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CUET Economics Question Papers Free PDFs Download

Author : Lalita Vishwakarma

July 28, 2026

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CUET Economics question papers are the previous year papers of the Economics/Business Economics (Subject Code 309) domain test conducted by NTA.

Papers from 2022 to 2026 are available with answers. The CUET Economics question paper 2027 will carry 50 compulsory MCQs, 250 marks and 60 minutes, with +5 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one.

 Practising these papers and sample questions can really help you score well in the CUET 2027 exam.

If you are targeting BA (Hons.) Economics, B.Com (Hons.), BBE or BMS at Delhi University, BHU, JMI or AMU, this page gives you three things that most CUET Economics question papers pages do not. 

CUET Economics Question Papers With Answers PDF Download Links

Click on the buttons below to download the CUET Economics previous year question papers:

 

Quick Facts: CUET Economics 2027 at a Glance

Particular

Detail

Subject name (official)

Economics / Business Economics

Subject code

309

Section

Section II – Domain Subject

Conducting body

National Testing Agency (NTA)

Mode

Computer-Based Test (CBT) only

Number of questions

50 — all compulsory

Marking

+5 correct, −1 wrong, 0 unattempted

Maximum marks

250

Duration

60 minutes

Medium

13 languages (English, Hindi, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam)

Syllabus base

NCERT Class 11 & 12 Economics

CUET Economics question papers available

2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Official website

cuet.nta.nic.in

Note on 2027:

NTA had not released the CUET UG 2027 information bulletin at the time of this update. The figures above reflect the officially confirmed 2026 structure, which NTA has now kept unchanged for two consecutive cycles. Verify against the 2027 bulletin when it is published.

How the CUET Economics Exam Pattern Changed (2022 to 2025)?

Before you interpret any score from the CUET Economics question papers, understand how the CUET Economics exam pattern has shifted.

Cycle

Attempt rule

Max marks

Duration

Subjects offered

Max subjects

2022

40 of 50

200

45 min

60+

6

2023

40 of 50

200

45 min

60+

6

2024

40 of 50

200

45–60 min

63

6

2025

All 50

250

60 min

37

5

2026

All 50

250

60 min

37

5

2027 (expected)

All 50

250

60 min

37

5

The reforms announced by UGC for the 2025 cycle reduced the subject list from 63 to 37, standardised every paper to 60 minutes, made all questions compulsory, moved the exam to CBT-only mode, and cut the maximum number of subjects from six to five.

Students may now choose Economics even if they did not study it in Class 12 — though you must still check your target university's course-wise subject requirement before relying on that.

What this means for you: under the current CUET Economics exam pattern, the 2027 paper rewards coverage, not selection. Earlier you could ignore two weak units and still skip those questions. That escape route is gone.

Official CUET Economics Syllabus 2027: What the Paper Actually Covers

Every question in the CUET Economics question papers maps back to this document, so read it before you plan revision.

Most articles list the CUET Economics syllabus as "10 units." The official NTA syllabus for Economics/Business Economics – 309 is organised as three courses containing 13 units.

Getting this wrong is why students walk in having prepared only Class 12 content and find microeconomics questions in front of them.

Course I — Introductory Microeconomics (4 units)

  1. Introduction and Theory of Consumer Behaviour

  2. Production and Costs

  3. Theory of the Firm under Perfect Competition

  4. Market Equilibrium and Simple Applications

Course II — Introductory Macroeconomics (5 units)

  1. Introduction and National Income Accounting

  2. Money and Banking

  3. Determination of Income and Employment

  4. Government Budget and the Economy

  5. Open Economy Macroeconomics

Course III — Indian Economic Development (4 units)

  1. Development Policies and Experience (1947–90)

  2. Economic Reforms since 1991

  3. Current Challenges Facing the Indian Economy

  4. Development Experiences of India: A Comparison with Neighbours

Indicative unit-wise distribution

NTA does not publish official unit-wise weightage. The ranges below are indicative, drawn from publicly available analyses of the 2022–2026 CUET Economics question papers.

Treat them as a revision priority guide, not a guarantee.

