I'm a developer from Spain. I worked in some tech companies and one of my jobs as a freelancer is helping companies to get the best tech profiles.
Some companies are doing those tests (the less, about 10% but they are the big ones). Other companies use developing test and give you some days to do it at your home (about 20 or 30%). The other companies do not know anything, most of them are consulting companies that are going to sell your time so they do not mind if you know what you say, if the client is ok, and the client will buy you because you have to hire 10 profiles and is only finding 5.
At this moment I hired (or helped hire) more than a hundred developers (and other profiles, but most of them were developers) and based on that experience I think that these tests are not useful.
If you want to know if a person really wants the position and she knows all the things needed to develop, the second option may be a correct test.
If you want to know if a person can do the work you have to understand how she is, and if you want to know what her tech capabilities are you can ask about some standards like patterns and you can ask to read and explain some real code.
Some companies are doing those tests (the less, about 10% but they are the big ones). Other companies use developing test and give you some days to do it at your home (about 20 or 30%). The other companies do not know anything, most of them are consulting companies that are going to sell your time so they do not mind if you know what you say, if the client is ok, and the client will buy you because you have to hire 10 profiles and is only finding 5.
At this moment I hired (or helped hire) more than a hundred developers (and other profiles, but most of them were developers) and based on that experience I think that these tests are not useful.
If you want to know if a person really wants the position and she knows all the things needed to develop, the second option may be a correct test.
If you want to know if a person can do the work you have to understand how she is, and if you want to know what her tech capabilities are you can ask about some standards like patterns and you can ask to read and explain some real code.