> an objective test of skill
Other industries/careers have exactly this: a professional licensing exam. Most programmers vehemently oppose any sort of standardized testing.
Other industries/careers have exactly this: a professional licensing exam. Most programmers vehemently oppose any sort of standardized testing.
Obviously some familiarity with algorithms etc is required and it should be checked if that's there, but with tests you can't really test if someone understands the bigger picture and did not just memorize the answer. I know more than enough people who can solve problems just fine but their code is absolutely atrocious and I'd never hire them. Interviews where one can ask them why they write code the way they do are probably far more effective.