The first day of the second phase of the Unicamp 2025 Entrance Exam, held this Sunday (1), recorded the lowest abstention rate in the last 15 years of the exam. In total, 12.040 candidates attended the test, with 971 absences, which resulted in an abstention rate of 7,5%, lower than that recorded last year, when 7,8% of candidates did not attend.
According to the Permanent Commission for Entrance Exams at Unicamp (Comvest), the reduction in the abstention rate proves that the University was right to hold the exams in the morning. “It was also a qualitative success, as we did not have any reports of candidates feeling unwell due to the heat or food-related issues,” reported José Alves de Freitas Neto, director of Comvest.
The lowest abstention rates were recorded in the regions of Campinas (5,8%) and Greater São Paulo (6,5%). In the other capitals, the rate was 13,6%, which follows the trend of recent years, according to Comvest. The lowest abstention rate was in Sorocaba, with 3,9%, and the highest was recorded in Brasília, with 17,8%.
On the first day of the second phase, the Writing, Portuguese Language and Literature tests, as well as interdisciplinary questions on English Language and Natural Sciences, were administered. The Writing test, which accounts for 20% of the candidates’ final grade, presented two proposal options. In the first, students were asked to write a presentation text for a bill aimed at combating gender inequality in the National Congress. In the second, candidates were asked to put themselves in the position of a school principal and write a statement to parents and guardians about the risks of gambling among children and adolescents and about the school staff’s concern when they realized that some students were using gaming platforms. “These are genres that circulate in different spheres, but are equally important in the Brazilian context,” said Márcia Rodrigues Mendonça, academic coordinator at Comvest.
The rest of the test consisted of six questions on Portuguese Language and Literature and four interdisciplinary questions, two on English Language and two on Natural Sciences, all discursive. Among the topics covered were the intertextuality between the book cover The Inside of the Skin, by Jeferson Tenório, and cartoons about racism; the precariousness of work; the phenomenon of slang as a manifestation of linguistic changes and adaptability; the understanding of the legal obstacles involving the X platform (formerly Twitter) from a non-verbal text; among other topics. The Literature questions addressed the work Old house, by Machado de Assis, and the poem Song of Exile, by Gonçalves Dias, and its reinterpretations.
In the interdisciplinary English language questions, texts on popular science and the philosophy of René Descartes were addressed. In the interdisciplinary Natural Sciences questions, candidates had to discuss asteroid collisions from a physical perspective and the use of sunscreens and their impacts. “There was a wide variety of text genres to be read and interpreted, in which candidates had to use different reading skills and the mobilization of knowledge and resources to prepare their answers,” Mendonça pointed out.
According to Comvest, the format of the second phase tests, which consist of discursive and interdisciplinary questions, is an important differentiator of the Unicamp Entrance Exam, which helps the University to select candidates in a comprehensive manner. “In the first phase, with multiple-choice questions, we tell whether the candidates got the answers right or not. This is quantitative. But how do they get them right? This is also important for the University,” highlighted Alves Neto.
Entrance exam continues
This Monday (2), candidates will take the mathematics tests and answer interdisciplinary questions on Human Sciences, common to all candidates, in addition to the specific knowledge tests, which vary according to the course option.
Second day – tests common to all candidates:
Mathematics Test: six questions for courses in the Exact/Technological Sciences areas, four questions for courses in the Biological/Health Sciences areas and four questions for courses in the Humanities/Arts areas.
Interdisciplinary Test: two interdisciplinary questions on Human Sciences.
Second day – tests of specific knowledge, depending on the course option:
a) Candidates in the area of Biological Sciences/Health: Biology test with eight questions; Chemistry test with six questions.
b) Candidates in the Exact/Technological Sciences area: Physics test with six questions; Chemistry test with six questions.
c) Candidates in the Humanities/Arts area: Geography test with six questions; History test with six questions; Philosophy test with one question; Sociology test with one question.
The tests will be administered in the capitals of Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Salvador and São Paulo, and in 16 other cities in São Paulo: Bauru, Campinas, Guarulhos, Jundiaí, Limeira, Mogi Guaçu, Osasco, Piracicaba, Presidente Prudente, Ribeirão Preto, Santo André, Santos, São Carlos, São José do Rio Preto, São José dos Campos and Sorocaba. Comvest recommends that candidates arrive at the test locations one hour in advance. Access is only possible until 9 am, the time when the tests begin. Candidates have up to five hours to answer the questions, and the minimum time they must remain in the classroom is two hours.
Between December 11th and 13th, in Campinas, the Specific Skills Tests will be held for the courses of Architecture and Urban Planning, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Dance. The first call will be announced on January 24th, and those called must register online on January 27th and 28th, through the Comvest website. Other dates and information are described in the Unicamp 2025 Entrance Exam calendar, also available on the Comvest website.
