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About this exam

The Perito Criminal Federal (PCF) credential is the forensic-expert career track of the Polícia Federal, the Brazilian federal police. It is aimed at graduates in fields such as engineering, chemistry, biology, computer science, accounting, statistics, medicine and dentistry who want to apply technical expertise to criminal investigation: examining crime scenes, producing expert reports, and giving technical testimony in court. The selection is run by the Polícia Federal and organized by an appointed examining board; the current notice, with all rules, dates, vacancies and scoring, is published by the official body, so always confirm details there rather than relying on second-hand summaries.

The exam is broad and demanding. It combines Portuguese, administrative, constitutional and criminal law with quantitative subjects, computing and forensics, plus the scientific core of your area: engineering, biology and genetics, medicine and dentistry, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and criminalistics including crime-scene work, evidence chain of custody, document examination and ballistics. The path typically includes objective multiple-choice papers, a written or discursive exam, an oral thesis defense, and physical, medical and psychological stages, followed by a training course.

Preparation works best as a long project. Build the legal and Portuguese base first, then deepen your specialty while keeping the other scientific domains at working level; practice writing structured technical answers, since the discursive and oral stages reward precision and clarity. Solve problems rather than memorizing, and simulate timed papers. Difficulty is high and competition is strong, so consistent weekly volume over many months beats last-minute cramming.

What you'll study

Common questions

About Polícia Federal - Perito Criminal Federal preparation

What is the exam format?

Expect objective multiple-choice papers across the listed subjects, a discursive or written exam requiring structured technical answers, and an oral thesis defense. Physical fitness, medical, psychological and documentary stages usually follow. The exact structure, subject weighting and stage order change between editions, so read the current official notice.

How hard is it really?

Very hard, mainly because of breadth. You must be strong in law and Portuguese while also handling statistics, computing and several natural sciences, and the discursive and oral stages expose shallow knowledge. Candidates with solid undergraduate foundations and months of disciplined, problem-based study do best; memorization alone rarely survives the written stage.

Can I retake the exam if I fail?

Retake rules are set in each official notice, so check the current edition on the Polícia Federal site. In practice, sitting a later edition usually means starting the whole selection again, including objective, written and later stages. There is no shortcut for candidates who passed only some stages, so plan for a full cycle each time.

How much time should I plan for preparation?

Most successful candidates study for many months, often close to a year or more, at a steady weekly pace. Treat it as a project: cover the legal and language base early, keep quantitative and scientific subjects in continuous rotation, and reserve the final months for timed simulations and discursive writing practice rather than new content.

In what order should I study the subjects?

Start with Portuguese, constitutional, administrative and criminal law, since they are heavy and slow to mature. Then build statistics and computing alongside your specialty science, and keep criminalistics connected to real case reasoning. Finish with integrated simulations and written answers that mix subjects, because the exam rewards combining technical and legal reasoning.

What causes most failures?

Neglecting the discursive and oral stages while over-drilling multiple choice is common, as is ignoring weaker scientific domains until too late. Others fail because they memorize without solving problems, mismanage time in long papers, or write vague answers lacking technical vocabulary. Poor physical preparation for the fitness stage also eliminates otherwise strong candidates.

Is there a minimum score or passing mark?

Scoring rules, minimum marks per subject and elimination criteria are defined in the notice for each edition and are published by the official body. Do not rely on numbers circulating online, since they may refer to older editions. Always read the current notice and its annexes before planning targets.

How many vacancies are there and how long is the validity?

Vacancy counts, reserve lists, validity period and call scheduling vary by edition and are announced by the Polícia Federal in the official notice. Check the current document and any rectifications for the authoritative figures, since older numbers do not carry over and are frequently misquoted in study forums.

Does the exam require a specific degree?

Yes, the career requires a completed higher-education degree in an area accepted by the notice, typically engineering, chemistry, biology, computing, accounting, statistics, medicine, dentistry or similar. The exact list of accepted degrees and any registration requirements appear in the official notice, so verify yours before applying.

How should I practice the written and oral stages?

Write full technical answers under time pressure and have someone critique structure, precision and legal grounding. For the oral defense, prepare a topic you know deeply, rehearse explaining it to a skeptical listener, and practice answering follow-up questions. Clarity and honesty about limits impress examiners more than bluffing.