At Birla High School for Boys, there is no written admission tests till Class III. The school, however, asks the admission-seekers to take a written test after that. "Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the parents of those who will not be able to make it," says principal Mukta Nain.

"But we do not burden our students with a huge syllabus. We just measure
their skills," she adds.

Meena Kak, principal of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, echoes the view. "We are mulling over proposals to do away with a written admission test completely. In case there is a circular from the CBSE board, we will immediately reframe the syllabus for admission test. But, together with the written tests, we have already introduced oral exams during admission." Any student who seeks admission to the school, is tested mainly on multiple choice questions. "It is in English where the students need to write only a paragraph on a given topic," says Anjali Chopra.

Vineet Joshi, the secretary of the CBSE, says, "The decision by some schools in Kolkata will definitely lessen the burden on the students. But, we have decided to let the school take the final call if they want to keep the written admission tests or not. The board will not enforce anything as of now."

At Apeejay School Saket, in New Delhi, principal Anita Paul says, "We have not yet done away with the written examination from the admission tests. Nor there are any schools in New Delhi that has introduced the unique practice. In our school, students have to appear for written examinations during admission beyond class II."