Cuba: the state exam, and the licensing exams that follow a Cuban degree

Medical and health education in Cuba

Cuba's medical education is public, state-run and integrated with the health service. The universities of medical sciences, present in each province, award the degree of Doctor en Medicina after six years of study that put students in polyclinics and community family-doctor practices early. After graduation, doctors usually continue into the family-medicine specialty known as Medicina General Integral, or into another residency, through a competitive entry exam.

The Latin American School of Medicine, ELAM (Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina) in Havana, opened in 1999 and trains thousands of foreign students, mostly on scholarships, from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the United States. Other foreign students enrol in the ordinary universities of medical sciences, often in the Spanish-language programme. Teaching is in Spanish, and foreign students begin with a language and preparatory phase if they need it.

Graduation connects to registration in Cuba through the state exam: pass it and the degree is awarded and registration follows, in our data, automatically. For foreign graduates, however, the Cuban diploma is only the first document. The licensing step happens in the country where they will practise.

The state exam (examen estatal)

The state exam is the end-of-degree assessment. Our data describes it as a mix of multiple-choice and practical components, run under the authority of MINSAP, and notes that registration follows. We did not verify the exact structure, the weighting of the written and practical parts, or the pass rules. The question for you as a student is simple: the state exam is a university requirement, not a licence in the sense used in the United States or the Gulf.

1. Complete the six-year curriculum, including the internship year (internado) in the hospital and community services.
2. Pass the state exam set by your university under MINSAP rules.
3. Receive the degree and your registration.
4. Apply for a residency through the specialty entry exam, if you intend to stay in Cuba.

For foreign graduates: what waits at home

This is where the Cuba page is most useful. A Cuban degree is recognised by many governments, but not accepted without further exams. The next hurdle depends on the country.

• United States: ECFMG certification, then USMLE Steps 1 and 2 CK, residency matching and Step 3. Cuban schools are not an exception to the US process.
• Namibia: a statutory board exam with a written and an oral part. See our Namibia page.
• Botswana, Malawi, Eswatini: council registration, with possible assessment for foreign graduates. See their pages.
• Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana and other countries: the national medical council runs its own exam for foreign-trained graduates. Check the matching country page.
• Latin America: a reválida or equivalent at a national university, as in Uruguay. See our Uruguay page.

Plan this exam before you graduate. A final-year ELAM student who begins question-bank practice for the home exam during the internship year avoids the long gap that follows many returns.

Preparing in Spanish for an English exam

Cuban programmes train strong clinical reasoning, physical examination and community medicine, and weaker exposure to the multiple-choice, single-best-answer format that many licensing exams use. They also teach in Spanish, while the USMLE and many African and Asian council exams are in English. Two habits help: learn the English names for diseases, drugs and signs as you study them, and practise timed question sets so that format becomes automatic.

• Build a two-column vocabulary list (Spanish and English) for each system.
• Practise reading long clinical vignettes and extracting the key finding quickly.
• Add evidence-based management that differs from the Cuban formulary, since Cuban drug availability affects what students see.

Other professions

MINSAP regulates nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists and physiotherapists. Our data lists registration by qualification with no national exam, and the entries are unverified. Cuba also trains foreign students in these fields, and the same principle applies: your home regulator will decide what exam you take.

A realistic timeline for an ELAM or Cuban-trained graduate

Most foreign students who finish in Cuba return home within months, and the first year back is where plans succeed or stall. A sensible sequence looks like this.

• Final year: collect certified copies of your degree, transcripts and internship record, apostilled or legalised as your home country requires. Obtain a letter confirming the length and content of the programme.
• Before departure: start question-bank practice in English for the exam you expect to take, and identify the regulator's contact.
• First three months at home: submit your file, ask for the exam syllabus and dates, and arrange a clinical attachment if the regulator allows one.
• Months four to twelve: sit the exam, complete any supervised period, and register.

Do not let documents drift. Several regulators require primary-source verification, meaning that the Cuban university or MINSA sends the confirmation directly, which can be slow. Ask for it early and follow up in writing.

Exam comparison

Language and recognition

Spanish is the language of instruction and of the state exam. Recognition of Cuban qualifications abroad depends on the host country, and Cuban graduates generally face additional examination. A Cuban licence has no automatic effect outside Cuba, and the Cuban degree is respected but not exempt. Always check the host regulator's list of recognised schools, and ask whether it requires primary-source verification of your degree directly from the university.

Last reviewed October 2026