UnB PAS
PAS - UnB (Programa de Avaliação Seriada da Universidade de Brasília)
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ExploreAbout this exam
The PAS (Programa de Avaliação Seriada) is the University of Brasília's serial assessment programme, run by UnB and presented on its own portal, pas.unb.br. Unlike a single-shot entrance exam, it evaluates candidates across the three years of secondary school, so a student's performance is built up stage by stage rather than decided on one day. It is aimed at students enrolled in Ensino Médio who intend to compete for a place in UnB undergraduate courses, and it is one of the routes listed under "Estude na UnB" alongside the traditional vestibular. The public pages consulted for this profile confirm the programme's existence, its portal, and a set of quick links (Matrizes e Obras, Se Liga no PAS, Materiais, Cursos, Comissão), but they do not publish the number of items per stage, the duration of each test, the scoring formula, the pass mark, the fee, or the retake rules. Those details must be read from the official notices and the "O que é o PAS" and "Onde se Inscrever" pages before planning anything. Preparation should therefore start with the official programme content and reading lists, proceed through past papers and the published materials, and include steady practice in writing and in interpreting texts, graphs and tables, since Brazilian serial assessments typically weight reading and reasoning heavily. Note that UnB has announced that undergraduate admission calendars change from 2027, so candidates should check current rules each year.
What you'll study
About UnB PAS preparation
What exactly is the PAS?
It is the University of Brasília's serial assessment programme, hosted at pas.unb.br. Instead of one entrance exam, it accompanies students through secondary school in staged evaluations. The consulted pages confirm the programme and its portal but do not publish item counts, test length, scoring or the number of places, so treat those as unknown until you read the official notices.
Who can take part?
The programme is presented as a route into UnB undergraduate courses for secondary-school students, listed on the university site under "Estude na UnB" next to the vestibular. The consulted pages do not state precise eligibility rules, required school year, or restrictions on previous participation. Confirm eligibility on the official "O que é o PAS" and "Onde se Inscrever" pages before registering.
What does each stage cover?
The portal offers quick links to "Matrizes e Obras", "Materiais" and "Cursos", which is where the assessed content and reading lists live. The pages retrieved for this profile do not enumerate subjects or set weights per area. Use the official matrices as your syllabus and ignore third-party summaries, which are often outdated after revisions.
How long is each exam and how many items are there?
The consulted source does not state the number of items, the duration of any stage, or the number of test days. Any figure you see elsewhere may predate a revision. Check the current official notice for the stage you are sitting, and plan your timing practice once you have the confirmed format rather than assuming a previous year's structure.
Is there a fee, and can I get a waiver?
Fee amounts, waiver criteria and deadlines are not given on the pages consulted here, so no value can be reported responsibly. Brazilian programmes usually publish this in the registration notice, with a window for exemption requests. Read the notice for your stage as soon as it opens, because waiver deadlines normally fall before the regular registration period closes.
Can I retake a stage or improve a score?
Retake and score-improvement rules are not described in the consulted source, so this profile cannot confirm whether a stage may be repeated or how a repeated result would be treated. Because the programme is serial by design, assumptions from single-shot exams may not apply. Ask the programme secretariat through the contacts listed on the portal before making decisions.
How difficult is it, and what trips candidates up?
No pass rates or difficulty statistics are published in the source, so difficulty cannot be quantified. The most common practical failures are predictable: ignoring the official reading list, neglecting writing practice, and preparing only in the final year even though performance accumulates across stages. Start early, work through the published materials, and simulate full papers under timed conditions.
In what order should I study?
Begin with the official matrices and reading list for your current stage, since those define the syllabus. Then work through the "Materiais" and "Se Liga no PAS" resources, adding past papers once you know the confirmed format. Keep a weekly writing habit and review errors by topic rather than simply re-reading notes, so weak areas get repeated exposure.
Will the rules change soon?
Yes, at least for admission calendars. The UnB homepage states that the undergraduate admission calendar changes from 2027, without detailing how that affects the PAS. Treat any schedule you find for 2027 onward as provisional and re-check the official portal before relying on dates, especially if you are currently in the first or second year of secondary school.