Our analysis covers the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 GATE Economics papers. Together they contain 390 questions for 600 marks: 235 Economics questions, 95 reasoning questions and 60 General Aptitude questions.
Microeconomics appeared most often within Economics. It carried 99 of the 360 Economics marks, or 27.5%. The combined statistics, econometrics and mathematics unit came next by marks, followed by macroeconomics.
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Questions and marks across all three sections
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| Section | PYQs across six years | Marks across six years | Share of full-paper marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 235 | 360 | 60% |
| Reasoning and Comprehension | 95 | 150 | 25% |
| General Aptitude | 60 | 90 | 15% |
| Total | 390 | 600 | 100% |
The 2021 paper had 40 Economics and 15 reasoning questions; the later papers had 39 and 16. The marks split stayed the same.
Economics subject-wise weightage
The percentages in this table are out of the 360 Economics marks, not the full 600 marks.
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| Subject | PYQs, 2021–2026 | Marks across six papers | Share of Economics marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microeconomics | 60 | 99 | 27.5% |
| Macroeconomics | 52 | 79 | 21.9% |
| Statistics, econometrics and mathematical economics | 54 | 82 | 22.8% |
| International economics | 14 | 20 | 5.6% |
| Public economics | 18 | 29 | 8.1% |
| Development economics | 20 | 27 | 7.5% |
| Indian Economy | 17 | 24 | 6.7% |
| Total | 235 | 360 | 100% |
These percentages are based on six past papers. The weightage within Economics can change in the next exam.
Microeconomics, macroeconomics and the combined quantitative unit contributed 260 of the 360 Economics marks: 72.2%. They need substantial revision time, but the remaining four units together still contributed 100 marks across the six papers.
Year-wise Economics marks
Each column below totals 60 Economics marks for that year's paper.
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| Subject | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microeconomics | 24 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 15 | 14 |
| Macroeconomics | 11 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 13 |
| Statistics, econometrics and mathematical economics | 14 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 13 | 13 |
| International economics | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Public economics | 4 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Development economics | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| Indian Economy | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
Microeconomics ranged from 13 to 24 marks. The combined quantitative unit contributed 10–18 marks each year, making probability, regression and mathematical methods a regular part of preparation.
Top 10 Economics topics and units
These had the most questions in the Economics sections of the six papers. Where question counts are equal, the topic with more marks comes first.
| Topic or unit | PYQs across 2021–2026 | Marks across those six papers |
|---|---|---|
| Basic statistics | 23 | 35 |
| Econometrics | 21 | 33 |
| Market structures and firm equilibrium | 14 | 23 |
| Consumer behaviour | 12 | 18 |
| Production and costs | 10 | 16 |
| Mathematical economics | 10 | 14 |
| Non-cooperative game theory | 9 | 17 |
| IS–LM and Mundell–Fleming policy models | 8 | 15 |
| Consumption theories | 6 | 9 |
| Inflation and the expectations-augmented Phillips curve | 6 | 9 |
Question types in Economics
| Type | Economics PYQs across six years |
|---|---|
| MCQ: single correct option | 117 |
| MSQ: one or more correct options | 51 |
| NAT: numerical answer | 67 |
| Total | 235 |
MSQs and NATs together make up just over half these Economics questions. Practise complete calculations and check each statement in a multi-select question.
Planning your revision
Begin with frequently tested topics you still find difficult. If microeconomics is going well but you struggle with regression, spend more time on econometrics.
Our study plans include Economics, General Aptitude and Reasoning. For full mocks, you can use the 2021–2026 papers and answer keys.