Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame. - I am satisfied with the grade in the exam.

Both are correct. Eu adds a bit of emphasis on I (e.g. contrasting with someone else), but in everyday speech you’d very often just hear Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.

Why is it estou and not sou? What’s the difference between ser and estar here?

Ser is used for permanent or defining characteristics; estar is used for temporary states, situations, or feelings.

Being satisfied with a grade is a current emotional state, not a permanent trait, so you say:

Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.

Using sou satisfeito would sound odd; it would suggest something like I am a satisfied person (by nature), which is not what you mean here.

I’m a woman. Do I have to change satisfeito?

Yes. Satisfeito agrees in gender and number with the subject.

Man: Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Woman: Eu estou satisfeita com a nota no exame.
Group of men / mixed group: Nós estamos satisfeitos...
Group of women: Nós estamos satisfeitas...

So if you’re female, you should say satisfeita.

Could I say contente or feliz instead of satisfeito? Is there a difference?

You can, and all are common, but there are small nuances:

satisfeito: focused on your expectations being met. Very natural with grades, results, services, etc.
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
contente: generally “pleased / glad”, often a bit lighter, everyday tone.
- Estou contente com a nota no exame.
feliz: “happy”, often stronger or more emotional.
- Estou feliz com a nota no exame.

All three work here. Satisfeito sounds particularly natural when talking about performance or results.

Why is it com a nota? Could I use de or por instead of com?

In this structure, Portuguese normally uses estar satisfeito com + thing.

Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.

Using de or por with a noun here would sound wrong or very unusual in European Portuguese.

You do see por when it’s followed by a verb in the infinitive:

Estou satisfeito por ter passado ao exame.
(I’m satisfied for having passed the exam.)

But with a plain noun (a nota), stick to com.

What exactly is no in no exame?

No is a contraction of em + o (in + the):

em + o exame → no exame = “in the exam / on the exam”.

Similarly:

em + a prova → na prova
em + os exames → nos exames
em + as provas → nas provas

So no exame literally means “in the exam / on the exam”.

Could I say a nota do exame instead of a nota no exame? Is there a difference?

Both a nota no exame and a nota do exame are grammatically correct, and in everyday speech they often overlap.

a nota no exame
- Literally: the grade in the exam
- Focuses a bit more on the grade you got in that specific sitting / context.
a nota do exame
- Literally: the grade of the exam
- Sounds slightly more like the grade that belongs to that exam.

In practice, for most contexts people will understand both as the grade I got in that exam. In European Portuguese, a nota no exame is very natural and common.

Can I say Estou satisfeito com nota no exame, without a before nota?

No, in this sentence you need the definite article:

Correct: Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Incorrect: *Estou satisfeito com nota no exame.

In Portuguese, nouns usually need an article (or another determiner) in cases like this. A nota refers to your specific known grade.

The form estou satisfeito looks like a continuous tense (like “I am satisfying”). Is that what it is?

No. Here satisfeito is an adjective (originally a past participle of satisfazer), and estar + adjective describes a state:

Estou satisfeito. = I am satisfied. (state)

The Portuguese continuous form is usually estar a + infinitive in European Portuguese:

Estou a estudar. = I am studying.

So:

Estou satisfeito → state (adjective)
Estou a satisfazer → continuous action I am satisfying (someone/something)

They look similar but are different structures.

Is exame the only word for “exam”? What about teste or prova?

In European Portuguese:

exame: formal exam, especially school/university or official exams. Very natural here.
teste: test, usually smaller or less formal than exame (classroom tests, quizzes, etc.).
prova: can mean exam, test, or trial, but in the school context exame and teste are more common in Portugal.

Your sentence with a class test could be:

Estou satisfeito com a nota no teste.

But for big official exams, exame is the standard word.

Can I change the word order, like Com a nota no exame, estou satisfeito?

Yes, Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order. These are all possible (with slight differences in emphasis):

Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame. (neutral, most common)
Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame. (emphasis on I)
Com a nota no exame, estou satisfeito. (emphasis on the grade; sounds a bit more formal or stylistic)

All are grammatically correct; the first one is the default everyday version.