100+ Free Cuba University Entrance History Exam Practice Questions

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76.4% in History in the sitting reported by Cubadebate Pass Rate

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Cuba University Entrance History Exam Exam

3 compulsory subjects

Applicants to the Curso Diurno sit Matemática, Español and Historia de Cuba

Resolución 129/2018 del MES, Artículo 2

60 of 100 points

Minimum mark for a paper to count as passed and enter the first allocation round

Resolución 129/2018 del MES, Artículo 3

76.4% passed History

History sits between Spanish at 92.1% and Mathematics at 52.7% in the same reported sitting

Cubadebate, resultados de los exámenes de ingreso

96,305 places

Higher-education places offered for the 2026-2027 course across day, encuentros and distance modes

Granma, 25 March 2026, MES press conference

Suspended for 2026-2027

MES cancelled the June 2026 sittings over the energy crisis and allocated places on academic index

Mesa Redonda, 19 May 2026; Radio Rebelde, 20 May 2026

2 sittings per year

Each cycle has a Convocatoria Ordinaria and a Convocatoria Especial for justified absences

Universidad de La Habana, Nota Informativa sobre el Proceso de Ingreso

Cuba's national university entrance History exam is a Spanish-language written paper of development questions scored 0–100, with 60 points setting priority in the first round of degree allocation. It covers the independence wars (1868–1898), the neocolonial republic (1902–1952) and the revolution (1952–present). MES suspended the exams for the 2026-2027 cycle over the energy crisis without abolishing them. This 100-question English MCQ bank adapts the syllabus for structured study.

Sample Cuba University Entrance History Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Cuba University Entrance History Exam exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1On October 10, 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes initiated the Cuban independence struggle at his sugar plantation La Demajagua. What was his first revolutionary decree regarding enslaved persons?

A.He granted immediate and unconditional freedom to his own slaves and invited them to join the struggle for Cuban independence as free citizens

B.He maintained slavery unaltered until Spanish colonial authorities could be formally compensated

C.He sold his enslaved laborers to purchase arms and ammunition in Jamaica

D.He ordered enslaved persons to remain on plantations under Spanish military oversight

Explanation: At the sugar mill La Demajagua on October 10, 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes rang the bell to convene his enslaved workers, declared them free men ('¡Ciudadanos, hasta este momento habéis sido esclavos míos!'), and invited them to join the armed struggle for a free and independent Cuba as equal citizens.

2What was the fundamental historic achievement of the Guáimaro Assembly held in Camagüey in April 1869?

A.The political unification of the revolutionary forces from Oriente, Camagüey, and Las Villas, and the adoption of Cuba's first republican constitution

B.The signing of a peace treaty with the Spanish Crown granting colonial autonomy

C.The unconditional surrender of the Cuban Liberation Army to General Martínez Campos

D.The annexation of Cuba to the United States as a federal territory

Explanation: The Guáimaro Assembly (Asamblea de Guáimaro, April 10–12, 1869) unified the regional revolutionary movements (Oriente, Camagüey, and Las Villas), established the Republic in Arms (República de Cuba en Armas), elected Carlos Manuel de Céspedes as President, and approved Cuba's first Constitution, which proclaimed universal human equality and the absolute abolition of slavery.

3Which prominent Cuban revolutionary leader conducted the legendary cavalry rescue of Brigadier Julio Sanguily on October 8, 1871?

A.Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz

B.Antonio Maceo Grajales

C.Máximo Gómez Báez

D.Vicente García González

Explanation: On October 8, 1871, Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte, at the head of only 35 Camagüey cavalrymen, launched a daring machete charge against a Spanish column of 120 riflemen to successfully rescue the captured Brigadier Julio Sanguily, a feat considered a masterpiece of Cuban military tactics.

4What military innovation did General Máximo Gómez introduce into Cuban warfare at the battle of Tienda de El Pino (or Pino de Baire) on November 4, 1868?

