Enamed: results of the exam that assesses medical education

On January 19, 2026, the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Health (MS) released the results of the 2025 National Medical Education Assessment Exam (Enamed).

This was the first edition of the exam, created in 2025 and administered by the Anísio Teixeira National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep) to measure the quality of medical education in Brazil.

Enamed assessed the performance of hundreds of medical programs and produced data that will support MEC oversight actions and public policies on physician training.

This article explains how it works and presents the results of the first Enamed ever held.

What is Enamed?

Enamed is a national assessment specific to undergraduate medical education, with goals similar to those of the National Student Performance Exam (Enade), but adjusted to the particulars of medical training.

It assesses essential competencies for professional practice, with special attention to work in Brazil’s public health system (SUS).

It is administered as a single test, mandatory for final-year medical students. The assessment covers core content of medical training, such as:

• Internal Medicine;

• Surgery;

• Gynecology and Obstetrics;

• Pediatrics;

• Family and Community Medicine;

• Mental Health;

• Public Health.

Although the exam does not prevent graduation, its results carry significant weight in the institutional evaluation of programs and can be used as a criterion in selection processes for medical residency, especially in unified models.

Who can take Enamed?

Enamed is mandatory for final-year students in medical programs recognized by MEC. Participation is a condition for building the institutional quality indicators the federal government uses to monitor and oversee the number of places offered in medical education.

In addition, the score can be used in specific selection processes, which increases students’ interest in better understanding how ENAMED works and how to prepare for the test.

What do the Enamed results show?

According to MEC, 351 medical programs at public and private institutions were assessed across the country.

The main results indicate that:

• About 69% of programs performed satisfactorily, with scores MEC considers adequate.

• Approximately 30% of programs received unsatisfactory scores (1 or 2), below the minimum expected level.

• One program was not assessed because it did not reach the minimum required number of graduating students.

The results reveal a heterogeneous landscape in Brazilian medical education, with significant differences between institutions, regions and delivery models. A sizable group of programs showed unsatisfactory performance, drawing the attention of MEC and oversight bodies.

These data now become part of the information used for regulatory decisions in higher education.

The Enamed ranking uses the Enade criterion (scores from 1 to 5) to assess programs. According to the assessment:

• 24 programs received an Enade score of 1, the lowest;

• 83 programs scored Enade 2;

• 80 programs scored Enade 3;

• 114 managed to achieve Enade 4;

• 49 received the highest score, Enade 5.

The full results can be accessed through this link hosted on the MEC website.

What measures has MEC announced for low‑performing programs?

Based on the Enamed results, MEC announced oversight and regulatory measures for programs with unsatisfactory performance. The main actions include:

• restricting or suspending increases in the number of places;

• opening academic oversight proceedings;

• limiting access to federal programs, such as student financing;

• requiring teaching improvement plans.

These measures reinforce the exam’s role as an instrument of quality regulation, and not just of diagnostic assessment.

Enamed, Profimed and Revalida: what are the differences?

Although all three exams are taken by medical students or graduates, they have different purposes and characteristics:

Profimed, if definitively approved, will be a mandatory exam for registration with the Regional Council of Medicine (CRM), with the purpose of assessing competencies.

The National Medical Education Assessment Exam (Enamed) focuses on assessing academic training, is coordinated by the Ministry of Education and is taken during medical school. Its focus is monitoring the quality of programs to strengthen education policy, with no direct effect on professional registration.

Finally, the National Exam for the Revalidation of Medical Diplomas (Revalida) is an assessment created by the federal government in 2011, run jointly by the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Health, to evaluate and recognize medical degrees issued by foreign institutions.