[inerte]

Already exists, lots of certifications are handled this way. There are "test centers", where multiple types of tests are taken, and the computer is severely limited.

The "disruptor" here is ProctorU and similar services. They are cheaper, generally more convenient, easier to schedule and manage.

Maybe you can come up with a better "test center" (perhaps a van?) but most people don't care at all about what ProctorU does with their computer.

[amyjess]

> The "disruptor" here is ProctorU and similar services.

And this is why I cringe whenever I hear people talking about "disruption" like it's a good thing.

I once heard someone seriously suggest that higher education should be disrupted by newer education systems that don't have to be accessible to the disabled because universities are "wasting" too much money on accessibility services. See also: AirBNB encouraging landlords to set up unregulated hotels and causing nasty externalities for the whole neighborhood. It seems to me that "disruption" is code for "figure out how to cut corners in a way that makes everybody's life worse to increase your profit margins".

[dragonwriter]

> Maybe you can come up with a better "test center" (perhaps a van?) but most people don't care at all about what ProctorU does with their computer.

Most people might not, but I suspect many of the best people for many tech, especially -- but also many other knowledge work jobs -- do care, quite intensely.

[ucaetano]

"As part of the interview process, you'll need to enter the back of this windowless van..."

[vtlynch]

I think the best people in tech are probably not put into this interview/test situation.

[ubernostrum]

Don't be so sure.

I don't know whether I qualify as "best in tech", but: last year I was approached by a large company which uses Django, and which solicited me to apply specifically because they wanted a Django committer on staff. In other words, I was absolutely a known quantity for them.

They still shoved me in their Fizzbuzz phone-screen funnel. Spoiler: for that, among other reasons, I stopped trying to follow up with them.

This does not seem to be an unusual practice for large companies. Even when they're recruiting specific people who they know and initiate the contact with, they still set these awful "prove you're not one of the impostor rabble we say are beating down our doors" hoops for people to jump through.

[vtlynch]

You are right, Im sure most people, even the best, have to deal with this at some point.

[marcosdumay]

I'd bet most of them were through it at least once.

What does best mean anyway?

[monksy]

Those are different situations. They're fairly fixed tests which are multiple choice and are given to you as an example. My understanding of this is that it's for an interview and requires a little bit of free form thinking.

[ianai]

There's probably other ways to do similar without being as invasive. Maybe a program that loads full screen and gives you a testing environment. Minimize the program and you fail immediately.

[nommm-nommm]

Second monitor?

[ianai]

By screen I mean entire viewable area.