Wouldn't be surprised if it is a newer policy, that they didn't have before. I've worked in departments that had programming tests they give applicants that the

Wouldn't be surprised if it is a newer policy, that they didn't have before. I've worked in departments that had programming tests they give applicants that their early employees never took, and freely admit they probably wouldn't have been able to complete if it was in place when they applied. Policies tend to just get stricter and stricter over time, especially with every bad experience they have (only takes one or two usually before these people go off the deep end trying to correct for it).