Students who took the first phase of Fuvest 2027 in Ribeirão Preto on Sunday, Nov. 1, said the length of the texts and the level of interpretation required were the most challenging parts of the exam that grants access to the University of São Paulo. Although the organization reduced the total number of questions from 90 to 80, candidates described a reading marathon that demanded stamina and concentration over five hours.
Maria Eloísa Zupane, 17, a candidate for physiotherapy, said the test itself was not difficult or complicated. Mathematics had few questions and required more logic than calculations, she said, but the long texts were tiring. Across São Paulo state and a test center in Fortaleza, Ceará, 106,100 candidates registered for the vestibular. In the Ribeirão Preto and Franca region, the exam mobilized 9,377 registrants across nine application locations.
Samuel Ribeiro, 17, a history candidate, said the exam remained challenging, with extensive questions. He said the reduction from 90 to 80 questions appeared to come with a slight increase in difficulty and longer texts, and that the test was still very long. Luiz Henrique Bernardo Freire, 27, a pedagogy candidate, said the exam was quite extensive and the texts were complicated. Rafael Oliveira, 18, a law candidate, described the test as difficult and at Fuvest’s usual level, with well-elaborated questions and sophisticated vocabulary that required candidates to stay focused.
Students also highlighted specific content. Keila Stefanie, 19, a medicine candidate, considered the exam resolvable and welcomed the inclusion of the 6x1 work scale. Maria Eloísa mentioned a challenging literature question on “Nebulosas,” by Narcisa Amália, which related two of the author’s poems, including “Desengano,” and asked about context, reaction and the author’s focus. Luiz Henrique noted that English questions involved physics and other areas, requiring deeper interpretation than he expected.
The first phase consisted of 80 multiple-choice questions on general high school content. The edition integrated pop culture with academic and social analysis. References included cleidocranial dysplasia through actor Gaten Matarazzo, of “Stranger Things”; Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show to address geopolitics and symbolism; the song “Meninos e Meninas,” by Legião Urbana; and an artificial-intelligence-generated image simulating a meeting between Elis Regina and Maria Rita. The exam also addressed the proposal to end the 6x1 workday alongside Karl Marx’s theory of exploitation, the role of fitness influencers in body image, climate change impacts on flora and physics principles applied to skateboarding maneuvers.
Fuvest is offering 8,147 undergraduate places at USP in this edition. Of those, 4,888 are for broad competition, 2,053 for students from public schools and 1,206 for public-school students who self-declare as Black, brown or Indigenous. Candidates approved in the first phase will take the second phase on Dec. 6 and 7. The first day will cover Portuguese and the essay, and the second will feature questions specific to the chosen career. The announcement of those selected and of exam locations is scheduled for Nov. 23. The first official call for enrollment will be published on Jan. 26, 2027.
Sources: G1.