To be honest, I've been on both ends of the stick...being hired as a developer and managing hiring of developers. Trust me, "simple" coding tests or exercises (usually no more than 30 min.) can tell you fathoms on a persons ability to code, problem solve and even their work ethics. If you say you've worked with SQL, vb.net, C#, html (yea, dating mayself), etc...I assume you can create a simple select statement, a simple loop and other minor problem solving items...by hand! This came from meeting to many "experts" using wysiwyg/scripting tools, their "personality" or "friends" to develop. I'll admit, the tools are time savers but when the sh%t hits the fan, I need a person who can lift the hood up and get his/her elbows dirty, problem solve and get the job done. When it came to tests, I usually ignore the minor syntactical errors as, trust me, you can see right off the bat who knows what they are doing and those who don't. My classic case in a preliminary interview with a candidate and I drop the "quick" test on his lap. 15 min. later, he comes out saying he's done (and me thinking...sweet, some one who knows something) only to see blank sheets! I go, do you need any clarification on the questions? and...wait...wait... "...this test is too easy, I'd just google the info..." Hmmmm...OK...thank you I'll caveat though, I've had tests where they drop theory on your lap, directly from the Microsoft manuals. I know how to code and problem solve but drop theory on my lap (7 questions, each full page) and my eyes glaze over. I had to deal with that in university and got through that. I was not going for my Masters (or certification) in the interview. That did frustrate me (even though I did complete it and got a good grade :oP ) "Simple" tests work and I feel are a necessary evil to weed out the pretenders to get to the guys and gals who can do the job... 2 cents Dave