The regular PND 2026 test is scheduled for September 20, and the official post-exam phase begins on September 24. On that date, Inep is expected to publish the test booklets, the scoring rubric for the discursive question, preliminary answer keys for the objective questions, and the preliminary expected response for the discursive question. The key point is not to confuse these materials: the September 24 answer keys are still preliminary, while the participant's individual discursive-question scoring is scheduled for November 10 and the final PND result for December 15.
The timeline below follows Inep's official PND 2026 guidance page and Public Notice No. 67 of May 22, 2026. Because the calendar may be amended, candidates should check the official sources again as each deadline approaches.
PND 2026 post-exam timeline
| Date | What is released | What the candidate can do | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Test booklets, discursive-question scoring rubric, preliminary objective-question answer keys, and the preliminary expected response for the discursive question. | Review the materials and decide whether there are grounds to challenge an objective answer key or the expected response for the discursive question. | The first appeal phase opens on September 24. |
| September 24–25 | First appeal window. | Submit an appeal through the PND System against the preliminary objective answer keys and/or the expected response for the discursive question. | Until 11:59 p.m. Brasília time on September 25, under the notice's general deadline rule. |
| October 18 | Reapplication for participants whose requests were approved under the conditions set out in the notice. | Take the reapplication test, when applicable, and monitor the PND System for specific communications. | The public timeline does not list separate booklet and answer-key release dates for the reapplication. |
| November 10 | Outcome of the first appeal phase, final expected response for the discursive question, and preliminary scoring of the participant's discursive response. | Review the individual discursive scoring and decide whether there are grounds for the second appeal phase. | The second appeal phase opens on November 10. |
| November 10–12 | Appeal window for the scoring of the discursive response. | Challenge the scores assigned to the participant's own discursive response, within the scope set by the notice. | Until 11:59 p.m. Brasília time on November 12. |
| December 15 | Final versions of the objective-question answer keys and the final PND result. | Check the individual result and Individual Performance Report in the PND System and, if the score is being used in a hiring process, follow the specific notice issued by the relevant authority or school system. | Published final milestone for PND 2026. |
What exactly is released on September 24
The September 24 release brings together four different materials. The test booklets let candidates review the questions. The preliminary answer keys apply to the objective questions and may still change after appeals are reviewed. The discursive-question scoring rubric sets out the assessment criteria. The expected response is the content reference used by the examining board for the discursive question.
This means September 24 is not the final score date and, under the current schedule, it is not the date of the participant's individual discursive scoring either. PND includes a General Teacher Education section with 30 objective questions and one discursive question, plus 50 objective questions in the Specific Component. The post-exam process therefore has one track for objective questions and another for the discursive response.
First appeal phase: answer keys and expected response
The notice establishes two appeal phases. The first, on September 24 and 25, concerns the preliminary objective-question answer keys and the expected response for the discursive question. Appeals must be submitted by the participant through the PND System.
This phase is not about the candidate's individual score. The notice states that challenges must be limited to the appropriateness of the answers defined in the answer key and in the expected response. Individual performance is not reviewed at this stage.
There is another important detail: the examining board responds to this first round through a single consolidated opinion rather than personalized replies to each participant. If the appeal analysis changes an objective item or the expected discursive response, the change is applied to the scoring of all participants, including those who did not appeal.
Discursive question: rubric, expected response and individual scoring are different
Three references may sound similar but serve different purposes. The scoring rubric sets out the assessment criteria and how the response is evaluated. The expected response is the content benchmark used by the board. The preliminary scoring of the participant's discursive response is the application of those criteria to that participant's own answer.
On November 10, the schedule provides for both the final version of the expected response and the release of the preliminary scoring of the discursive response. Only after this individual scoring is published does the second appeal phase open, from November 10 to 12.
Second appeal phase: what can be challenged in the discursive scoring
In the second phase, an appeal must address the scores assigned to the discursive-question response. The notice also makes clear that the appropriateness of the expected response is not reconsidered at this stage; that issue belongs to the first appeal phase.
To support the appeal, the notice provides for the participant's digitized discursive response to be made available in the PND System during the appeal period. It also prohibits participants from identifying themselves in the text fields used for the appeal, under penalty of automatic rejection. Appeals submitted outside the allowed scope, after the deadline, or through a channel other than the PND System are not accepted.
When is the result of the discursive-scoring appeal released?
Inep's public timeline does not show a separate line with an exclusive date for the outcome of the appeal against the discursive scoring. The notice says that the result of this analysis will be made available to the participant in the PND System, with an individualized justification, according to the official schedule. The published final milestone for the edition is December 15, when the final objective answer keys and the final PND result are also scheduled.
For that reason, November 10 should not be treated as the “discursive result” date: what is released then is the preliminary scoring, which can still be appealed through November 12.
If there was a problem on test day, there is a deadline before September 24
Participants who fall within the reapplication conditions set out in the notice — such as certain logistical problems or specified infectious diseases — must submit their request through the system by 11:59 p.m. on September 22. The reapplication is scheduled for October 18. Candidates in this situation should monitor the request decision and any specific instructions because the general public timeline does not provide a separate line for the reapplication's booklet and answer-key release.
The final PND result is not the same as a hiring or appointment decision
The December 15 result is the result of the PND. The notice explicitly states that the National Teaching Exam is not a public-service recruitment competition by itself. States, municipalities, the Federal District, or other participating authorities may use the score as a sole or complementary stage in their own selection processes, under their own rules.
Therefore, even after checking the individual result and Individual Performance Report, candidates must follow the notice for the recruitment process in which they intend to use the PND score. Registering for PND and registering for a teacher-selection process are separate procedures.
Where to monitor each step
- PND System: individual access, appeals and performance-result consultation.
- Inep guidance page: public PND 2026 timeline.
- Public Notice No. 67/2026: rules for the two appeal phases, reapplication and results.
- Inep news release dated September 9, 2026: confirms the September 20 test date and the September 24 and December 15 milestones.
