Developers hate them because coding tests have devolved into multi-hour, unpaid assignments from which no feedback is given. It's especially bad if they are unwilling (as some seem to be) to have a short phone conversation prior to the coding test to tell you about the project.
> It's especially bad if they are unwilling (as some seem to be) to have a short phone conversation prior to the coding test to tell you about the project. I'm sympathetic. But the last time I put out a job ad I got over 100 applications for a single opening. How should companies try to narrow that to a manageable number? Just look at the CV and throw it out based on that? What do you look for on the CV that cuts out…
Your job opening should have had some sort of "job specification" with "essential" and "desirable" criteria. Take a quick pass over all the CVs. If they don't meet all essential criteria, then put them in a reject pile. For the remaining CVs, order them by how many of the desirable criteria they meet, then take a cut of the top n to contact. If you don't have the time to do this, then HR should. This won't take long; it's a quick yes/no. You look at the remaining CVs in detail after that initial pass and take into account their education, experience etc.
Any candidate worth their salt will already have tailored their CV for the job specification to make sure that the essential and desirable criteria are clearly shown on the CV to make your job easier. If it's not clear, then reject it. You'll have that number down to a shortlist of 5 in 60 minutes.