The National High School Exam (Enem) 2026 is approaching, and anxiety is growing among students who dream of a place at university. To deal with the pressure, many candidates rely on revisions and simulations but with different strategies for the test.
g1 heard spoke with two candidates from Acre, Talline Nicole Silva de Andrade, 18 years old, who is committed to a more intense routine, and Débora Louzada, also 18, who will take the Enem for the fourth time and decided to study in a less accelerated way.
After completing high school in 2025, Débora realized that the number of hours dedicated to studying did not always represent a better performance. "Last year I couldn't pass and I was still overwhelmed. After that, I decided to study less, but with quality", he highlights.
Students adapt different strategies to their realities when searching for a place in higher education — Photo: Personal archive
✍️ The first day of tests will be this Sunday (8), while the second is scheduled for November 15th. On the first date, candidates take the language, humanities and writing tests. On the second Sunday, it will be mathematics and natural sciences.
Preparation involves different teaching modalities. Débora attends an in-person course in Rio Branco and has also subscribed to two online platforms, which offer content from different disciplines, as well as materials focused on writing and languages.
In the final stretch, the focus is on reviewing the subjects studied during the year and resolving the last doubts. Writing is one of the areas that concerns the student most. To try to improve her performance, she usually produces two texts a week and analyzes her own mistakes.
Her goal is to study law. As he plans to move to São Paulo next year, he intends to apply for places at universities in São Paulo through Enem, using the Unified Selection System (Sisu).
For her, another step as important as the test is taking care of your mind first and foremost. "After this support I have, I end up putting into practice what I've been discussing in therapy also when studying", he stated.
Débora Louzada, 18 years old, is looking for a position in law — Photo: Personal archive
Routine of up to 12 hours of studies
For Talline, the routine is even more rigorous: she dedicates up to 12 hours a day to studying.
"Normally, it's up to 9 hours of studying per day, but this varies a lot. On some days, I study more and I've already completed 12 hours. I'm really excited and I hope it's a good test for everyone, especially given the essay topic, that it's something that we students find it easy to talk about," she said.
Graduated from high school in 2025, she plans to study medicine. Although he prefers the Federal University of Acre (Ufac), he also considers institutions from other states. Its main objective, however, is to gain a place on the course through Ufac's own selection process.
The experience accumulated in previous editions helped the student to identify the contents in which she needed to improve. This year, the main strategy was to work on mistakes and improve the subjects in which they already perform best.
"This year I focused on working more on my mistakes and only improving the subjects that I had less difficulty with. My main objective was to reduce my deficits on the second day of the test and increase my grade in the essay", he explained.
Talline de Andrade, 18 years old, studies up to 12 hours a day and is looking for a place in medicine at Ufac — Photo: Personal archive
Heavy routine
From Monday to Friday, Talline arrives at the private course, in Rio Branco, at 7:30 am and stays until 5:45 pm. When he returns home, he still sets aside approximately two hours to study and organize materials for the next day.
Preparation also continues over the weekend. On Saturdays, she usually attends classes in the morning and participates in math mentoring in the afternoon. On Sundays, he dedicates between six and seven hours to studying, but tries to set aside time to spend with his family.
With an intense routine, Talline studies up to 12 hours a day including the weekend — Photo: Personal archive
One of the student's main difficulties is mathematics. According to her, interpreting statements and finding ways to solve problems requires extra attention. To improve performance, he began to do simulations regularly and review the content that most frequently appears in the Enem.
"My main strategy is to do simulations and review the most recurring content for the test. The part of my study that helps me the most is correcting the questions I get wrong in the tests I take and reviewing so I don't make any more mistakes", he said.
Even with the intense preparation, Talline believes that rest also needs to be part of the preparation. For her, respecting breaks is important to maintain balance during the study period. “Rest is as important as the study itself,” he declared.
Before the tests, she also follows a routine to try to control her anxiety and arrive at the test site calmer.
"One thing I always do before exams is listen to relaxing music, organize my materials and prepare snacks that I will take into the room", he added.
