Thanks for commenting, you make some excellent points.

I see the need for a way to gauge technical ability but it should not be by rote and, as you rightly say, generic poor tests can often weed out the truly good candidates. This is one of my main concerns - that once you do reach a level of ability that generic tests become a barrier rather than a filter.

The way in which coding tests are used in our industry leaves a lot to be desired and I hope that by writing this piece and thereby stimulating this kind of discussion that some change may come about.