Unesp conducted the first day of its 2026 entrance exam's second phase on Sunday (7), with 24 discursive questions in human sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics, across 35 cities. Candidates voiced frustration on social media over the difficulty, but professors viewed the exam as balanced and consistent with high school content.
The second phase of Unesp's 2026 entrance exam began on Sunday (7) with 24 discursive questions divided into applied human and social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics. The test took place in 35 cities in São Paulo state and will continue on Monday (8) with language exams and an essay.
On social media, students expressed surprise and frustration with the questions' difficulty level, which required solid conceptual knowledge. However, professors interviewed by Folha assessed the exam as traditional and without major surprises for well-prepared candidates.
Vera Lúcia Antunes, coordinator at Objetivo, highlighted classic history themes such as the Industrial Revolution, Latin America, redemocratization, and the arrival of the Portuguese court. In philosophy, questions covered Kantian morals, democracy in Plato, and debates on the digital world, demanding conceptual clarity. Geography featured recurring topics like the India-Pakistan conflict, housing deficit, land regularization, and Chico Mendes's role in extractivist reserves.
Viktor Lemos, director at Curso Anglo, rated the difficulty as medium, with variations: history and geography from medium to hard, emphasizing content, graphs, and images. He noted the absence of sociology, predominance of Brazilian geography, and imprecisions in a geometry question. In biology, Fábio de Menezes from Colégio Oficina do Estudante praised the distribution across ecology, molecular biology, plant physiology, and cytology.
In exact sciences, physics demanded direct formula applications like mechanical energy, mirrors, and electric power, according to Gabriel Gamberini. Chemistry explored topics from electron distribution to electrolytes, with variety and subitems, as per Carlos Vitorino. In mathematics, Rodrigo Silva pointed to spatial geometry with pyramid trunks, compound interest, and combinatorial analysis, rated medium to hard.
Lemos emphasized that the exam retained the board's traditional profile, with balanced conceptual demands, though some items required logical reasoning and attention to details. The questions are worth up to 72 points, scored 0 to 2 per item based on mastery, precision, and clarity.
Unesp offers 5,867 spots in 24 cities, calling up to seven times the number of vacancies per course for the second phase, plus 3,000 top trainees. Monday's essay is worth 28 points and can be voided for straying from the theme or copying. Results will be released on January 30.