I have seen candidates present as a senior dev on paper, but clearly aren't senior dev based on interview performance or code. Without testing the code, there

I have seen candidates present as a senior dev on paper, but clearly aren't senior dev based on interview performance or code. Without testing the code, there is a risk of hiring a senior dev (and passing on a more qualified one). The disconnect between what is done day to day and the types of things asked for in an interview is because some candidates may refuse to do what could be seen as work product for the hiring company. There are companies out there that have taken this further and give a long "interview" that is actually work product. Making sure that the code being written is clearly demonstration / contrived examples reduces that potential conflict. So yes, I do find coding tests useful as it allows me to put my best foot forward as a candidate demonstrating that I can write clean and well crafted code. Likewise, on the hiring side of the table, coding tests can help separate the candidates who don't care about the interview or will be a net negative after hiring from the ones that are willing to put in some effort. Excessively long code projects are to be discouraged though - there is too much time that can be consumed by them and it biases to people who have an excess of time available to work on them.