Too hard for a hiring test?

[conipto]

I'm trying to find some entry-mid level .net developers with some SQL experience. I have given them this practical test as a screener, but my HR person thinks it might be too hard. For an entry-mid level dever, is this asking too much?

In the folder wwwroot on the C Drive, there is an ASP.NET website named “test2”. Open this project using Visual Studio 2005. There is a page named “login.aspx” Using the .NET SQLClient, create a simple login page that verifies the user using the table “credentials”. (username/password exists and are correct) Use the connectionString “db_conn” defined in the web.config file to connect to the database.
If login is succesful, redirect to the page “default.aspx”. Otherwise, inform the user the credentials are incorrect.

Edit - forgot to mention the login page is post-design, with ASP.NET textbox controls and Button already there.

[oceanebelle]

That'd be nice if they have a computer and an VS IDE to work with, however if not then,

It'd be good to separate the SQL (or T-SQL) part as a separate question.

Then ask essay questions on dev topics to test if they know what they are doing.

Code snippets and algorithms is good too.

[Shaggy Hiker]

How long are you giving them?

[conipto]

An hour. Also, the machine is set up with VS 03, VS 05, SSMS 05, pre-installed database, etc.. all IIS config done already, etc.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Haven't worked with ASP, but that seems like a pretty simple thing to do in an hour. One issue you might have is that a significant portion of the population blank out when faced with tests. This seems like an all or nothing kind of a question, such that if the user fails any piece they could fail the whole thing. Are you then testing for the test taking ability of the applicant (or ability to work under pressure, even if self imposed) or the knowledge of the applicant? It's not an easy question to answer, but you might consider carefully how to rate people on more than just a pass/fail.

[Jenner]

Yea, I wouldn't have a clue with the ASP trash. I don't touch ASP with an 11-foot pole.

Basically, as far as I'm concerned: "ZOMG, it's web pages, must avoid going blind from looking at millions of useless HTML/XML tags. Must avoid having brain explosion from having to support 63 completely different, unrelated, mostly incompatible except during various astrological conjunctions programming systems! Abort! Abort!"

Straight VB.NET though, I'll tie Windows around my little finger, make a game out of it with XNA, record my uberness to a database and send a dozen reports to this fact to various office printers while everyone's machine suddenly starts playing "Star Spangled Banner" in about an hour of programming time...

[CVMichael]

I only made a few programs in ASP.NET, but I would probaly be able to finish in less than 30 minutes... it seems too easy for me...

[DeanMc]

If your using this as an ASP.NET developer test it is fine, if it is for general developers you may run into issues.