How do you study for the ENEM?
Start by taking a past ENEM exam to see where you lose points. Then build a weekly schedule that covers the four subject areas and the essay, study the theory in short blocks and finish each block with questions. Review with spaced repetition, write one essay a week and take timed past exams until your results hold steady.
The ENEM is Brazil's national high school exam, used for university admission through SISU, ProUni and Fies. It has 180 multiple choice questions, 45 per subject area, plus an essay, spread over two Sundays. Day one covers Languages, Humanities and the essay. Day two covers Natural Sciences and Math. You need the content, but also the stamina for sittings of five hours or more.
The multiple choice score is calculated with item response theory (TRI). In practice, getting the easy questions right counts a lot, and getting a hard one right while missing several easy ones is worth less. So before chasing the hardest topics, secure the basics of every area and avoid losing points on what you know.
The essay is worth up to 1,000 points and is often where you can climb the most. It is an argumentative text that ends with a proposal for action, graded on five skills. Writing often and getting feedback works better than reading model essays.
- 1Take a past ENEM exam published by Inep to find your weakest areas.
- 2Check how much each area weighs for the degree you want through SISU and prioritize the heavy ones.
- 3Build a weekly schedule with the four areas, the essay and one day off.
- 4Study the theory in short blocks and end each block with questions on that topic.
- 5Review with spaced repetition: one day later, one week later and one month later.
- 6Write one essay a week and get it corrected by a teacher.
- 7Take full past exams under real timing, one exam day at a time.
- 8Review every mistake and note why: did not know it, mixed it up or ran out of time.