[borism]

why was the coding test timed?

this smells like a disaster from the outset.

[envex]

I think it's more to test how they work under pressure. Does the applicant choke when stressed?

[SamReidHughes]

It's also because if you make it untimed, some poor shmuck will spend 8 or more hours trying to finish it when they don't have a chance.