Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio

Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [eˈzɐmi nasi.oˈnaw du ẽˈsinu ˈmɛdʒi.u, - nasjoˈnaw -]; English: National High School Exam), shortened as Enem (Brazilian Portuguese: [eˈnẽj]), is a non-mandatory, standardized Brazilian national exam, which evaluates high school students in Brazil. The ENEM is the most important exam of this kind in Brazil, with more than 8.6 million registered candidates in 2016. It is the second largest in the world after China's National Higher Education Entrance Examination.

Initially conceived as a diagnostic test, ENEM began to be used as a means of access to public universities in 2004, following the enactment of the University for All Program (Programa Universidade para Todos, or ProUni) under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration. In January 2010, the Unified Selection System (Sistema de Seleção Unificada, or SISU) was launched by MEC, allowing students to apply for admission to federal and state institutions using their ENEM scores.

By 2014, ENEM had become the largest university entrance examination in Brazil, with approximately eight million registered candidates, and the second-largest in the world, surpassed only by China's Gaokao. The test is often compared to other national qualification systems, such as France's Baccalauréat, Germany's Abitur, the United Kingdom's A Levels (and Highers in Scotland), Spain's Selectividad, Portugal's IAVE exams, Japan's Daigaku Nyūshi Center Shiken, South Korea's Suneung, and the SAT and ACT in the United States.

ENEM is also used by applicants seeking scholarships at private universities through ProUni or student loans via the Student Financing Fund (Fundo de Financiamento Estudantil, FIES). Between 2009 and 2016, the exam served as an alternative route to obtain a high school diploma for those enrolled in adult education programs, replacing the National Examination for the Certification of Youth and Adult Competencies (Exame Nacional para Certificação de Competências de Jovens e Adultos, Encceja), which was reinstated in 2017. In several universities, the exam has gradually replaced the traditional vestibular as the main form of admission.

Despite its role in expanding access to higher education, ENEM has faced several controversies. The 2009 edition was canceled following a leak of the test. In 2010, a printing error affected thousands of candidates. In 2019, technical inconsistencies led to errors in score calculation, while in 2021, mass resignations of INEP staff occurred amid accusations of ideological interference and prior censorship in test questions.