Area

Indicative share

Nature of questions

Introductory Microeconomics

~25–30%

Diagram logic, elasticity numericals, cost–revenue relationships

National Income Accounting

~10–14%

Method-based numericals, aggregate identification

Money & Banking

~8–12%

Money multiplier, RBI tools, repo/reverse repo

Income & Employment Determination

~6–10%

Multiplier numericals, excess/deficient demand

Government Budget

~6–10%

Receipt/expenditure classification, deficit formulas

Open Economy Macroeconomics

~6–10%

BoP components, exchange rate movements

Indian Economic Development

~25–30%

Plans, LPG, human capital, employment, sustainability, neighbours

The takeaway: in recent CUET Economics previous year question papers, microeconomics and Indian Economic Development together can account for well over half the paper. Students who prepare only Class 12 macroeconomics leave a large part of the paper untouched.

CUET Economics Practice Questions with Answers for 2027

These 30 CUET Economics MCQs are original questions written by our faculty panel and mapped unit-by-unit to the official CUET Economics syllabus (309).

They are modelled on the difficulty and framing seen across the 2022–2026 CUET Economics question papers.

They follow the current pattern: single correct answer, application-led, and solvable in roughly 60 seconds each.

Section A: Introductory Microeconomics

This is the area most under-prepared by students, yet it appears consistently across CUET Economics question papers.

Q1. The production possibility curve slopes downward because:

(a) Resources are unlimited

(b) Producing more of one good requires sacrificing some of the other

 (c) Technology is constantly improving

 (d) Consumer income is fixed

Answer: (b) — Resources are fully employed, so reallocation involves opportunity cost.

Q2. A consumer is in equilibrium in a two-commodity case when:

 (a) MUx = MUy

 (b) Px = Py

 (c) MUx/Px = MUy/Py and MU falls as consumption rises

(d) Total utility is zero

 Answer: (c) — Equal marginal utility per rupee, with diminishing marginal utility.

Q3. Price of a good falls from ₹20 to ₹16 and quantity demanded rises from 100 to 130 units. Price elasticity of demand is:

 (a) 0.67

 (b) 1.2

(c) 1.5

(d) 2.0

Answer: (c) — 30% ÷ 20% = 1.5.

Q4. When price falls and total expenditure on a good rises, demand for that good is:

 (a) Perfectly inelastic

 (b) Unitary elastic

 (c) Elastic

 (d) Inelastic

Answer: (c) — Under the total expenditure method, expenditure and price move inversely only when Ed > 1.

Q5. A rise in the income of consumers of a normal good causes:

(a) Extension of demand

(b) Contraction of demand

(c) Rightward shift of the demand curve

(d) Leftward shift of the demand curve

Answer: (c) — Income is a non-price determinant, so the whole curve shifts.

Q6. Average Product is at its maximum when:

(a) MP is maximum

(b) AP = MP

 (c) MP is zero

 (d) TP is maximum

Answer: (b) — The MP curve cuts the AP curve at AP's highest point.

Q7. In the short run, which cost stays the same as output increases?

 (a) Total variable cost

(b) Total fixed cost

(c) Average fixed cost

(d) Marginal cost

 Answer: (b) — TFC is constant; AFC falls as output rises.

Q8. A price ceiling fixed below the equilibrium price leads to:

 (a) Excess supply

(b) Excess demand and possible black marketing

(c) A fall in demand

 (d) No change

Answer: (b) — Quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied, creating a shortage.

Q9. For a firm under perfect competition:

 (a) AR > MR

 (b) AR < MR

(c) AR = MR = price

(d) MR is negative

Answer: (c) — The firm is a price taker facing a perfectly elastic demand curve.

Section B: Introductory Macroeconomics (Q10–Q21)

Numerical questions of this type recur in almost every set of CUET Economics question papers.

Q10. National Income is another name for:

 (a) GDP at market price

 (b) NNP at factor cost

 (c) NDP at market price

 (d) GNP at market price

Answer: (b) — National Income = NNP at factor cost.

