Lately, I decline to interview with any company that requires new-grad coding tests for experienced people (especially if they require it even when the person has open source code and community participation that the company can look at). I usually do well, but even then, it leaves a bad taste.
Of course, I'm very happy to talk each other's ears off in energetic collegial discussions about engineering problems and technologies, including whiteboard brainstorming of approaches/algorithms, perhaps much like would be a part of everyday work. If anyone ever then interrupted, "Hold on, can you put in all the semicolons, so I can type it in, and make sure you know how to code," you might wonder how that's not already obvious to them, and where they're coming from.
This aversion to "coding tests" for experienced people seems to be more acceptable to small companies/startups (or small autonomous units in large orgs), than it is to less-flexible/agile large companies. Recently, after discussing my latest background with a nice FAANG recruiter, we had a good discussion about the company's practice of putting experienced people through what seemed like a new-grad vetting/hazing process, and why that's been a turn-off. They soon sent a followup email, including a quote from an engineer there saying "... I need to know whether you can code in a language," along with attachments on how to prep for their new-grad coding tests. :) For whatever reason the company insists on that process, it seemed like it probably wasn't on track to a professional relationship that I'd want.
