India, Aug. 16 -- Remember the Sorting Hat from the halls of Hogwarts in Harry Potter? Eleven-year-olds arriving at Hogwarts were sorted into houses by an ancient, talking hat. No one has ever seen its internal workings. No one could appeal its verdict, question its criteria, or audit its logic. It simply sat on a child's head for a few seconds and pronounced a decision that shaped the child's friendships, reputation, and opportunities for years to come. The genius of the process was that it did not need to explain itself. It was magic, and magic demands that everyone has agreed to blindly trust it.

India's entrance exam systems may resonate with the Sorting Hat's obscure processes without any of the magic that might justify it.

What ac...