FUVEST

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FUVEST (from Portuguese Fundação Universitária para o Vestibular, "Universitary foundation for Vestibular") is a Brazilian autonomous institution connected to the University of São Paulo responsible for its vestibular examinations. For that reason, USP's vestibular itself is usually called "Fuvest". The Fuvest examinations also applies for candidates willing to go to Santa Casa Medical School. Santa Casa is a private college and USP is a public university.

FUVEST's exam is considered the most competitive vestibular, and one of the most demanding. Every year, an average of 160 000 candidates sit their exams, which usually last several days.

[edit] Tests

FUVEST's exam is split into two phases. The First Phase consists of a 90 multiple–choice questions test, taken by all applicants (vestibulandos) in late November, or early December. They have 5 hours to answer the questions with the following subjects: Portuguese language and Brazilian/Portuguese Literature, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, and English language. Also, according to the candidate's guide, up to 10% of these questions will bear interdisciplinar questions.

Following the First Phase, FUVEST publishes the Nota de Corte (from Portuguese, 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 Phase.

The Second Phase is usually held in early January and consists of up to four exams. The Portuguese exam is required of all candidates. The remaining required exams differ however depending on the candidate's intended major. For example, prospective Engineering majors are tested in Math, Physics and Chemistry, while Law School applicants have to take History and Geography exams, and Medical School candidates are examined in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. No career requires a foreign-language exam in the Second Phase. All Second-Phase exams consist of ten write-in questions requiring a dissertative answer, with the exception of the Portuguese language exam which, in addition to the ten regular dissertative questions, also includes a student-written essay. Candidates have four hours to solve the Portuguese exam, while the other exams last three hours each. In the current format, candidates normally take only one exam per day over a period of three or four days. Some majors also require specific exams: applicants for Architecture, Design and Arts must attend for such tests.