A.The mass machete charge (la carga al machete), turning the common agricultural tool into a devastating shock weapon

B.Trench warfare with heavy artillery fortifications

C.Naval submarine warfare against Spanish transport galleons

D.Aerial reconnaissance using hot air observation balloons

Explanation: On November 4, 1868, at Tienda de El Pino (Pino de Baire), Máximo Gómez led the first mass machete charge in Cuban history. Transforming the rustic cane-cutting machete into a terrifying cavalry weapon, the charge routed superior Spanish infantry and became the signature tactic of the Liberation Army.

5What were the primary internal causes that led to the collapse of the Ten Years' War and the signing of the Pact of Zanjón in February 1878?

A.Regionalism, indiscipline, caudillismo, and internal seditions (such as Lagunas de Varona and Santa Rita) that fractured Cuban military and political unity

B.A complete lack of popular Cuban support for the independence cause from the outset

C.The intervention of the United States military on behalf of Spain

D.The total annihilation of all Cuban mambí combatants by Spanish forces

Explanation: The Ten Years' War (1868–1878) ended not because Spain conquered the Cuban army militarily, but due to internal political fragmentation: corrosive regionalism, lack of civilian-military coordination, the deposing of Céspedes, caudillismo, and military seditions (Lagunas de Varona in 1875 and Santa Rita in 1877).

6On March 15, 1878, General Antonio Maceo held a historic conference with Spanish General Arsenio Martínez Campos at Mangos de Baraguá. What was Maceo's resolute stance?

A.He rejected the Pact of Zanjón because it neither granted Cuban independence nor abolished slavery, declaring that hostilities would resume (Protesta de Baraguá)

B.He accepted the Spanish peace proposal on the condition that he receive a personal pension in Spain

C.He proposed the indefinite annexation of Cuba to the United States

D.He surrendered his army and pledged eternal loyalty to King Alfonso XII

Explanation: At Mangos de Baraguá on March 15, 1878, Antonio Maceo uttered his immortal refusal to accept peace without independence and without the total emancipation of enslaved Cubans: 'No estamos conformes con lo pactado en el Zanjón... el 23 se rompe el fuego'. The Protest of Baraguá saved the moral dignity and revolutionary continuity of the Cuban nation.

7What major socio-economic transformation occurred in Cuba during the period known as 'La Tregua Fecunda' (The Fertile Truce, 1878–1895)?

A.The definitive abolition of slavery (1886), the rapid penetration of US monopoly capital into sugar production, and the emergence of an organized working class

B.The complete restoration of 18th-century Spanish colonial monopolies and trade bans

C.The industrialization of heavy machinery manufacturing across central Cuba

D.The total eradication of foreign investment in Cuban agriculture

Explanation: Between 1878 and 1895, Spain abolished slavery (patronato ended in 1886), transforming enslaved laborers into wage-earning rural proletarians. Concurrently, US monopoly capital heavily penetrated the sugar industry, modernizing mills (centrales azucareros) and binding Cuba's economy in structural dependence to the US market.

8On April 10, 1892, José Martí officially founded the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (PRC). What was the fundamental purpose of this political organization?

A.To organize and unify all patriotic forces to achieve the absolute independence of Cuba and assist in the independence of Puerto Rico through a necessary, generous war

B.To negotiate parliamentary representation for Cuba within the Spanish Cortes in Madrid

C.To campaign for the electoral annexation of Cuba into the United States

D.To establish a military dictatorship led exclusively by veteran generals

Explanation: Article 1 of the Bases of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (PRC) states that the party was established 'para lograr, con el esfuerzo reunido de todos los hombres de buena voluntad, la independencia absoluta de la Isla de Cuba, y fomentar y auxiliar la de Puerto Rico'. It united veterans ('pinos viejos') and youth ('pinos nuevos') into a single civilian-military vanguard.

