Everything you said is right. The best way to judge a programmer is through a combination of talking with them, reviewing their code, and using a finished prod

Everything you said is right. The best way to judge a programmer is through a combination of talking with them, reviewing their code, and using a finished product they made. With that said, most hiring managers are deluged the moment they announce a job opening. You cannot practically do a code review on every applicant. When staring at a stack of resumes you need to be able to tell who is worth the time to do an interview and possibly a code review on. When I see a certification on a resume, it tells me a couple of things: 1. They studied at least enough to pass that test. As someone who has passed many of these tests, I am well aware that for most certifications this is a low bar indeed, but that is more than the nothing that many resumes have, especially for entry level positions. 2. They care enough to take the time to do this. I know they are doing it primarily to impress hiring managers, so again this is a low bar but it is more than nothing. Especially when dealing with entry level candidates, it is a valuable data point in determining who gets an interview. I would never recommend making a hiring decision based on it, but, especially at the entry level, it is a good way to help pick out people for interviews and possible code reviews.