[nickpsecurity]

It's true that every job has risks. Where do you see me (or OP) say otherwise? The question is should every candidate give up a whole week of his or her time knowing it will get most people nowhere. That method's benefit is almost entirely rigged for the hiring party with huge potential for waste for other party in any environment with multiple, decent candidates. A few anecdotes that worked out don't change that.

So, the question is: "Should employers put this kind of burden on every candidate or try a method which demonstrates skill with less time?" I push for the latter.