About a year ago I travelled to the south west (of UK) for a job - A full day of interviews, product ideas, I nailed the whole lot. Apart from the obligatory coding test. I have 15 years in this game and I have coded OSS or commercial code every day or week in Python, the language of the test, since 96.

It was a codility.com test - I had not actually been expecting it but, kerpow. I rewrote my own abs() because I forgot such a thing existed, the problem itself is still blanked from my brain - and every passing minute it got worse.

After an hour and a half, the interviewer took pity on me and drove me to the station.

I actually sat on the train took the codility demo test. 100%, 3 minutes. Signed up, took more. I could do them. Just impossible to know what went wrong but it went badly wrong.

Ultimately it worked out well. I would have had to live weekdays down there and my marriage probably would not have survived it. Now I work 15 minutes walk away and give my kids breakfast each day after we sit on the sofa and watch Mister Maker.

For me that test was a wake up call.

Firstly, I run my own business - being at the mercy of one boss is rubbish.

Secondly, these tests are rubbish for deciding who to hire - but they are OK for programmers as a form of continuing education.

Thirdly, the exercises at the end of each chapter of SICP are much much better form of education.

Forthly, I was once asked how a large corporate IT shop should handle a reduction in workforce. I said march everyone into a room and those who cant code FizzBuzz get a pink slip

Even given my experiences above - I still think that is the best option. Sometimes a guy just dies on that day. Its unlucky. But sometimes it works out for the best.

edit: clarity