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Is the word focar the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?

No

While the core definition of "focar" is identical in both dialects (referring to adjusting a lens or directing attention toward something), there is a difference in typical usage and grammatical preference.

In Brazilian Portuguese, "focar" is a very common, everyday verb used to describe concentrating one's mental attention or prioritizing a task (e.g., "focar nos estudos"). In Continental Portuguese, while "focar" is used—particularly in the context of optics or photography—it is much more natural and frequent to use the pronominal verb concentrar-se or centrar-se when referring to mental focus. Additionally, Brazilians frequently use it as a transitive verb, whereas Portuguese people naturally use the reflexive/pronominal structure.

Brazilian Portuguese

  1. Eu preciso focar nos meus estudos para a prova. (I need to focus on my studies for the exam.)
  2. Vamos focar no que é mais importante agora. (Let's focus on what is most important right now.)
  3. Ele não consegue focar no trabalho hoje. (He cannot focus on work today.)
  4. Você deve focar nos seus objetivos de carreira. (You should focus on your career goals.)
  5. É importante focar nos resultados positivos. (It is important to focus on the positive results.)

Continental Portuguese

  1. Eu preciso concentrar-me nos meus estudos para o exame. (I need to concentrate on my studies for the exam.)
  2. Vamos centrar-nos no que é mais importante agora. (Let's center ourselves on what is most important right now.)
  3. Ele não se consegue concentrar no trabalho hoje. (He cannot concentrate on work today.)
  4. Tu deves concentrar-te nos teus objetivos de carreira. (You must concentrate on your career goals.)
  5. É importante concentrarmo-nos nos resultados positivos. (It is important to concentrate on the positive results.)