I have never put much stock in the online tests. Personally I have found that the ones I have taken sometimes focus on the pedantic aspects of the topic they are testing on - things that don't really exhibit ability or knowledge.

The problem with skills today (and finding them) is that in the IT world the landscape is changing so rapidly that it is no longer a reliable strategy to simply rely on proof of skills or knowledge of skills. What is far more valuable are resources that are properly grounded i.e. have a solid foundation in the fundamentals, experience across a range of tech and demonstrate the willingness and ability to jump in and take initiative when it comes to learning something new.

Sort of the "Moneyball" approach - go for the solid performers who can quickly adapt than the superstars in a particular category.

The question is how do you find them / evaluate them. The latter is easy - people who fall into this category will typically be found hanging around forums, repos, technical threads - making contributions - sometimes driven by ego but mostly driven by the desire to learn and share.

If you have have a candidate you are wanting to evaluate - ask them where and how they contribute online (and it does not have to be just in IT). What you are looking for attitude. Find the right person with the right mindset and you can add the skills after the fact.

Not what you were looking for I know - but just my 2c worth in terms of an acid test to evaluate potential candidates.

@Julian Hansen has a lot of good points.  Sending our test links to the people you are testing also does not guarantee that it will be done by the intended person.

Great attitude is really difficult to find these days.

I agree Julian. Those are great suggestions. I love the suggestion to ask about where and how they contribute online. That would be interesting indeed.