101+ Free ISRI Entrance Examination Practice Questions

Prepare for the Examen de Requisitos Adicionales — Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales "Raúl Roa García" (ISRI) (Cuba) exam with instant access — no signup required.

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Highly competitive: 25 provincial quota places (5 in Havana, 1 per remaining province and Isla de la Juventud) and 7 reserved plazas nationally Pass Rate

101+ Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ISRI Entrance Examination Exam

60 of 100 points

Minimum mark on the written additional-requirements examination to qualify for the oral interview tribunal

ISRI Proceso de Ingreso, isri.cu/es/node/25

25 provincial quotas

Open university vacancies allocated nationally: 5 for Havana, and 1 per remaining province and Isla de la Juventud

ISRI Convocatoria de Ingreso

7 reserved quotas

Reserved vacancies: 5 for Escuelas Militares Camilo Cienfuegos and 2 for IPVCE MININT

ISRI Convocatoria de Ingreso

≥ 95 points average

Minimum cumulative high school grade average required to apply for the Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales

ISRI Proceso de Ingreso, isri.cu/es/node/25

≥ 90 points in core subjects

Required minimum mark in Mathematics, Spanish, and History in each of grades 10 and 11

ISRI Proceso de Ingreso, isri.cu/es/node/25

1 year border brigade service

Compulsory active military service in the Guantánamo Border Brigade for admitted men and women

ISRI Requisitos de Ingreso, isri.cu/es/node/25

Decreto-Ley 116/2026

Elevated the institution to Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales 'Raúl Roa García' under MINREX

Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba No. 47 Ordinaria, 2 June 2026

Free tuition and exam

Public higher education in Cuba is fully state-funded with zero examination or tuition fees

Ley 1307 de la Educación Superior en Cuba

Cuba's ISRI foreign-service entrance exam is a two-part written assessment scored 0–100, requiring at least 60 points to qualify for an eliminatory oral interview tribunal. It covers Cuban and world history, current politics, economic geography, and Spanish writing skills for 25 provincial and 7 reserved university seats. This 101-question English MCQ bank adapts the official syllabus for rigorous study.

Sample ISRI Entrance Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ISRI Entrance Examination exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 101+ 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 laborers?

A.He proclaimed the immediate and unconditional emancipation of his enslaved workers, declaring them free citizens of the nascent Cuban nation and inviting them to join the struggle

B.He decreed that enslaved laborers would remain bound to plantation work until a formal indemnity could be negotiated with the Spanish Crown

C.He announced that emancipation would be deferred until after the armed victory of the Cuban Liberation Army over Spanish colonial forces

D.He ordered that only male enslaved workers over eighteen years of age would be freed, while female workers would remain in servitude

Explanation: At his sugar mill La Demajagua on October 10, 1868, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes took the foundational ethical step of Cuban revolutionary history by freeing his enslaved laborers, addressing them as fellow citizens ('¡Ciudadanos, hasta este momento habéis sido esclavos míos!'), and inviting them to join the struggle for independence as free men.

2What was the fundamental historical significance of the Protest of Baraguá (Protesta de Baraguá) led by Mayor General Antonio Maceo on March 15, 1878?

A.It established the revolutionary government's definitive acceptance of the regional autonomy terms offered by Spain

B.It rejected the humiliating Pact of Zanjón, uncompromisingly refusing peace without sovereign independence and without the total abolition of slavery

C.It ordered the disbandment of the Cuban Liberation Army and the exile of all high-ranking insurgent commanders to Jamaica

D.It negotiated an immediate ceasefire allowing Spanish colonial authorities to supervise local provincial elections in Oriente

Explanation: At Mangos de Baraguá on March 15, 1878, Antonio Maceo met Spanish General Arsenio Martínez Campos and categorically refused the Pact of Zanjón because it failed to provide for either Cuba's sovereign independence or the total abolition of slavery, preserving the political and moral legitimacy of the Cuban revolutionary struggle.

3On April 10, 1892, José Martí proclaimed the founding of the Cuban Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Cubano, PRC). What was the principal strategic objective behind establishing this unitary party?

