Tests
FUVEST's exam is split into two parts. The first part consists of a 90 multiple–choice questions test, taken by all applicants (vestibulandos) in late November, or early December. They have 5 hours to answer the questions with the following subjects: Portuguese language and Brazilian/Portuguese Literature, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, and English language. Also, according to the candidate's guide, up to 10% of these questions will bear interdisciplinary questions.
Following the first part, FUVEST publishes the Nota de Corte (from Portuguese, meaning "Cutoff Mark" or "Cutoff Score"). The Cutoff Score is the result of a simple expression and its value is different for each major. Every candidate who has obtained a score equal to or higher than the Cutoff Mark automatically qualifies to advance to the second part. Candidates who score less than 22 points or score zero in any subject are automatically disqualified.
The second part is usually held in early January and consists of up to four exams. The Portuguese exam is required of all candidates. The remaining required exams differ however depending on the candidate's intended major. For example, prospective Engineering majors are tested in Math, Physics and Chemistry, while Law School applicants have to take History and Geography exams, and Medical School candidates are examined in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. No career requires a foreign-language exam in the second part. All exams in this part consist of ten write-in questions requiring an essay answer, with the exception of the Portuguese language exam which, in addition to the ten regular essay questions, also includes a student-written essay. Candidates have four hours to solve the Portuguese exam, while the other exams last three hours each. In the current format, candidates normally take only one exam per day over a period of three or four days. Some majors also require specific exams: applicants for Architecture, Design and Arts must attend for such tests.
Moreover, candidates who only attended a public high-school receive an extra 12% on their final scores on the first and second parts, arguably in order to compensate for the general low quality of Brazilian public basic education.
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