The first day of the test National High School Examination (Enem), held throughout Brazil this Sunday (9), gives students up to five hours and 30 minutes to answer questions and write the essay. But after two hours of completion – the minimum time required – some candidates had already left the application site, well before 7pm, the final time.
THE Brazil Agency spoke with some of them at exam application points in Rio de Janeiro.
Amidst the reunion with relatives and friends and approaches from course promoters and private colleges, students expressed feelings such as confidence, expectations for next Sunday – when the second day of tests takes place – and surprise with the essay topic: “Perspectives on aging in Brazilian society”.
Diego Jeferson Souza Nascimento was the first candidate to finish the Enem exams at Estácio University, in Tijuca. Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Diego Jeferson de Souza, 17 years old, took the test on the campus of a private university, in the Maracanã neighborhood. He was the first to leave the testing site, a few minutes after 3:30 pm.
“The test was okay, I thought it would be more difficult, the only thing that made it difficult was the writing, because I had one topic in mind and it was completely different”, said the student who intends to take an accounting course in college.
For him, the fact that he completed the test quickly is a sign of confidence for next Sunday.
Tiring
Candidate Pâmela Rodrigues intends to go to law school. Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Nearby, Pâmela Rodrigues left the testing site at a unit of the Federal Center for Technological Education (Cefet). On the blouse he wore, he proudly displayed the printed phrase: “Education transforms lives and makes dreams come true”.
The 33-year-old candidate intends to go to law school and considered the test “very tiring”, adding that it worsens her back pain.
“It’s a very complex test, long hours, which I think causes a lot of fatigue and I think we have to work a lot on our emotional and psychological aspects. It also requires good preparation to get a good score”, he said.
Pâmela was also surprised by the topic of the essay. “I thought something about the environment would fall because it was so high, the issue of deforestation,” he said.
Julian de Souza, 21, who intends to study physiotherapy, classified the performance as “reasonable” and, despite being surprised by the subject of the essay, thought it was a “good topic”.
“What I think about Enem is that it’s more interpretation, I think text questions are more tiring, but it was easy,” he said.
Difficulty
Another candidate who plans to go to college in the health field is Caroline Rosa, 17, who wants to study nursing. She found the test “a little difficult”.
“Scared,” he joked. She has already said that next week will be studying. “It’s mathematics, right? So you have to study hard.”
Graziele Silva dos Santos found the test difficult Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil – Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Graziele Silva dos Santos, 17, imagines herself going to college in the logistics field and didn’t think the exam was easy.
“I found it a little difficult, but maybe I can do it,” she said, considering the topic of the essay important.
“It was important to fall because it’s not something many people think about. So it’s important for us to train”, he says.
Maria Clara Camargos was surprised by the subject of the essay Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Maria Clara Camargos, 17 years old, classified the first day of Enem as challenging. “But it was good, it wasn’t that bad.”
The student wants to be a psychologist and was another one who was surprised by the subject of the essay. “I was confident that it would be about technology, that I would have more arguments.”
Among the candidates, there were those who confessed that they had not studied much for the test, such as Cauã Pereira Barbosa, 18 years old. “I’m going to study the military field, so I came here just to do it,” he said, who still has an interest in studying computer science.
Selection process
More than 4.8 million candidates were eligible to participate in Enem.
In addition to the essay, this Sunday’s test asked multiple choice questions from the following areas of knowledge: Portuguese language; literature; foreign language (English or Spanish); history; geography; philosophy and sociology, arts, physical education and information and communication technologies.
The second day of the test is next Sunday (16), when natural science and mathematics content will be covered.
In addition to evaluating teaching in schools, Enem is the main gateway to universities, especially public ones. The note can be used by students in the Unified Selection System (Sisu), aimed at public institutions, and in the University for All Program (Prouni) and the Student Financing Fund (Fies), both aimed at private institutions.
