Yes, people are really doing this.  It&#x27;s stupid, but to not do so puts you at a competitive disadvantage against other candidates.  Competition for programming jobs is fierce.<p>It is not enough to be able to implement quicksort.  One must have the algorithm thoroughly memorized so that it can be scrawled onto the whiteboard in one smooth motion of the dry-erase pen.  If you pause to say &quot;hmm...&quot; while re-deriving quicksort on the spot, you will be branded as &quot;slow&quot; and obviously inferior to the candidate who spent three days bashing his&#x2F;her head against an algorithms textbook.