I would have hung up about halfway in when the recruiter said there was a best sorting algorithm. That is patently false, and the best algorithm depends heavily

I would have hung up about halfway in when the recruiter said there was a best sorting algorithm. That is patently false, and the best algorithm depends heavily on your needs at the time which is where engineering comes in. Whoever wrote that test didn't seem to understand what engineers do, but what makes a competent engineering organization.