A.To participate in legislative elections for seats in the Spanish Cortes in Madrid representing the Cuban Autonomist Party

B.To establish a commercial trading enterprise for Cuban tobacco emigrants residing in Tampa, Key West, and New York

C.To unite the veteran military commanders of 1868 with the new generation in a single political vanguard to organize the Necessary War and establish a democratic republic

D.To lobby the United States Congress for the diplomatic annexation of Cuba as an unincorporated territory

Explanation: José Martí created the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (PRC) to overcome the fatal regionalism and internal divisions that doomed the Ten Years' War, unifying the veteran combatants (los viejos) and the new generation (los jóvenes) under a single revolutionary organization dedicated to achieving the full independence of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

4Signed on March 25, 1895, by José Martí and Máximo Gómez, the Montecristi Manifesto served as the programmatic platform of the 1895 War of Independence. Which of the following core principles did it explicitly articulate?

A.That the war was directed against the Spanish people as an ethnic group, demanding their total expulsion from the island

B.That the revolutionary government would establish a constitutional monarchy modeled on the British political system

C.That the liberation movement would accept US financial loans in exchange for customs receivership in Cuban ports

D.That the war was not waged against Spaniards, but against the colonial regime, and aimed to build a republic free from racial hatred and autocratic privileges

Explanation: The Montecristi Manifesto (El Manifiesto de Montecristi) stated clearly that the insurrection was not an act of hostility against individual Spaniards, who would be respected and welcomed in the free republic, but rather a war against Spanish colonial despotism, emphasizing racial brotherhood, democratic dignity, and the geopolitical balance of the Americas.

5Which early 19th-century Cuban intellectual and priest is acclaimed as 'el primero que nos enseñó en pensar' (the first who taught us to think) for introducing modern philosophy and advocating Cuban independence in his writings?

A.Félix Varela y Morales

B.José de la Luz y Caballero

C.Francisco de Arango y Parreño

D.José Antonio Saco

Explanation: Father Félix Varela y Morales (1788–1853), teaching at the Real Colegio Seminario de San Carlos y San Ambrosio in Havana, introduced modern philosophical electivism, abandoned scholastic Latin to teach in Spanish, and through his publication El Habanero became the first prominent Cuban thinker to argue that Cuba must be independent by its own effort alone.

6Between October 1895 and January 1896, Generals Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo executed the East-to-West Military Invasion (Invasión de Oriente a Occidente). What was the primary strategic objective of this campaign?

A.To evacuate Cuban civilian refugees to the safety of the Florida Keys and Yucatan

B.To paralyze the economic core of the Spanish colonial regime in the central and western sugar plains and generalize the war across the entire island

C.To capture the port fortress of Santiago de Cuba and construct a permanent naval base for the Liberation Army

D.To establish diplomatic communications with the British colonial administration in the Bahamas

Explanation: The East-to-West Invasion (Invasión Libertadora) set out from Mangos de Baraguá and crossed the heavily fortified Spanish military trochas (Júcaro-Morón and Mariel-Majana) to reach Mantua in Pinar del Río, destroying sugar production that financed the Spanish war effort and proving that the insurrection was truly nationwide.

7Approved by the US Congress in 1901 and imposed as an appendix to Cuba's 1901 Constitution, what was the practical legal consequence of the Platt Amendment (Enmienda Platt)?

A.It established absolute free trade without tariffs for all agricultural goods traded between Cuba and Latin America

B.It immediately transferred sovereign control over Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the Republic of Cuba

C.It severely curtailed Cuban sovereignty by granting the United States the unilateral right to intervene militarily and forcing the lease of naval stations such as Guantánamo

D.It mandated that the Cuban president and cabinet ministers be directly appointed by the League of Nations

Explanation: The Platt Amendment, authored by US Senator Orville H. Platt and signed by President William McKinley, made the withdrawal of US occupation troops conditional on Cuba adding an appendix granting Washington the right to intervene militarily to protect 'life, property, and individual liberty' and forcing the permanent cession of naval bases (Guantánamo Bay).

8Which Cuban student leader founded the Federation of University Students (FEU) on December 20, 1922, promoted the First National Congress of Students in 1923, and co-founded the first Communist Party of Cuba in 1925?

A.Eduardo Chibás Rivas

B.Antonio Guiteras Holmes

C.José Antonio Echeverría

D.Julio Antonio Mella

Explanation: Julio Antonio Mella (1903–1929) was the preeminent anti-imperialist student and revolutionary leader of the 1920s. The FEU was founded on December 20, 1922, with Felio Marinello as its first president and Mella as secretary; Mella took over the presidency in 1923, drove the First National Congress of Students and the Universidad Popular José Martí, and together with Carlos Baliño founded the first Partido Comunista de Cuba in August 1925 before being assassinated in Mexico by agents of dictator Gerardo Machado.

