Boy, 8, passes lawyers' exam

An boy of eight has passed a Brazilian law school entrance exam.

The country’s bar association said the achievement of Joao Victor Portellinha should be taken as a warning about the low standards of some of the nation’s law schools.

“If this is confirmed, the Education Ministry should immediately intervene … to investigate the circumstances of this case,” said the association’s president Miguel Angelo Cancado.

Oliviera is two levels ahead of normal school grade for his age – but his mother says he is not a cloistered genius.

“He is a regular boy. He is very dedicated, likes to read and study, but he has fun and makes friends.”

He said: “My dream is to be a federal judge. So I decided to take the test to see how I would do … It was easy. I studied a week before the test.”

Brazil requires every student to take an entrance exam before being admitted to college.

Each university administers its own test, and the exams from private institutions are usually considered to be easier than those of public universities, which are free and attract many more candidates.