Enem 2026 starts this Sunday (8) with 140,745 confirmed candidates in Paraíba. The number of registrants was released by Inep.
Of the total number of people registered in the state, 102,027 were exempt from the registration fee. The capital, João Pessoa, leads the number of participants with 34,347 people.
Women represent the majority of candidates, totaling 84,147 registered. Furthermore, most participants declared themselves to be of mixed race or mixed race.
On the national scene, the MEC registered more than 5 million registrations. The exam serves as the main means of entering higher education in Brazil.
In total, 140,745 people are registered for the National High School Exam (Enem) 2026 in Paraíba and can participate in the tests, which begin this Sunday (8). The data was released by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep).
Of the total number of confirmed participants in the state, 102,027 were exempt from the registration fee, while 38,718 paid to take the exam. As a result, free registrations represent more than 72% of the total number of candidates in Paraíba.
João Pessoa is the municipality in Paraíba with the largest number of registrants for Enem 2026. The capital has 34,347 confirmed participants, almost double that of Campina Grande, which appears in second place, with 18,913 candidates.
Paraíba also has 38,575 public high school students enrolled in the exam. The state ranks fifth in the Northeast in the number of participants in this group, behind Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco and Maranhão.
Women are the majority among those enrolled in Enem 2026 in Paraíba. In total, 84,147 candidates confirmed their participation, equivalent to approximately 60% of the total. The percentage is higher than that recorded in 2025, when they represented 58.28% of participants.
The Inep survey also shows that 55,405 candidates have already completed high school. The number corresponds to around 39% of those registered in the state.
Regarding the declaration of color or race, the majority of participants identify themselves as mixed race. There are 71,937 registered in this category, more than half of the total number of confirmed candidates in Paraíba.
Enem 2026 also has 347 participants over 60 years old in the state. Of this total, 192 were entitled to exemption from the registration fee, while 155 paid to participate in the test. The number represents a reduction of approximately 13% compared to 2025, when 399 people in this age group signed up for the exam.
The Enem application follows the Brasília time zone and will be organized as follows:
Gates opening: 12pm
Gates closing: 1pm
Start of the test: 1:30 pm
Permission to leave without the question book: from 3:30 pm
Permission to leave with the question book: from 6pm
End of the test on the 1st day: 7pm
End of the test on the 2nd day: 6:30 pm
On this first day, students need to solve 90 questions and also write an essay. Check it out below:
45 language questions (40 in Portuguese and 5 in English or Spanish);
45 human science questions;
essay.
In this edition, the Ministry of Education (MEC) registered more than 5 million registrations across the country.
Enem is considered the main form of entry into higher education in Brazil, through federal programs such as the Unified Selection System (Sisu), the University for All Program (Prouni) and the Student Financing Fund (Fies).
Public and private educational institutions use test results to select students.
The individual results of the exam can also be used in selection processes at educational institutions in Portugal that have an agreement with Inep.
Since the 2025 edition, Enem has also once again certified the completion of secondary education for candidates aged 18 and over.
For the first time, Enem will also aim to assess the mastery of skills and abilities expected at the end of high school, integrating the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb).