9What was the immediate cause and defining feature of the historic 'Protesta de los Trece' led by Rubén Martínez Villena on March 18, 1923?

A.A public denunciation by thirteen young intellectuals against the corrupt purchase of the Convent of Santa Clara by the Alfredo Zayas administration

B.An armed assault on the Presidential Palace to demand the immediate repeal of the Platt Amendment

C.A national dockworkers' strike demanding an eight-hour working day and collective bargaining rights

D.A student walkout protesting the expulsion of medical professors from the University of Havana

Explanation: On March 18, 1923, during an event honoring Uruguayan writer Paulina Luisi at the Havana Academy of Sciences, Rubén Martínez Villena and twelve other young writers and professionals walked up to denounce the corrupt acquisition of the Convent of Santa Clara by President Alfredo Zayas's cabinet minister Erasmo Regüeiferos, issuing a manifesto demanding moral cleansing in public affairs.

10During the provisional revolutionary government of 1933–1934 (the 'Gobierno de los Cien Días'), which revolutionary leader served as Secretary of the Interior and War, enacting progressive measures such as the 8-hour workday and the intervention of the Cuban Electric Company?

A.Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar

B.Antonio Guiteras Holmes

C.Ramón Grau San Martín

D.Carlos Mendieta

Explanation: Antonio Guiteras Holmes (1906–1935) was the energetic radical revolutionary driving force of the 100-Day Government. As Secretario de Gobernación y Guerra, he decreed the 8-hour workday, created the Department of Labor, intervened the US-owned Compañía Cubana de Electricidad, reduced utility rates, and founded Joven Cuba after the government was overthrown.

About the ISRI Entrance Examination Exam

The Examen de Requisitos Adicionales of the Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales 'Raúl Roa García' (ISRI)—an institution attached to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) and formally renamed from Instituto Superior to Universidad by Decreto-Ley 116/2026—is the highly selective entrance assessment for Cuba's foreign-service undergraduate degree (Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales). The examination comprises two parts: a comprehensive general knowledge test covering universal history and culture, Cuban history and culture, contemporary national and international politics, and economic and political geography; and a written Spanish-language check testing reading comprehension, orthography, syntax, and punctuation. Candidates must achieve at least 60 of 100 points to be summoned to an eliminatory oral interview graded Excelente, Bien, or Regular before an ad-hoc tribunal. Successful applicants must subsequently pass a FAR military medical check and complete one year of compulsory military service in the Guantánamo Border Brigade (Brigada de la Frontera). This 101-question practice bank is an English-language multiple-choice study adaptation designed to master the core curricular disciplines of the assessment. It is a study aid, not an official translation, and does not simulate the oral tribunal interview.

Assessment

Administered in a single morning session starting at 09:00 across provincial exam centres. The written examination evaluates four broad general knowledge subjects alongside a dedicated Spanish language check. Candidates must achieve at least 60 points to earn an interview before the ad-hoc tribunal.

Time Limit

Single morning session starting at 09:00; official duration not published by ISRI

Passing Score

60 / 100

Exam Fee

Free (no examination or registration fee; university education in Cuba is free) (Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales "Raúl Roa García" (ISRI), adscrita al MINREX)

ISRI Entrance Examination Exam Content Outline

25 practice questions

Historia y Cultura Cubanas (Cuban History, Culture, and Diplomacy)

19th-century independence wars (Céspedes, Agramonte, Gómez, Maceo, Martí), neocolonial republic struggles (Mella, Villena, Guiteras, 1940 Constitution), insurrectionary liberation war (Moncada, Sierra Maestra), revolutionary foreign policy principles, Raúl Roa García ('Canciller de la Dignidad'), and major Cuban cultural figures (Carpentier, Guillén, Ortiz, Alonso).

25 practice questions

Historia y Cultura Universales (Universal History and Culture)

Classical antiquity (Greece and Rome), Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, World Wars I and II, Russian Revolution, Non-Aligned Movement (Bandung 1955, Havana 1979), anti-colonial struggles in Africa/Asia, and world literary and artistic milestones.

20 practice questions

Geografía Económica y Política (Economic and Political Geography)

Strategic maritime chokepoints and canals (Suez, Panama, Hormuz, Malacca, Bab-el-Mandeb, Gibraltar), distribution of global natural resources and energy geopolitics, international trade routes, regional integration blocs (CELAC, ALBA-TCP, ASEAN, MERCOSUR, CARICOM, BRICS), and Cuban economic geography (ZED Mariel, port systems, nickel reserves).

