Enem 2026: students report triple journeys, early morning studies and anxiety to fulfill their dream of entering university

Students and families faced anxiety in the first stage of Enem 2026, on Sunday (8), in Goiânia. Candidates reported busy routines between work and studies.

Helena Najar, 17 years old, combines her work as a Young Apprentice with her studies. Gabriel Henrique, 20, used his early hours to study while working as a driver.

Family members like Emily Cavalcante waited for their children at the entrance to the test sites. Volunteer Lorival José da Silva, aged 23, also provided emotional support to the candidates.

Helena Najar positively evaluated her performance in the essay on the valorization of the SUS. However, she reported concerns about mathematics and science tests on Sunday (15).

According to the Ministry of Education, Goiás registered 166.9 thousand registered for the exam. Of this total, 82.8 thousand are high school students and 71.5 thousand are from public schools.

Sunday (8) was marked by anxiety and apprehension for students and families for the first stage of the Enem 2026 exams, in Goiânia. In an interview with g1, those who took the test and parents who accompanied those studied in front of the test site talked about the routine between work and studies in search of realizing their dream of entering university.

Among the cases is that of Helena Najar, 17 years old, who took the test for the second time. She said she is determined to achieve her goal of becoming a sports physiotherapist. The student said that she has a busy routine, divided between studies and work as a Young Apprentice.

"I took the course at night, studied in the morning and worked in the afternoon [...]. It's tiring, for sure, but it's worth it," said the candidate.

Gabriel Henrique is 20 years old and has been working as an app driver for two years. He said that he intends to study marketing and used the early hours of the morning to study and balance his busy routine at work.

The young man said that he has already worked 12-hour days to earn a living at home, but he knows he is on the right path:

“It’ll work out one day,” he joked.

Anxiety

To share the agony and provide emotional support, some family members decided to wait for their children to complete the exam at the entrance to the test locations, in Goiânia.

Sitting on a cardboard outside the university, Emily Cavalcante told g1 that she followed her son's dedication to the test and was confident in his potential. "I'm here in anticipation," he said.

Lorival José da Silva, 23 years old, is part of Força Jovem Universal (FJU) and, through the university project, seeks, together with the other members, to provide support to students and help them calm down for the test.

"Many people prepare throughout the year to take this test. So we come to try to give them this support, emotional support as well. We had a corner there for the student to sit, talk a little and vent. So all of this is to provide support to the student", he stated.

First stage

After the test, Helena stated that she was confident that she had gotten a good grade in the first stage, although she was surprised by the essay's theme, which was "Valuing the Unified Health System (SUS) as a universal right."

She said she was more worried about the second day of exams, when the natural sciences and mathematics tests will be held.

Next Sunday (15), students face the second of Enem.

According to the Ministry of Education (MEC), 166.9 thousand people signed up for the exam in Goiás, 82.8 thousand of whom were high school students. Of the total, 71.5 thousand are from the public education network.