Mistakes to Avoid During JoSAA Counselling

JoSAA counselling is conducted for admission to some of India’s top IITs, NITs, IIITS, and GFTIs. Only the candidates who qualified JEE Main and JEE Advanced exams can participate in JoSAA counselling process for filling out the registration. Several students miss out on seats in JoSAA participating institutes each year because of a lack of knowledge about the JoSAA admission process.

To avoid this, candidates can start by knowing the complete schedule of JoSAA counselling. The authority shall announce JoSAA counselling dates on its official website. Candidates must complete the JoSAA counselling registration and choose filling as per the schedule. Seat allocation will be based on availability, rank, and filled choices. Let us learn more!

Avoid Major Mistakes During Counselling of JoSAA 2025

Mistake	Description	Impact	How to Avoid
1. Not filling choices in order of priority	Candidates sometimes fail to arrange their preferences in order of importance, leading to allocation of less desired options.	This can result in getting a less preferred college or course.	Always list your most preferred choice first, followed by the next best option, and so on. Prioritize based on college, branch, and location.
2. Not understanding the meaning of float, freeze, and slide	Candidates may not be aware of the different status options for seat allocation.	Misunderstanding these options can lead to missed opportunities for better options or confusion about seat allotment.	Familiarize yourself with the terms: – Freeze: Accept the allocated seat and don’t opt for upgradation. – Float: Accept the seat but allow upgradation if a better option is available. – Slide: Accept the seat but allow upgradation within the same institute.
3. Filling choices that the candidate has no interest in	Some candidates fill choices based on advice or pressure, despite having no interest in those courses or colleges.	This could lead to getting an undesirable seat that may not be accepted, wasting time and energy.	Only fill choices that align with your interests and career goals. Avoid filling random choices just to complete the list.
4. Filling only a handful of choices	Some candidates limit their options by filling too few choices. This reduces their chances of getting a seat.	If none of the few options are available, it can result in no seat allocation.	Fill as many choices as possible, including safe options. The more choices you have, the higher your chances of getting a seat.
5. Not taking clues from cutoff trends of previous years	Ignoring previous year’s cutoff trends can lead to unrealistic expectations.	Candidates may end up filling choices based on unrealistic assumptions about the cutoff, which can hurt their chances.	Research the previous year’s cutoffs for each institute and course, and use that data to inform your decision-making during the counselling process.
6. Forgetting to lock choices	If a candidate forgets to lock their choices after filling them, the choices may not be saved in the system.	The system might not consider the unsubmitted or unlocked choices for allocation, leading to missed opportunities.	Double-check that all choices are locked before submitting them. Ensure that the choices are saved and finalized.
7. Reporting at the wrong institute during dual reporting	Dual reporting requires candidates to report to two institutes: one for document verification and one for seat allotment. Candidates may mistakenly go to the wrong institute.	This can lead to confusion, delays, and missed seat allocation opportunities.	Be mindful of the reporting instructions. Verify the institute and location where you are required to report for each phase of the counselling process.

Mistakes to Avoid During JoSAA Counselling- In Details

1. Not filling the choices in order of priority, starting with first preferred choice at top

How to Avoid: During the choice-filling process, the students have to add combinations according to their preferences or choices. However, many students add choice-filling options unplanned, and this is one mistake students can make at the time of JoSAA counselling 2025.

The correct way is to add the choice or combination lists on top. The priority list will be defaulted and also considered the candidate’s first choice, even if the candidate would prefer something else. Once a candidate is offered a seat that is the candidate’s first choice, it cannot be changed. The candidate has no option but to accept or reject the seat. To avoid such situations, it is always advisable to first list combinations in descending order of priority on a sheet of paper or a word file.

2. Not understanding the meanings of Float, Freeze, and Slide

When the seat allotment process starts, the candidates should read all the notifications and news released on the official website. When the seat is offered, candidates are asked to choose between these three options: Float, Freeze, and Slide. The meaning of the words is:

1. Freeze: When a seat is offered, candidates have the option to no longer be considered for further rounds. The seat will be locked in their name. Candidates can choose this option if they are confident enough with the seat allotted.
2. Slide: By opting for this option, candidates can accept the seat while leaving the option open for upgradation to an academic program of higher preference, within the same institute.
3. Float: This option would allow you to accept the seat but also leave the option of up

Grading open. The basic difference between slide and float is that the float option gives you the scope of upgrading to a higher preferred academic program in any institute.

3. Filling choices that the candidate has no interest in

Many candidates fill in only one or two options correctly and then do not take care of the next few choices. A candidate must list out all his/ her favourite branches and institutes, and fill in those choices in the order of priority.

4.  Filling only a Handful of choices

To get their favourite seat, candidates are advised to fill at least 50 different combinations unless the candidate is ranked within the top hundred or maybe in the top 200. Even in the case of a top-ranked candidate, it is advisable not to take chances and fill as many options as they can. While a candidate may be ranked in the top 100, we have to account for reserved category seats as well.

5. Not taking clues from the cutoff trends of previous years

Analysing the previous year cutoff of JEE Advanced will give candidates insights into the counselling process. Using the analysis of previous year cutoff trends, candidates can compare the category-wise opening and closing ranks for various engineering branches and institutes.However, the cutoff changes every year, and there is a chance of pattern changes every year, and there is a pattern of change in these cutoff trends. Understanding these trends would be helpful for candidates.

6.  Forgetting to lock choices

It is a common mistake, but it does happen and can sometimes cause serious issues. In JoSAA counselling, if a candidate doesn’t lock the filled choices, the system will automatically lock the last saved choices. Allotment would be based on the last saved choices, which may not reflect the candidates’ actual preferences.

7. Reporting at the wrong institute during Dual Reporting

If a candidate has chosen the float option, is offered a seat in an NIT in one round, and later upgrades to IIT, candidate has to report again for document verification, but at a reporting centre for IITs, and not an RC for NITs.

Click Here to Enroll to JEE 2026 Course!

Mistakes to Avoid During JoSAA Counselling – FAQs