16 practice questions

Política Nacional e Internacional de Actualidad (Current Politics & Multilateral Affairs)

United Nations charter principles, UN General Assembly resolutions on the US embargo against Cuba, sovereign equality, non-intervention, 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Cuban constitutional framework (2019 Constitution), and contemporary South-South multilateralism.

15 practice questions

Comprobación Escrita: Interpretación, Ortografía y Redacción (Spanish Language & Analysis)

Spanish accentuation rules (agudas, llanas, esdrújulas, tilde diacrítica), orthographic rules (b/v, c/s/z, g/j, h), punctuation mechanics (comma splice diagnosis, semicolons, colons), textual coherence and thesis identification, and diagnostic correction of diplomatic prose.

How to Pass the ISRI Entrance Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 60 / 100
Assessment: Administered in a single morning session starting at 09:00 across provincial exam centres. The written examination evaluates four broad general knowledge subjects alongside a dedicated Spanish language check. Candidates must achieve at least 60 points to earn an interview before the ad-hoc tribunal.
Time limit: Single morning session starting at 09:00; official duration not published by ISRI
Exam fee: Free (no examination or registration fee; university education in Cuba is free)

Keys to Passing

Work through all 101 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
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ISRI Entrance Examination Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master foundational Cuban diplomatic history: understand Raúl Roa García's historic speeches at the UN and OAS, the principles of proletarian and socialist internationalism, and Cuba's role in founding and chairing the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

2Memorize major international legal milestones: study the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (diplomatic immunity, inviolability of premises) and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, as well as the UN Charter's Article 2 principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention.

3Analyze global geopolitical chokepoints: know the strategic significance, littoral states, and shipping volumes of the Strait of Malacca, Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, and Strait of Gibraltar.

4Review Cuban economic geography: focus on the Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel (ZED Mariel), key deepwater port infrastructure, Moa nickel laterite extraction, and provincial administrative divisions.

5Polish Spanish orthography and syntax: drill tilde diacrítica distinctions (mí/mi, él/el, té/te, más/mas, dé/de, sé/se), rules for b/v and c/s/z, and comma placement preventing restrictive vs. non-restrictive relative clause ambiguities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Examen de Requisitos Adicionales of the ISRI?

It is the specialized entrance examination administered by the Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales 'Raúl Roa García' (ISRI) for secondary school graduates aspiring to pursue the Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales. It tests comprehensive knowledge across four core areas and includes a written Spanish-language diagnostic test.

What was the 2026 institutional name change for ISRI?

Under Decreto-Ley 116/2026 of the Council of State (published in the Gaceta Oficial No. 47 Ordinaria, 2 June 2026), Article 5 of Law 1307 of 1976 was modified, formally transforming the institution from 'Instituto Superior de Relaciones Internacionales Raúl Roa García' to 'Universidad de Relaciones Internacionales Raúl Roa García, ISRI', elevating its institutional status while retaining its attachment to MINREX and its historic acronym ISRI.

What is the passing score and how does the selection sequence operate?

Candidates must achieve a minimum score of 60 out of 100 points on the written examination to be admitted to the eliminatory personal interview before an ad-hoc tribunal, where ratings of Excelente, Bien, or Regular are awarded. Qualified candidates then undergo a medical examination by the FAR Medical Commission and complete one year of active military service.

What are the academic prerequisites to sit the ISRI examination?

Applicants must graduate from Cuban pre-university education with a cumulative general average of at least 95 points, and must have earned at least 90 points in Mathematics, Spanish, and History in each of the 10th and 11th grades individually (the grades cannot be averaged across years). Applicants also require a formal political endorsement (aval) from their school direction, UJC, and FEEM.

Is military service mandatory for admitted students?

Yes. Admitted students must complete one year of Active Military Service (Servicio Militar Activo) in the Guantánamo Border Brigade (Brigada de la Frontera). This requirement applies to both male and female candidates; graduates from the Escuelas Militares Camilo Cienfuegos (EMCC) are exempt.

Why is this practice bank presented as an English-language MCQ adaptation?

The official ISRI examination is administered in Spanish using written open-response, text analysis, and oral interview formats. This practice resource provides an English-language multiple-choice adaptation designed for bilingual study, retaining exact Spanish terms for legal charters, diplomatic institutions, historical treaties, and grammatical exercises while testing the authoritative curricular scope.