YMMV on the strength of your opinion, but ask for a code sample.

I realize I'm responding to an ancient node but..

I have my doubts about Brainbench, due to a recent hire we had. The person in question was supposed to have Sharepoint and DBA experience, and their resume showed none of the former and little of the latter. On that, I recommended not to hire (I wasn't part of the actual interview, just asked to do a technical review of the resume).

However, the person went out, took a Brainbench test on Sharepoint, came back and fought for the job, claiming ability via Brainbench. They were promptly hired..

..and were completely inept. They couldn't even navigate Sharepoint's default interface, let alone tell me how to set up a usable site. As for their DBA abilities.. also non-existant. (If someone asks you what kind of degree you have, and they say 'Databases', there is likely a problem.)

I definitely believe in at least some technical questions during an interview for a technical job. It comes with the territory.

I would suggest that there is a real possibility that this person had someone else take the Brainbench test for them.

And yes, I agree that someone who claims to have a degree in "Databases" is almost certainly lying. And if they lie that badly and blatantly once, then that is a sign that you should pay attention to.

A test should be used as a pre-screen tool. If someone passes a test proving aptitude, but nobody from your interviewing team was able to pick up on that same candidate being "completely inept" throughout the entire interview process, the problem is your hiring group not the candidate.