[mmusc]

Having gone through a round of interviews, I completely agree that live coding doesn’t measure anything of substance.

There was one company whose process I really appreciated:

- A take-home test, more of a puzzle-style challenge. - The interviewer does a quick review of your submission. - If they like what they see, you're invited to a follow-up session where you explain your code and make a few simple changes to it.

This approach proves that the work is genuinely yours, shows your thought process, and still gives the opportunity to demonstrate live coding on code you're already familiar with.

[philipwhiuk]

> make a few simple changes to it.

You're back to live coding then ultimately, so clearly they think it is necessary.

All you're describing is a very involved pre-screen.