife left home, in Recanto das Emas (DF), at around 8 am. By bus, it took them almost two hours to get to the place where they are taking the test, in Asa Norte, a neighborhood in the federal capital about 35 kilometers away.
“We depend on public transport. That’s why we left early to avoid unforeseen events”, said Daniel, who is taking the Enem for the first time since finishing high school in 2022. “We studied alone, at home. I watched video classes, used the material I had at home and I’m relying on what I learned in high school”, he added, saying he believes in a performance that guarantees him the grade needed to study Agronomy or Information Technology (IT).
Student Carlos Henrique Fernandes Ottes, aged 18, also dreams of being approved to study IT. A resident of Planaltina de Goiás, 60 kilometers from the race site, he also left home well in advance to avoid taking any risks. “Last week, I arrived even earlier. It’s better, calmer this way.”
“That might be a bit of a problem, because of the distance”, pondered the young man, sitting on the curb, waiting for the gates to open, while threatening clouds formed in the sky. I don’t know why I’m taking the test here. I only saw one person I know. The colleagues who studied with me and who are taking the Enem are taking the test in Planaltina”, added Ottes, revealing that he had not contacted Inep to check the possibility of previously transferring the test location closer to his home. .
On this second day of tests, those enrolled test their knowledge in natural sciences (chemistry, physics and biology) and mathematics. They have five hours to answer 90 multiple-choice questions. And they can only definitively leave the exam room two hours after the start of the tests. Therefore, to take the question book, they will have to wait to leave in the final 30 minutes of the test.
On the previous Sunday (3), the first day of the test, candidates had to answer 90 objective questions about languages and human sciences, and write an essay on the “challenges for valuing African heritage in Brazil”.
