It brings with it a lot of corollaries:
If a plumber helps out a mate late one night by repairing a pipe, could his employer insist on charging money? Could his employer be sued if he gets it wrong?
Are all those programmers who help out on open source projects at night doing so illegally?

I’ve always seen basic coding tests as a great way to separate the wheat from the chaff. I’m constantly surprised by the number of seeming great resumes I’ve seen from people who get tripped up by something as simple as loops or exceptions.

As you said, it’s useful to find programmers who can solve problems without needing constant guidance.

And yes, I found Brandon’s post through HN as well.

Damian

I remember seeing the link to Brandon’s article in HN. The discussion is pretty much in the same line with your thought.

I myself prefer to give coding test rather than some written tests for every candidate I’m asked to interview. I’ve found that the candidates hired through a coding test need less help in their work. (and that’s a good thing) .. But since my co-workers are not that much, that might not be so accurate if it was to be applied in a bigger set, I think.