9What official newspaper did José Martí establish in New York on March 14, 1892, to propagate the revolutionary ideas of the PRC?

A.Patria

B.El Mambí

C.Granma

D.La República en Armas

Explanation: On March 14, 1892, Martí published the first issue of 'Patria' in New York. Conceived as the theoretical and ideological organ of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, it educated emigrant workers and unified revolutionary consciousness across the Americas.

10Signed on March 25, 1895, in the Dominican Republic by José Martí and Máximo Gómez, the Manifesto of Montecristi established which core principles for the 1895 war?

A.That the war was not waged against ordinary Spanish people, but against the colonial regime; that it sought a republic free from feudality; and that it must prevent imperial expansion

B.That all Spanish civilians residing in Cuba must be permanently expelled without trial

C.That the war aimed solely at restoring the Spanish Constitution of 1812

D.That Cuba would request formal annexation by the United States upon defeating Spain

Explanation: The Manifesto of Montecristi ('El Partido Revolucionario Cubano a la Isla de Cuba') laid out the program of the 1895 Necessary War: it emphasized that the war was not driven by racial hatred against Spaniards ('guerra sin odio'), aimed to create a democratic republic without feudal abuses, and highlighted the geopolitical role of a free Cuba in preserving the independence of Latin America.

About the Cuba University Entrance History Exam Exam

The Examen de Ingreso a la Educación Superior en Historia de Cuba is one of the three compulsory national entrance examinations administered across Cuba by the Ministerio de Educación Superior (MES). The examination assesses deep understanding of the historical continuum of Cuban nationhood, anti-colonial struggles, anti-imperialist resistance, and the socialist revolution. Candidates are evaluated across three principal epochs: the 19th-century independence wars (1868–1898), the neocolonial republic (1902–1952), and the revolutionary process (1952–present). The paper tests core analytical competencies: to characterize, argue, demonstrate, and exemplify historical processes using primary source documents and exact chronological sequences. IMPORTANT 2026 STATUS: on 19 May 2026 the MES announced that the entrance exams would not be held for the 2026-2027 admission cycle because of the national energy crisis, and that places would be allocated on accumulated academic index instead; the ministry stated the following day that the exams remain its preferred mechanism, and no decision has been published abolishing them permanently. This 100-question practice bank is an English-language multiple-choice study adaptation covering the same historical periods, documents and chronologies. It is a study aid, not an official translation and not a simulation of the exam's written-development format, which requires candidates to characterise, argue, demonstrate and exemplify in continuous Spanish prose.

Assessment

Administered on the same day and hour at every Cuban exam centre in a single morning session beginning at 09:00. The paper consists of thematic development questions evaluating historical causality, major revolutionary documents, political-military campaigns, biographical milestones, and socio-economic transformations from 1868 to the contemporary era.

Time Limit

Single morning session from 09:00; official duration not published by MES

Passing Score

60 / 100

Exam Fee

Free (no examination or registration fee; university education in Cuba is free) (Ministerio de Educación Superior (MES))

Cuba University Entrance History Exam Exam Content Outline

32 practice questions

Guerras de Independencia del Siglo XIX (19th-Century Independence Wars)

Ten Years' War (1868–1878), Céspedes and Yara, Guáimaro Constitution, Baraguá Protest, Zanjón Pact, The Fertile Truce, José Martí's founding of the PRC and Patria, the 1895 Necessary War, Montecristi Manifesto, the East-to-West invasion, US intervention in 1898, and Treaty of Paris.

19 practice questions

La República Neocolonial (The Neocolonial Republic, 1902–1952)

US military occupation, Platt Amendment, anti-imperialist student and labor movements in the 1920s and 1930s (Mella, FEU, Villena, CNOC), Revolution of 1930, Antonio Guiteras and Joven Cuba, 100-day government, and the 1940 Constitution.

