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National secondary education exams begin this Friday with the Portuguese test for the 12th year, the subject with the most enrolled students, and the Mandarin test for 11th year students.
This year there are more than 156 thousand students registered for national exams, a figure only surpassed in the last six years in 2019, when almost 160 thousand students registered, according to data made available by the Ministry of Education.
The first phase begins this Friday with the Portuguese tests, for which 44,421 students are registered. In the afternoon, it is the turn of the 11th year students to take the Mandarin test, one of the least popular.
The other four tests with the most registered students are Biology and Geography, which takes place on June 18 and for which around 43 thousand 12th year students are expected, followed by the Physics and Chemistry A test on 21 June (around 40 thousand registered) and Mathematics A on June 26, with more than 38 thousand registered students.
The first phase of the national tests ends on June 28th, with the Descriptive Geometry A and History B tests, both aimed at 11th grade students.
Of the more than 156,000 students who signed up for national exams this year, just over half intend to apply for higher education (57%).
These students must pay attention to the calendar, as all grades will be posted on July 15th and, if they want to try to improve their grade, they will have to enroll in the second phase, having only two days to do so (15th and 16th July). July).
Applications for the first phase of the competition for access to higher education take place between July 22nd and August 5th.
Students who want to apply for higher education with tests taken in the second phase will have to do so between August 26th and September 4th, and in the second phase there are always much fewer places available.
The rules for access to higher education are currently not the same for all secondary students.
For students in the 12th year, the old rules continue to apply, applied over the last four years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Therefore, finalists only take exams for the tests they need to compete for higher education.
Students who are now in the 11th year will have to take three exams to complete secondary school: Portuguese in the 12th year, which will become mandatory for all students in the four scientific-humanistic courses and two more exams of their choice.