CUET 2026 Answer Key (12 May Shift 1): Analysis, Difficulty Level & Topics Asked

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has successfully concluded the first shift of the CUET UG 2026 exam on May 12, conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode. The exam was held across centres in India and abroad, with Shift 1 running from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. This shift covered key subjects from the CUET UG 2026 syllabus, including English, Business Studies, Economics, and the General Test.

Students can access the detailed subject-wise question paper analysis, answer key updates, and important topics covered right here. The page is being updated live based on student reactions and expert feedback as the shift wraps up.

Candidates who're appearing in Shift 2 on May 12 should keep their admit cards, valid ID proofs, and other essential documents ready. NTA has issued strict reporting guidelines, so reaching the exam centre well before the gate-closing time is non-negotiable. Going through the previous shift's analysis is a smart way to get a feel for the question pattern and overall difficulty trend.

CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1: Subject-Wise Difficulty Level

Here's the complete subject-wise difficulty breakdown for the CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1 exam, based on early student feedback:

CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1 English Exam Analysis

The English paper for Day 2, Shift 1 leaned slightly on the tougher side, mainly because of the vocabulary section. Here's a quick snapshot:

Memory-Based CUET English Phrasal Verbs

Students recalled the following phrasal verbs from the May 12 Shift 1 English paper:

• Get
• Cut
• Crop

No Foreign Words in CUET English Shift 1

Several students who appeared in Shift 1 confirmed that there were no foreign words in their English question paper this time. For the rest of the vocabulary questions, the elimination method came in handy.

CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1: General Test Analysis

The CUET General Aptitude Test (GAT) for May 12 Shift 1 was rated moderate by students. This was the first CUET 2026 General Test exam of the season, and students said there was nothing unexpected in the paper.

General Test — Section-Wise Highlights

Key takeaways:

• Reasoning and GK questions were easy to attempt.
• Mathematics had very limited weightage in this shift.
• GK was on the tougher side, with more focus on Static GK.
• Mensuration carried the highest weightage in the Quant section.
• Current affairs questions were mostly from 2024–2025.

CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1: Economics Question Paper Analysis

Students rated the Economics paper as moderately difficult. Microeconomics turned out to be tricky, while Macroeconomics had fewer questions overall. Here's the section-wise breakdown:

CUET UG 2026 May 12 Shift 1: Business Studies Analysis

The Business Studies paper for May 12 Shift 1 was rated easy by most students. Questions stuck close to NCERT and covered familiar topics like Principles of Management, Marketing, and case-study-based formats. The detailed topic-wise breakdown will be updated shortly based on student feedback.

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CUET UG Study Material 2026