Several reputable schools of Calcutta have abolished tests and interviews for nursery and kindergarten admissions, but getting your child into one probably wouldn’t be any easier.

Although children no longer need to take a test or face an interview panel, what their parents say in the pre-admission questionnaire, where they stay and which community they are from could determine who gets in and who doesn’t.

Julien Day School on Elgin Road and its three branches are the only ones that are taking in nursery students on a first-come-first-served basis. The rest have come up with different methods of screening without putting the candidates through a test.

“There is potential in every three-year-old child. Ours is an institution that has all the resources to draw out the potential of every child we take. So we have banned admission tests and interviews and are focusing on taking in children absolutely raw,” said Terence Ireland, the principal of St James.

Schools like St James, Mahadevi Birla, Loreto Day School and Future Foundation are asking parents to fill up a small questionnaire.

“The intention is simply to get an idea about the family and spot anything unusual (that we need to be aware of),” said Ranjan Mitter, the principal of Future Foundation.

At St James, the authorities have decided not to take in too many students from one locality or community. Loreto Day School, Sealdah, gives priority to Catholic children, siblings of students and children of former students. “The seats that are left will be distributed among the remaining applicants through a lottery,” said Theresa Mendes, a representative of the institution.

Child psychologists are worried about how children who still do not make the cut will take rejection. “Once a school refuses admission to a child on some ground, most parents will discuss it at home and their children will feel rejected,” said clinical psychologist Mahua Ghosh.

Malini Bhagat, the principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls’ Higher Secondary School, said her institution was taking care to prevent this from happening.

“The admission procedure has been made a joyful experience for children. On the day of the admission, children are given chocolates, fruits and snacks and allowed to sing, dance and play the whole day. The idea is to ensure that the ones who are not selected do not feel rejected.”

The Julien day schools have kept the admission process simple to ensure that there is no controversy. “Parents need to apply on plain paper for admissions. Our admissions are open to all till all our seats are filled. A parent only needs to provide his/her child’s birth certificate, issued by a competent authority,” said J.K.Sen, the principal of Julien Day School, Ganganagar

Delhi High Court’s ban on rigorous admission procedures at the nursery level, the Union human resource development ministry’s new set of guidelines and protests by parents led schools in the city to do away with the system of testing a child’s aptitude.

Till 2000, the admission process included a written test and an interview of the parents of a candidate. Some institutions phased out written tests over the next few years, but interviews and interactive sessions continued to be held.

The state government doesn’t have a policy on nursery or kindergarten admissions. A senior official said it was outside the government’s purview.