Students from Campinas (SP) interviewed by g1 reported surprise with the theme of the essay proposed by Enem 2026, which had the first test administered this Sunday (8). The 45 questions on Languages, Codes and their Technologies did not bring much news, even though the volume of texts was cited as a difficulty by candidates.
This year's exam brought questions about the Rouanet Law, the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), rare earths, artificial intelligence and women's rights, in addition to female participation in science. Other topics were the environmental impacts of solar energy, the protection of children on the internet and the resistance of indigenous peoples during colonization.
Electromechanical Rafael Dias Pereira, 37 years old, summarized the question book as calm, but tiring.
"The test is just very exhausting, it's very tiring, there's a lot of reading, a lot of interpretation. The test is relatively easy, but tiring."
This tranquility with the content was also observed by student Bianca Oliveira, aged 18. For her, the topics covered in this Sunday's test were already expected. Next Sunday (15), candidates will answer questions on mathematics and natural sciences.
"I found it to be a calm test, there were topics that I personally understand a little about. [...] I noticed that the tests have been very repetitive. The questions are always in the same niche, it doesn't change much", he assessed.
Student Sofia Ammirati, 18, felt the lack of more visual resources, such as cartoons. "For me, a very big difficulty are the two pages of long texts, short texts too, which add to our tiredness and stress."
Logistics assistant Rafaelle Caroline Rodrigues, 37 years old, noticed the density of topics covered throughout the question booklet. "A little difficult, very long texts. Very, very long texts, focused on indigenous peoples, so they talked a lot about sovereignty."
Student Felipe Albano Souza, 17, who took the test for the first time this Sunday, said it was tiring and estimated he had answered around 20 questions. "Lots of texts. Five pages dedicated only to text."
Surprise in the newsroom
SUNDAY (8) - CAMPINAS (SP) - Candidates comment on their first impressions of the 1st day of Enem after leaving Unip Swift — Photo: Lívia Mota/g1
The topic of the essay was a surprise for the candidates interviewed, who were expecting debates on artificial intelligence or the regulation of social networks. Despite this, the matter was well received by them.
Student Bianca Oliveira, 18 years old, assessed that the proposal reflects an important issue today.
Sofia Ammirati took advantage of the structure of the text to praise the creation of the public health system, but pointed out real flaws in the development. "I put the problem of queues in one of the development paragraphs so I could discuss and try to think of a way to improve", he explained.
Current affairs and interpretation
In addition to the fatigue generated by reading, specific issues required cultural background and attention to the news, according to pedagogy student Gabriela de Andrade Arruda, 27 years old.
"I thought it was easy for those who are up to date, like, on these political issues, right? That we have experienced, the polarization of politics."
Arruda pointed out that the analysis of contemporary and erudite works of art, such as paintings by the painter Cândido Portinari, required knowledge and may have generated difficulties.
Enem in the region
The test on the first day of the National High School Exam (Enem) was administered this Sunday (8) to 62,100 candidates in 19 cities in the region of Campinas (SP), according to data from the Ministry of Education.
The number of registrants in the Campinas region this year grew 14.9% compared to 2025, when there were 54,028. Compared to 2024, the increase is even greater: 32%. There are 5 million participants throughout Brazil, the highest number since 2020.
In this first stage, candidates solved questions related to languages and human sciences, in addition to writing. Next Sunday (15) it will be time for mathematics and natural sciences tests.
