FUVEST (from

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

''Fundação Universitária para o Vestibular'', "University Foundation for Vestibular") is a Brazilian autonomous institution connected to the

University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the best ...

responsible for its "vestibular" examinations. For that reason, USP's vestibular itself is usually called "Fuvest". FUVEST's exam is considered by most as the most competitive vestibular and demanding exam, only rivalled by the vestibular for the Technological Institute of Aeronautics. Every year, an average of 160,000 candidates take their exams, which usually last several days.

Tests

FUVEST's exam is split into two parts. The first part consists of a 90 multiple–choice questions test, taken by all applicants (nicknamed as ''vestibulandos'' in Portuguese) in late November, or early December. They have 5 hours to answer the questions about the following subjects:

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...

and Brazilian/Portuguese Literature,

Math Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

. Also, according to the candidate's guide, up to 10% of these questions will bear interdisciplinary questions. Following the first part, FUVEST publishes the ''Nota de Corte'' (from

, meaning "Cutoff Mark" or "Cutoff Score"). The Cutoff Score is the result of a simple expression and its value is different for each major. Every candidate who has obtained a score equal to or higher than the Cutoff Mark automatically qualifies to advance to the second part. Candidates who score less than 22 points or score zero in any subject are automatically disqualified. The second part is usually held in early January and consists of up to four exams. The

exam is required of all candidates, and so is an exam about all subjects. The remaining required exams (on the third day of this second part) differ depending on the candidate's intended major, usually focusing on more difficult or specific topics. For example, prospective

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

majors are tested in Math, Physics and Chemistry, while

Law School A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

applicants have to take History, Geography and Math exams, and

Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

candidates are examined in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The Portuguese language exam includes, in addition to essay questions, a student-written essay. In the current format, candidates take only one exam per day over a period of three or four days. Some majors also require specific exams: applicants for

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

and

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

must attend for such tests. Moreover, candidates who only attended a public high-school receive an extra 12% on their final scores on the first and second parts, arguably in order to compensate for the general low quality of Brazilian public basic education.

2010 changes

For the 2010 FUVEST, some significant changes are expected. The first part, scheduled for November 22, will be the same as before, but the points obtained by the candidate will no longer be taken into consideration for his final score. In other words, the first part will serve as an elimination test. For the second part, greater changes have been made. The examination will last for three consecutive days (from January 3 to 5). In the first day, candidates will do the Portuguese language test and the essay exam. On the second day, there will be 18 write-in questions covering all subjects of high school, 6 being interdisciplinary. In the third day, specific questions will be presented in the exam to the candidate, depending on his career of choice. For example, students applying for any course in the

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

will be asked and questioned about subjects regarding the humanities such as history, or geography, while candidates for the

Exact Sciences The exact sciences, sometimes called the exact mathematical sciences, are those sciences "which admit of absolute precision in their results"; especially the mathematical sciences. Examples of the exact sciences are mathematics, optics, astron ...

will be questioned about subjects such as mathematics and chemistry, and so on and so forth. Careers that require special tests (such as Music or Architecture) will have their own specific tests regarding the desired subjects of the candidates at a time around the end of the year.

Required books

Candidates are requested to read a total of nine books, due to the fact that the exams will present questions regarding the stated books. Not all of them will be covered by the test, usually only three are mentioned throughout the test, but the student is unable to know which of them he will be asked about. For the 2013-2014-2015 vestibulars, the required books are: * '' Vidas Secas'', by

Graciliano Ramos Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira () (October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian ''sert� ...

; * '' Minha Vida de Menina'', by

Helena Morley Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant (August 28, 1880 – June 20, 1970) was a Brazilian juvenile writer. When she was a teenager, she kept a diary, which describes life in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil which was then published in 1942. The diary was ...

; * ''

O Cortiço ''O Cortiço'' (titled in en, The Slum) is an influential Brazilian novel written in 1890 by Aluísio Azevedo. The novel depicts a part of Brazil's culture in the late Nineteenth century, represented by a variety of colorful characters living i ...

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Aluísio Azevedo Aluísio Tancredo Gonçalves de Azevedo (; 14 April 1857 – 21 January 1913) was a Brazilian novelist, caricaturist, diplomat, playwright and short story writer. Initially a Romantic writer, he would later adhere to the Naturalist movement. He ...

; * ''

Claro Enigma Claro or CLARO may refer to: Companies * Claro (company) or Claro Americanas, a mobile and fixed voice and data communications company **Claro Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay **Claro Brasil ** Claro Colombia ** Claro El Salvador ** Claro Guatemal ...

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Carlos Drummond de Andrade Carlos Drummond de Andrade () (October 31, 1902 – August 17, 1987) was a Brazilian poet and writer, considered by some as the greatest Brazilian poet of all time. He has become something of a national cultural symbol in Brazil, where his wi ...

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Iracema ''Iracema'' (in Portuguese: ''Iracema - A Lenda do Ceará'') is one of the three indigenous novels by José de Alencar. It was first published in 1865. The novel has been adapted into several films. Plot introduction The story revolves around t ...

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José de Alencar José Martiniano de Alencar (May 1, 1829 – December 12, 1877) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, orator, novelist and dramatist. He is considered to be one of the most famous and influential Brazilian Romantic novelists of the 19th century, ...

; * '' Sagarana'', by

João Guimarães Rosa João Guimarães Rosa (; 27 June 1908 – 19 November 1967) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer and diplomat. Rosa only wrote one novel, '' Grande Sertão: Veredas'' (known in English as ''The Devil to Pay in the Backlands''), a revoluti ...

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Mayombe Mayombe (or Mayumbe) is a geographic area on the western coast of Africa occupied by low mountains extending from the mouth of the Congo River in the south to the Kouilou-Niari River to the north. The area includes parts of the Democratic Republi ...

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Pepetela Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (born 1941) is a major Angolan writer of fiction. He writes under the name Pepetela. A Portuguese Angolan, Pepetela was born in Benguela, Portuguese Angola, and fought as a member of the MPLA in the long g ...

; * ''

Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas Memoria refers to one of five canons in classical rhetoric. Memoria, or Memorias (Spanish), or Memórias (Portuguese) may also refer to: Books and texts * Memoria Apostolorum, lost text of the New Testament apocrypha *''Memorias'', Spanish-langu ...

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Machado de Assis Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short stor ...

; * '' A Cidade e as Serras'', by Eça de Queirós.

References

External links

FUVEST's official website

How to participate and study Fuvest
{{Authority control University of São Paulo Examinations