Status at 5 October 2026: the 2027 Informação-Prova (the official exam specification) has not been published yet. This guide describes the 2026 exam, the most recent official reference, and will be updated when the 2027 document comes out.
What exam 715 is
Física e Química A (Physics and Chemistry A) is a two-year subject in the specific training of the Ciências e Tecnologias (sciences) course, and its national final exam (code 715) is sat at the end of 11.º ano (Year 11). In a single paper it assesses the Aprendizagens Essenciais (the official syllabus) of Years 10 and 11 in both areas: Physics and Chemistry.
Because it is sat in Year 11, it is one of the first national exams a sciences student can take. It can also be retaken later, to improve the grade or as a university entrance exam.
What the exam looks like
| Feature | What the official documents say |
|---|---|
| Length | 120 minutes, plus 30 minutes of extra time allowance |
| Total marks | 200 points |
| Question types | Selection items (for example, multiple choice) and constructed-response items (for example, short answer) |
| Balance | An even split between Physics and Chemistry and between the two years (10 and 11) |
| Included with the paper | Table of constants, formula sheet and periodic table |
| Calculator | Compulsory: a graphing calculator with exam mode, without CAS, and not open source |
Practical and experimental work is assessed and can appear anywhere in the paper, not only in a dedicated section. Questions can be built around texts, tables, graphs, diagrams and figures, and an answer may draw on more than one domain.
What topics come up
The exam covers the domains of both years' Aprendizagens Essenciais:
| Year | Chemistry | Physics |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Chemical elements and their organisation (mass and size of atoms; energy of electrons in atoms; the periodic table). Properties and transformations of matter (chemical bonding; gases and dispersions; chemical transformations). | Energy and its conservation (energy and motion; energy and electrical phenomena; energy, thermal phenomena and radiation). |
| 11 | Chemical equilibrium (quantitative aspects of chemical reactions; equilibrium state and extent of reactions). Reactions in aqueous systems (acid-base; oxidation-reduction; solutions and solubility equilibrium). | Mechanics (time, position, velocity and acceleration; interactions and their effects; forces and motion). Waves and electromagnetism (signals and waves; electromagnetism and electromagnetic waves). |
Because the paper is balanced between the two years, Year 10 content counts as much as Year 11. In our experience this is where easy marks are lost: Year 10 gets forgotten while studying Year 11.
How much it counts in the grade
For internal students on the general academic (científico-humanísticos) courses who sit the exam towards the subject's final grade, on Portugal's 0 to 20 scale:
CFD = (7.5 × CIF + 2.5 × CE) ÷ 10, that is, 75% of the internal school grade and 25% of the exam, rounded to the nearest whole number.
To finish secondary school, students sit exams in Portuguese and in two subjects from their specific training. A sciences student can, for example, sit the Biologia e Geologia and Física e Química A exams in Year 11, or just one of them, in which case they complete their choices in Year 12. The DGE's Guia Geral de Exames (general exams guide) sets out every possible combination.
As an entrance exam, the exact points count (for example 143 points, not 14 out of 20), and each institution sets a minimum that is never below 95 points out of 200.
How to prepare, in practice
- Revise Year 10 early: energy, chemical bonding and the periodic table always come back.
- Master the formula sheet and table of constants supplied with the paper. You do not need to memorise them, but you do need to find and use each expression quickly.
- Practise the lab activities: reading graphs, uncertainties, procedures and conclusions. Experimental work can come up in any question.
- Work through past papers with the marking criteria, to see what earns marks in a written answer.
- Practise with the graphing calculator in exam mode, especially regressions and graphs.
- Sit full papers in 120 minutes, to practise the pace.
Common questions
In which year is the Física e Química A exam taken?
In Year 11, the subject's final year. The exam assesses the Aprendizagens Essenciais of Years 10 and 11.
How long is the Física e Química A exam?
120 minutes, plus 30 minutes of extra time allowance, according to the 2026 Informação-Prova.
Are the formula sheet and periodic table provided?
Yes. The paper includes a table of constants, a formula sheet and a periodic table.
Which calculator can I bring?
A graphing calculator with exam mode, without computer algebra (CAS), and not open source. Its use is compulsory in this exam.
Can I retake the exam to raise my grade?
Yes. The rules allow exams to be taken to improve the grade, for example in the second phase of the same year. When the improvement is to an entrance exam taken in the first phase, it only counts from the second phase of the university application round.
