[Curriculum of the Brazilian medical schools: quantitative analysis]

The curricula of Brazilian medical schools show four distinct patterns. The first pattern (North and Northeast regions of Brazil) has basic disciplines in the first and second graduation year. The same fact characterizes also the curricula of the Southeast I region. In other patterns the basic disciplines are present only from the third year onward. The fourth pattern (South and Centerwest regions) present a very variable curricular structure when compared with the other ones. The internship is concentrated in the sixth graduation year in the first, second and fourth patterns, but in the third pattern it begins in the fifth year.