[noarchy]

>If you're 40+ and have dozens of large projects delivered in the real world for both commercial and government clients, Hackerrank and its ilk can still make you look like a beginner just because you couldn't solve one of their toy problems in the ridiculously short time available.

Is this a flaw or a feature? What I'm really asking is: is it a coincidence that some of these tests may tend to filter out an older demographic? It may be yet another one of those ways that some people can be filed away as not being a "culture fit" or whatnot.

[10000truths]

If you're hiring a senior engineer, it doesn't really make sense to filter out the older demographic. Do you expect a 25 or 30 year old to have 15 years experience in a work environment and 10 years in using XYZ stack/language/tech?

[noarchy]

A lot of companies don't care if you have x years of experience. They hire based on what they think is talent, and then train them. Even for senior-level positions, they may only care that the person is senior, not necessarily, "has x years in language x".

To be sure, there are companies that do care about domain experience - and I personally value it as well. But that experience often carries a price that some companies will jump through hoops in order to avoid paying. I've seen that first hand, unfortunately.