Q11. Value of output is ₹500 crore and intermediate consumption is ₹200 crore. Gross Value Added is:

 (a) ₹700 crore

 (b) ₹300 crore

 (c) ₹200 crore

 (d) ₹500 crore

 Answer: (b) — GVA = Value of output − Intermediate consumption.

Q12. Which of the following is not a component of the expenditure method?

(a) Private final consumption expenditure

 (b) Gross domestic capital formation

(c) Compensation of employees

 (d) Net exports

Answer: (c) — Compensation of employees belongs to the income method.

Q13. Nominal GDP is ₹6,000 crore and the price index is 120. Real GDP is:

 (a) ₹7,200 crore

(b) ₹5,000 crore

 (c) ₹4,800 crore

 (d) ₹6,120 crore

Answer: (b) — (6,000 ÷ 120) × 100 = 5,000.

Q14. An increase in GDP may not raise welfare because of:

 (a) Unequal income distribution and negative externalities

(b) Higher employment

 (c) Increased exports

(d) Rising literacy

 Answer: (a) — Distribution, externalities and non-monetary exchanges break the GDP–welfare link.

Q15. If the Legal Reserve Ratio is 20% and the initial deposit is ₹1,000 crore, total deposit creation will be:

 (a) ₹200 crore

(b) ₹2,000 crore

 (c) ₹5,000 crore

 (d) ₹10,000 crore

Answer: (c) — Money multiplier = 1/LRR = 5; 1,000 × 5 = 5,000.

Q16. Which is not a function of the Reserve Bank of India?

 (a) Issuing currency

 (b) Accepting deposits from the general public

(c) Acting as lender of last resort

 (d) Controlling credit

Answer: (b) — Accepting public deposits is a commercial bank function.

Q17. An increase in the repo rate is expected to:

(a) Increase money supply

(b) Reduce money supply by making credit costlier

(c) Have no effect on credit

 (d) Increase deposits with the RBI only

 Answer: (b) — Repo rate is a quantitative credit control tool.

Q18. If MPC is 0.8 and investment rises by ₹100 crore, the increase in income will be:

 (a) ₹80 crore

(b) ₹125 crore

(c) ₹500 crore

 (d) ₹800 crore

Answer: (c) — k = 1/(1 − 0.8) = 5; ΔY = 5 × 100 = 500.

Q19. Excess demand in an economy is best corrected by:

(a) Increasing government spending

 (b) Reducing taxes

(c) Increasing the repo rate and reducing government spending

(d) Buying securities in the open market

 Answer: (c) — Contractionary fiscal and monetary measures close an inflationary gap.

Q20. Which of the following is a capital receipt of the government?

(a) Income tax collections

 (b) Recovery of loans

 (c) Fees and fines

 (d) Interest received on loans

 Answer: (b) — Recovery of loans reduces government assets, so it is a non-debt capital receipt.

Q21. Fiscal deficit is ₹8,000 crore and interest payments are ₹3,000 crore. Primary deficit is:

 (a) ₹11,000 crore

 (b) ₹5,000 crore

 (c) ₹3,000 crore

 (d) ₹8,000 crore

Answer: (b) — Primary deficit = Fiscal deficit − Interest payments.

Section C: Open Economy & Indian Economic Development (Q22–Q30)

Expect factual precision here — the CUET Economics question papers reward exact recall of years, committees and definitions.

Q22. Foreign Direct Investment is recorded in the:

(a) Current account of BoP

 (b) Capital account of BoP

 (c) Revenue account

(d) Errors and omissions only

 Answer: (b) — FDI is a capital account transaction.

Q23. Depreciation of the rupee is likely to:

 (a) Make Indian exports cheaper for foreign buyers and raise exports

(b) Reduce exports

(c) Make imports cheaper

 (d) Leave trade unchanged

Answer: (a) — A weaker rupee lowers the foreign-currency price of Indian goods.

Q24. Managed floating exchange rate means: (

  1. a) A fully fixed rate

(b) A fully market-determined rate with no intervention

 (c) A market-determined rate with central bank intervention, without a declared par value

 (d) A rate fixed by the WTO

Answer: (c) — It is a hybrid of the fixed and flexible systems.

