> I still fail at coding interviews, and I attribute it to the gamification fatigue and age. This statement should be clarified: You probably don't fail all c

> I still fail at coding interviews, and I attribute it to the gamification fatigue and age. This statement should be clarified: You probably don't fail all coding interviews. The closer your test is to realistic work (without realistic time use), the better you'll perform. When interviewing for a senior position, what should matter is all of those secondary abilities. Your ability to code should be a formality at this point; I think the touchy subject is that some engineers are primarily senior by age, and some by work-year inflation, and so are expected to be better in all possible ways than anyone with fewer years on their back. I interviewed for a position this year where they requested I solve problems for a full workday. I don't mind spending a couple of hours solving a programming problem (and risk failing), but I'm too old to spend an entire day working for free to get a chance at advancing to the next interview level with 3-5 other candidates. I could be making money, seeing friends, learning things, building things. Looking at Glassdoor for that position, I saw someone say they spent 25 hours and 4 interviews to finally end up declining the offer because the company was being sketchy with the terms. I have friends who love puzzles. I just always ask: Will my effort compound? If not, it's a tough sell. My time is precious.