22 practice questions

La Guerra de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation War, 1952–1958)

Batista's coup of 1952, assault on Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, 'La historia me absolverá', Granma expedition, Sierra Maestra guerrilla war, Rebel Army fronts, urban resistance, April 9 strike, Las Villas campaign, and triumph of January 1, 1959.

27 practice questions

La Revolución en el Poder (The Cuban Revolution in Power, 1959–Present)

First Agrarian Reform Law, 1961 National Literacy Campaign, proclamation of socialist character, Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs), October Crisis (1962), revolutionary institutionalization, 1976 and 2019 Constitutions, and Special Period resistance.

How to Pass the Cuba University Entrance History Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 60 / 100
Assessment: Administered on the same day and hour at every Cuban exam centre in a single morning session beginning at 09:00. The paper consists of thematic development questions evaluating historical causality, major revolutionary documents, political-military campaigns, biographical milestones, and socio-economic transformations from 1868 to the contemporary era.
Time limit: Single morning session from 09:00; official duration not published by MES
Exam fee: Free (no examination or registration fee; university education in Cuba is free)

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Cuba University Entrance History Exam Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master foundational revolutionary documents: know the exact authorship, dates, and historical significance of the Guáimaro Constitution (1869), Baraguá Protest (1878), Montecristi Manifesto (1895), 'History Will Absolve Me' (1953), and the First Agrarian Reform Law (1959).

2Trace the ideological evolution of José Martí: study his founding of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (PRC) in 1892, his newspaper Patria, and his anti-imperialist letter to Manuel Mercado.

3Understand the causes and consequences of the Platt Amendment: memorize its imposition in 1901 as an appendix to the Cuban Constitution and its role in authorizing US military interventions.

4Track the chronology of the insurrectionary war (1953–1958): Moncada assault (July 26, 1953) → Granma landing (December 2, 1956) → Alegría de Pío → Combate de La Plata → El Uvero → Expansion to Las Villas (Gómez/Maceo columns led by Che and Camilo) → Battle of Santa Clara (December 1958) → Triumph (January 1, 1959).

5Learn the core agrarian and social transformations: the First Agrarian Reform Law established a maximum landholding of 30 caballerías (402 hectares), and the 1961 Literacy Campaign declared Cuba an Illiteracy-Free Territory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the entrance exams be held for the 2026-2027 course?

No. On 19 May 2026 the ministers of Education and Higher Education announced that the exams scheduled for 5, 9 and 12 June 2026 would not take place because of the energy crisis, and that places would be allocated on students' accumulated academic index. MES said the day after that entrance exams remain the best mechanism for ordering access, and has published no decision abolishing them, so the syllabus remains the reference for future sittings.

What is the Examen de Ingreso de Historia de Cuba?

It is the standardized national university entrance examination in Cuban History administered by the Ministerio de Educación Superior (MES) across all Cuban provinces to evaluate secondary school graduates' mastery of national history.

What historical periods does the Cuban entrance examination cover?

The examination covers three major eras: the 19th-century independence wars (1868–1898), the neocolonial republic (1902–1952), and the revolutionary process from the 1952 Batista coup through the insurrectionary struggle and the consolidation of the Revolution in power.

What is the passing score and how does it affect university placement?

The examination is scored on a scale from 0 to 100 points, with 60 points being the standard cutoff to qualify for priority first-round career allocations. Candidates who do not reach 60 points are offered remaining vacancies in subsequent allocation stages.

What cognitive skills are evaluated on the official exam?

The official exam requires five fundamental historical skills: caracterizar (identifying essential features of leaders and events), argumentar (providing evidence-based justifications), demostrar (proving historical assertions), ejemplificar (citing concrete historical examples), and identificar (pinpointing exact dates, places, and documents).

Why is this practice bank in English?

The official Cuban examination is administered in Spanish. This practice bank provides an English-language multiple-choice adaptation designed for bilingual study, retaining exact Spanish names of historical figures, political organizations, manifestos, and legal documents.