Ron Gilbert (GrumpyGamer)I've been programming for 40 years, 35 of that professionally. I've built my own compilers and entire game engines and I don't think I could pass a programming test for a job interview these days. We never gave programming test for RtMI, we just talked about programming with the candidate and never got a bum hire.
Doug BostromThese tests might be thought of not as answering "can they code," more about revealing "can they functionally tolerate an obnoxious environment."
Arguably, the "need" for tests is a positive correlate with "lousy management."
Some outfits go out of their way to make things obnoxious starting at the very beginning of the relationship.