[makeitdouble]

I think they're very valuable if the position requires any coding at all.

In particular very simple tests (like an API interface, or reversing a string etc.) done in any language they feel comfortable is are usually a trove of info about the candidate. The result doesn't really matter, it doesn't need to run, it doesn't need to be complete, as long as you got to hear a lot about how the candidate thinks, how he moves through the problem, and how much they can write something basic, what they're confident in and what they're not used to do etc.