Q25. The "drain of wealth" theory on colonial India was put forward by:

 (a) Dadabhai Naoroji

(b) V.K.R.V. Rao

(c) P.C. Mahalanobis

 (d) Amartya Sen

Answer: (a) — In Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.

Q26. The Second Five Year Plan was built on the strategy of

(a) Agricultural priority

(b) Rapid industrialisation based on the Mahalanobis model

 (c) Export promotion

 (d) Poverty alleviation through subsidies

Answer: (b) — The First Plan prioritised agriculture; the Second prioritised heavy industry.

Q27. The Green Revolution primarily raised output through:

(a) Land redistribution

 (b) HYV seeds with assured irrigation and fertilisers

(c) Import of foodgrains

(d) Cooperative farming alone

Answer: (b) — It also raised the marketable surplus of wheat and rice.

Q28. Disinvestment under the 1991 reforms refers to

(a) Closing down public sector units

(b) Selling part of the equity of public sector undertakings

(c) Reducing tariffs

(d) Devaluing the rupee

Answer: (b) — It was a core element of privatisation.

Q29. The worker–population ratio is calculated as:

(a) (Workers ÷ Labour force) × 100

 (b) (Workers ÷ Total population) × 100

(c) (Unemployed ÷ Workers) × 100

 (d) (Labour force ÷ Workers) × 100

Answer: (b) — It indicates the proportion of the population that is employed.

Q30. Sustainable development, as defined by the Brundtland Commission, means meeting present needs:

(a) By maximising current output

 (b) Without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

(c) Through complete industrial expansion

  1. d) By restricting all resource use

Answer: (b) — Intergenerational equity is the defining idea.

How to Use CUET Economics Question Papers: A 6-Week Practice Plan?

Solving CUET Economics question papers randomly is why students plateau at 180–200. This sequence is what our mentors use with Class 12 students who are also handling boards.

Follow this sequence rather than solving CUET Economics question papers at random:

Week

Focus

What to solve

Target

1

Microeconomics units 1–2

40 unit-wise PYQs

80% accuracy

2

Microeconomics units 3–4

40 unit-wise PYQs + Section A above

80% accuracy

3

National Income + Money & Banking

50 unit-wise PYQs

Numericals under 60 sec

4

Income determination, Budget, Open economy

50 unit-wise PYQs + Section B above

Formula recall without notes

5

Indian Economic Development (all 4 units)

50 unit-wise PYQs + Section C above

85% accuracy

6

Full-length practice

2026 and 2025 CUET Economics question papers, then 2024–2022 under new rules

Complete in 55 min

The four-step method for every CUET Economics question paper you solve

Step 1 — Timed attempt. Solve the CUET Economics question paper in one sitting. Set 60 minutes. All 50 questions. No pausing, no checking notes.

Step 2 — Blind re-attempt. Before seeing the key, redo every question you were unsure about. This separates "did not know" from "panicked."

Step 3 — Error tagging. Sort every wrong answer into one of four buckets: concept gap, misread question, confused between two options, or guessed. The distribution tells you what to fix. Concept gaps need NCERT. Misreads need slower reading, not more study.

Step 4 — Mistake notebook. One page per unit. Only formulas you got wrong and options you fell for. Revise it every Sunday. By the exam you will have roughly 12 pages that are worth more than any book.

For a full study calendar built around board exams, see our CUET study plan and how to manage CUET preparation with Class 12.

Raw Score vs NTA Score: What Your PYQ Practice Score Actually Means

This is the part that confuses students most after the exam, and knowing it now changes how you set targets.

When you solve CUET Economics question papers at home, you get a raw score: (correct × 5) − (wrong × 1). NTA does not use raw scores for admission.

Because CUET runs across many shifts and days with different question sets, NTA applies equipercentile normalisation to convert each shift's raw marks onto a common scale.

Your scorecard shows a normalised score and percentile, and that is what Delhi University, BHU, JMI and AMU use.

Three practical consequences:

  • Your home practice score is a direction indicator, not a prediction of your scorecard.

