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...