They said I can apply in one month or two again, what would you guys do? Any advice?
Really frustrating.
Or maybe you're being forced to run an arbitrary maze of someone else's design and creation. Some mazes are easy and familiar to previous work you've done; some are challenging; others are designed purposely with no way out.
Given the bad rep that toptal has on HN, I'd just move on.*
But is it worth it?
How do you suggest I improve my skills?
Isn't there another place where I can get work without having to go through those pointless exercises first?
Isn't my time better spent working on Free and Open Source Software than dealing with these stupid tests?
I've been working as a freelancer for a few years now and I generally get work done, so this has been humiliating.
If you don't have a better choice, then go through Codility. I think you probably have better options. Looking through your post history, why you have 7 years in Rails, then jumped to do PHP work? That's weird. Also remote work as a contractor or consultant is pretty available too. If you're not easily finding jobs right now, you're probably doing it wrong.
You should ask yourself, your coworkers and other peers how to improve your skills, not some internet stranger.
We all get rejections from time to time. Just remember times when you got useful things done, and move onto the next interview.
The thing is, I've been working remotely for 7 years with Rails, but lately it's been difficult to get remote work so I had to take the local offerings and that means going back to PHP as most companies in my area use PHP/Java.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtSuA80QTyo&list=PLUl4u3cNGP...
It's tough to know what you're asking. Are you asking about how do I improve at algorithms or should I apply again?
Don't let it be "humiliating". A guy I've worked with and know he is good at algorithms and is one of the best developers I've worked with also failed the tests. There will be false positives and the time limit doesn't help as it puts unneeded pressure on you.
I did pass the tests and work through Toptal. For my experience, it has been a good one and worth it. I don't know your location but you say it's been difficult to get remote work lately so it sounds like Toptal would be a good source of leads for you.
Also, work on your attitude. You say "pointless exercises" and "stupid tests". If you think that way, you're definitely not going to do your best on them. Just think of them as something interesting that would be a good challenge. It's only 90 minutes IIRC so if you do retake it it's not like you're out that much time.
Also consider, Toptal tries to filter for just senior engineers. Is your skillset really that of a senior developer? It may be. I'm just putting this out there for something to think about.
Hopefully you use this as an experience to grow and become a better developer instead of just dismissing it.