[darth_avocado]

After reaching my 10 yoe mark, I almost explicitly refuse take home tests. Yes if there was only one company I wanted to work with and I was interviewing with only them, I'll make an exception. Companies interview a lot of candidates to hire someone, as a result of which, you as a candidate have to interview 5-10 companies to get hired and get paid fairly, 15+ if you want to maximize your career + comp. There is no reason I'll spend 40-80 hours on just take home tests alone, considering the fact that the company will still interview you for 4-5 more hours after you satisfactorily finish your take home.

[chrisdbanks]

If you spend 40 hours on this and it only gains you a 1% increase in salary then you earn that back in 2 years. I would say that it will generally earn you much more so personally I see it as a good investment. If you enjoy the take home you're also more likely to enjoy the role so it's also a filter for you. If you're not enjoying the take home then stop, but if you're finding it interesting then it's well worth it. These things are also for you to assess future Jon opportunities. The best take homes are as close to actual work as possible for a reason.