[mavelikara]

> So you block off 4-8 hours of your life for this job you're really excited about. What is the employer putting up? Generally nothing.

What?! Up until that point, typically, the employer had crafted the job posting, posted in on various channels, reviewed the responses, talked to promising candidates, and then give you the assignment. And a good assignment needs to be carefully crafted, a process that usually takes an order of magnitude time more than what it takes to prepare an answer.

[consz]

An order of magnitude is not much though, that's only ten applicants? Most assignments waste the time of hundreds of applicants, so it sounds like its still a net win for the employer.