[lmilcin]

If the exercise requires some kind of leap then it is a bad task for interview. For example: "please, implement A-star". On the other hand, better task is one that removes unnecessary leaps: "given this description of A-star, please, implement it". Which is what I try to do when I prepare tasks.

After all what I want to learn is how a person approaches implementing something and not whether they have good enough memory and luck.

If those FAANG companies do something else, it is their problem. There are so many companies you don't absolutely have to work for them.

The only reason they can get away with this is exactly because a lot of developers think either FAANG or bust.