9.º ano tests for homeschooled pupils (end of ensino básico)

9.º ano closes the 3.º ciclo and ensino básico as a whole. For a homeschooled pupil it is the heaviest year of tests before secundário: two national final tests (provas finais) plus equivalence tests in every other subject. For the general rules, see the exams overview.

What your child sits

Homeschooled pupils in 9.º ano sit, compulsorily and in the 1.ª fase, the provas finais and the equivalence tests in every subject of Table C, and registration is mandatory 11. Despacho Normativo n.º 3/2026, de 23 de fevereiro (Regulamento das Provas de Avaliação Externa e das Provas de Equivalência à Frequência)Diário da República / Júri Nacional de Exames. There is no ModA in 9.º ano.

Provas finais (national, written by EduQA)

Test (code)	Type	Duration (minutes)
Português (91)	Written; oral part for self-entered candidates	90 (oral up to 15)
Matemática (92)	Written	90
PLNM A2 (93) or B1 (94), instead of Português	Written + oral	75 + 15

Source: DN 3/2026, Quadro IV 1. The written tests have 30 minutes of tolerance.

For self-entered candidates (autopropostos), the Português prova final has written and oral components in both phases 1. The Português and PLNM tests are fully digital. In Matemática, the test is shown on screen and multiple-choice answers are given on screen, while worked answers are written on paper 1. In the PLNM prova final the written part weighs 85% and the oral 15% 1.

Equivalence tests (written by the school)

Subject (code)	Type	Duration (minutes)
Inglês (21)	Written + oral	90 + 15
Língua Estrangeira II: Espanhol (15), Francês (16) or Alemão (09)	Written + oral	90 + 15
História (19)	Written	90
Geografia (18)	Written	90
Ciências Naturais (10)	Written + practical	45 + 45
Físico-Química (11)	Written + practical	45 + 45
Educação Visual (14)	Practical	90 + 30 tolerance
Complemento à Educação Artística (97)	Practical	45
Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (24)	Written	90
Educação Física (26)	Practical	45
Cidadania e Desenvolvimento (96)	Oral	15

Source: DN 3/2026, Quadro V, Table C 1.

Oral and practical parts are held before a panel of three teachers who do not teach your child, and oral tests are open to the public 1. For a two-component equivalence test, the subject grade is the simple average of the two parts, and both must be taken in the same phase 1.

Approval and how grades are formed

Your child is not approved at the end of 3.º ciclo with a level below 3 in both Português and Matemática, or below 3 in three or more subjects. Not sitting the provas finais also means non-approval 33. Portaria n.º 223-A/2018, de 3 de agosto (consolidated)Diário da República. Any subject left without a grade blocks approval too 1.

All tests are marked from 0 to 100 and converted into levels 1 to 5 1. For pupils who attend school, press reports and the annual exam information put the prova final at 30% of the final grade in Português and Matemática, with the rest from the school's internal assessment 5.

In the 2.ª fase, your child retakes only the provas finais or equivalence tests where the final grade is below level 3, and may sit just those needed for approval 1.

Timeline

When	What to do
5 to 18 March 2027	Register for provas finais and equivalence tests (1.ª fase) 1
4 June 2027	End of classes for 9.º ano 88. Despacho n.º 8368/2024, de 25 de julho (school calendar 2024-2025 to 2027-2028)Diário da República
Mid June	Provas finais (2026: Português 17 June, Matemática 22 June; Português oral 17 to 26 June) 44. Despacho n.º 14616-A/2025, de 9 de dezembro (calendar of provas and exames 2025-2026)Diário da República
Mid June to early July	Equivalence tests (2026: 17 June to 7 July; results 14 July) 4
16 to 19 July 2027	Registration for the 2.ª fase, if needed 1
Second half of July	2.ª fase (2026: Português 16 July, Matemática 20 July; equivalence tests 16 to 24 July) 4

How to prepare

Provas finais: the public archive of past provas finais up to 2023, with marking criteria, is a good bank of questions 77. Arquivo de Provas Finais do Ensino BásicoIAVE / EduQA. The free Provas-Ensaio show the current digital format 66. Provas-EnsaioIAVE / EduQA. EduQA's annual Informação-Prova describes each test; the provas finais assess the competence areas A, B, C, D and I of the Perfil dos Alunos 5.
Equivalence tests: read your school's Informação-Prova for each subject. With eleven school-set tests in a few weeks, draw up a revision calendar by March.
Oral practice: Português, Inglês, the second foreign language and Cidadania e Desenvolvimento all have oral parts before a panel.
Practical sciences: Ciências Naturais and Físico-Química include a practical part, so plan some hands-on experimental work during the year.

Our sample tests for 9.º ano let your child practise under timed conditions; see plans and pricing.

After 9.º ano

To continue in ensino doméstico or individual in secundário, the only routes are the cursos científico-humanísticos. See Secundário exams and Secundário and university.