The second phase of the 2025 Unicamp Entrance Exam ended with the lowest abstention rate in the last 15 years. The overall final rate was calculated at 8,2%. Of the 13.011 candidates approved for the second phase, 11.950 students attended the exam. The decision to hold the exams in the morning also proved to be a success. According to the University's Permanent Commission for Entrance Exams (Comvest), there were no problems with candidates due to the intense heat or the food. In the Campinas region, the overall abstention rate was 6,6%. In greater São Paulo, 6,9% of candidates missed the second exam, and in the interior, the number was 8,6%. In the other capitals where the exam was held, there was a 15% abstention rate.
“We have been holding the entrance exam for 39 years and this was the first time it was held in the morning. This is a change that should continue for the coming years,” said José Alves de Freitas Neto, director of Comvest. According to Freitas Neto, the change was also positive for the logistics teams that work on administering the tests. “A heavy rain right at noon, when candidates would have to enter the test sites, as happened today in some regions of Campinas, makes candidates anxious. And the teams are also anxious. The change in schedule was good for everyone.”
On Monday (2), math tests and interdisciplinary questions on human sciences, common to all, and specific tests according to the chosen course area were administered. Next Monday (9), Comvest should release the answers to the questions. Among the topics covered in the tests are environmental issues, present in the topics of biology and chemistry, the role played by Chico Mendes in the preservation of the Amazon and the discussion on the time frame for indigenous lands. Another topic covered was the Olympic Games: candidates should analyze the modalities based on knowledge of physics and mathematics.
There were also references to texts by economist Maria da Conceição Tavares, a Unicamp professor who passed away in June of this year, about the developmentalism of the Juscelino Kubitschek government and the current Latin American economies; and about the distribution of the quilombola population throughout Brazil. “These are issues that require knowledge and the ability to critically read reality, something that students need when they are at university,” commented Freitas Neto.
The repercussions of the essay proposals, applied on the first day of the second phase of the tests, surprised the organizers of the Entrance Exam. According to Comvest figures, 86% of candidates opted for the proposal in which they had 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 concern of the school staff when they realized that some students were using gaming platforms. “Our interpretation is that the students felt recognized. This is a topic in which they are protagonists, which they experience in their daily lives. It is something very concrete in their lives”, analyzed the director of the committee. Among the candidates, the topic was also a hit. All the students interviewed by Comvest Journal of Unicamp said they had opted for this proposal (read more below).
Between December 11 and 13, in Campinas, specific skills tests will be held for the courses in architecture and urban planning, performing arts, visual arts and dance. The first call should be announced on January 24 and those called must register on January 27 and 28, online, through the Comvest website. Other dates and information are included in the Unicamp 2025 Entrance Exam calendar, also available on the commission's website.
'A captivating entrance exam'
The profile of the tests in the second phase of the Unicamp Entrance Exam is already known to students and many come to the exam anxious about the topics they will encounter. Among the candidates interviewed by Journal of Unicamp, two issues were approved: the topics chosen as essay proposals, especially the topic of virtual gambling, and the change in the exam period, moving from the afternoon to the morning. See below what they said about the 2025 Entrance Exam.
Gabriel Basso – 17 years old
Basso took the 2025 entrance exam as a trainee in the exact sciences area. Still a high school student, he already knows that next year he intends to apply for a place in the computer engineering course. For the young man, the topics covered in the exam were intriguing. “Unicamp assesses students’ critical capacity. I think this assessment system is very interesting.” He also approved of the new exam period. “In the afternoon, we spend a lot of time studying the exam, sometimes without eating properly. It is much better to take the exam in the morning.”
Vinicius Nogueira – 17 years old
Nogueira also took the entrance exam as a trainee, focusing on the transportation engineering course. But this wasn't his first time taking the exam, as he had also taken the entrance exam last year. “It was all tiring, but I think I did well,” he said. The student really liked the essay proposal and was able to relate it to his daily life. “We see a lot of artists, singers, and influencers encouraging online gambling. But they only show the good side, saying that people will make money in a simple way. Many uninformed people end up losing money. It's important to discuss this during the entrance exam.”
Gabrielle Ribeiro – 25 years old
A karate teacher and a third-time candidate for the physical education course, Ribeiro believes that the Unicamp entrance exam has concepts that make students think, without focusing so much on theories. “Unicamp manages to make the entrance exam captivating for those taking the exam,” she assessed. For the student, the essay proposals were very well articulated with the reality of the candidates. “I work with children and this is the reality I see. Many children are taken by the world of bets. When I read the proposal, I remembered a student who had already suggested that I bet on Jogo do Tigrinho, and he is only 7 years old!”
Vitoria Baldassa – 17 years old
A candidate for the social sciences course, Baldassa was surprised by her performance on the tests. “I think I even did better on the math test than on the humanities questions. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t desperate either.” She also commented that the topic of gambling had been addressed at her school throughout the year, which made her feel more prepared to write the essay. “I didn’t imagine that such a current topic would be on the test.”
Thiago Luis – 18 years old
Luis is applying for a place on the sports science course and believes he performed well on the tests, despite finding some questions more difficult. He says he felt prepared for the two essay topics proposed, but preferred the format of the notice to parents because it is a simpler text. “I thought the question of bets would be charged on the Enem [National High School Exam], so I studied about it.”
Sthefany Vicente – 20 years old
Born in Araxá (MG), Sthefany Vicente fell in love with Unicamp thanks to her brothers, who are studying computer engineering and economics at the University. “I think the campus is so beautiful that I decided to give it a try,” she said. The student is applying for a place in the dance course and, although satisfied with her performance in the second phase, she says she is anxious about the specific skills tests, which will be held between December 11 and 13. “But it will work out,” the young woman said confidently.
Read more:
Second phase of Unicamp 2025 Entrance Exam records lowest abstention in 15 years