  • Two students with the same raw score can get different percentiles if they sat different shifts. This is by design and works in your favour if your shift was harder.

  • Chasing "250/250" is the wrong target. Nobody needs a perfect score. What you need is a score comfortably above your target course's cut-off, which is set course-wise and category-wise by each university.

Learn the mechanics here: how to calculate CUET score, CUET marks vs percentile, and how normalisation affects your CUET score.

Should You Rely Only on CUET Economics Previous Year Question Papers?

Use this framework instead of guessing.

Where you are

Previous year papers alone?

What to add

Just started, syllabus incomplete

No

NCERT first, then unit-wise PYQs

Syllabus done once, accuracy under 70%

No

Unit-wise practice + CUET Economics notes and CUET Economics sample papers

Syllabus done, accuracy 70–85%

Partly

Full-length CUET mock tests for shift-like pressure

Accuracy above 85%, need speed

Yes, plus mocks

Sectional timing drills and error review

Dropper repeating the exam

Yes, all five years

Fresh CUET Economics sample papers, since you have seen the old sets

Honest answer: five years of CUET Economics previous year question papers give you roughly 250 questions. The 2027 paper will not repeat them.

CUET Economics previous year question papers teach you the examiner's mind — how options are framed, where traps sit, what depth is expected.

They cannot substitute for fresh practice volume. Pair them with mock tests.

Droppers should read our CUET preparation strategy for droppers.

Common Mistakes Students Make with CUET Economics Question Papers

  • Treating Economics as a theory subject. The paper tests application. Knowing the definition of the money multiplier is not the same as computing deposit creation in 45 seconds.

  • Skipping Introductory Microeconomics. It sits in the official CUET Economics syllabus and can carry a quarter of the paper. Students who prepare only Class 12 content lose these marks without realising why.

  • Practising old papers under old rules. Covered above. Always solve older CUET Economics question papers with all 50 questions in 60 minutes.

  • Attempting everything blindly. With −1 marking, a genuine 50/50 guess is close to neutral at best. Eliminate at least two options before you commit.

  • Collecting PDFs instead of reviewing them. Improvement comes from Step 3, not Step 1.

  • Ignoring the subject–course mapping. Some BA (Hons.) Economics programmes expect Mathematics as well. Check your university's requirement before finalising subjects: how to select the best subject combination for CUET and Economics Honours subject combination for CUET.

Conclusion

  • CUET Economics question papers are available for 2022 through 2026, and all five years of CUET Economics question papers are worth solving.

  • The CUET Economics question paper 2027 will have 50 compulsory questions, 250 marks, 60 minutes and +5/−1 marking, based on the officially confirmed 2026 CUET Economics exam pattern.

  • Papers from 2022 to 2024 follow the old attempt-any-40 format. Solve them under current rules.

  • The official CUET Economics syllabus spans three courses and 13 units. Introductory Microeconomics is part of it and is frequently under-prepared.

  • Use the 30 solved CUET Economics MCQs above as a diagnostic before you move to full-length CUET Economics question papers.

  • Your home raw score is not your scorecard. NTA normalises across shifts.

  • Improvement comes from error review, not from how many CUET Economics question papers you download.

Your Next Step

You have the CUET Economics question papers and 30 solved CUET Economics MCQs.

The gap most students never close is fresh practice volume under real shift pressure, because CUET Economics question papers alone cannot supply it.

Start with a free CUET mock test to see where your Economics accuracy stands against other 2027 aspirants: Attempt a free CUET mock test

If you want structured unit-wise practice with mentor feedback on your error log, explore SuperGrads CUET online coaching.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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About the Author

Faculty
Lalita Vishwakarma

Content Writer

Lalita Vishwakarma is a professional content writer with 5+ years of experience in the IPMAT and CUET domain. She specializes in creating accurate, student-focused content based on the latest exam patterns, syllabus, and preparation strategies. With strong subject understanding and research-backed insights, she simplifies complex topics into clear, easy-to-follow guidance, helping students prepare with confidence and clarity.... more

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