I refused to do a take-home interview exam for the first time a couple of months ago.  I don&#x27;t think a $100 gift certificate would have made much of a difference.  The opportunity was a decent one but I&#x27;ve just had very bad experiences with take-homes in the past (spent a lot of time, didn&#x27;t hear back for a month, got a one-sentence rejection from a recruiter, never talked to a developer).  I might consider doing it later in the process, when I have a stronger sense that the exam will be taken seriously and given proper consideration.  I&#x27;m just not willing to put this kind of time into what may simply be &quot;screening&quot;.<p>I think Gayle Laakman McDowell&#x27;s comments on this subject were good:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gayle.com&#x2F;blog&#x2F;2013&#x2F;09&#x2F;18&#x2F;companies-who-give-candidates-homework-assignments-knock-it-off" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gayle.com&#x2F;blog&#x2F;2013&#x2F;09&#x2F;18&#x2F;companies-who-give-cand...</a><p>The problem here is that take homes allow companies to externalize the inefficiencies of the interview process - they may demand many hours of a candidate&#x27;s time while dismissing that candidate in five minutes.  The $100 gift card may make this a bit better, but it&#x27;s still a bargain for the company (I&#x27;m certainly not surprised you consider the information easily worth $100).