Ask HN:Thoughts on written tests for interviews.

Ask HN:Thoughts on written tests for interviews.

I have been job hunting for a while, had many interviews, and have recently found an acceptable end.

One thing that I was very not prepared for as a possible interview environment was 'written tests.'

During my in person interviews at two of the companies that I perused I was asked to sit down, in a quiet room, and take a test.

-- The first company had me fill a 'mechanical aptitude' multiple choice test (1 hour) -- The second company had me fill a written test on my knowledge of the python programming language (2 hour)

I had never heard of this as an interviewing mechanism. At the time of leaving both companies was frankly quite displeased about the experience. I felt they were wasting my time.

Looking back at it, my position may have been a bit egotistical; but I still believe that the goals of these tests could easily be met by an at-home coding sample.

Any input to this as an interview mechanism (on either side) would be very much appreciated.