Yes unfortunately. Some might look at side projects but everyone seems to want to have their own "vetting process"
I wasted a month and a half interviewing at Millenium. They made me take an IQ test, and had 3 different "last steps" and then heard nothing back. Huge waste of time. Unfortunately this is the way things are done now.
I now tell companies I interview at that I have a 2 week deadline between first interview and final decision
Millenium literally just jeeded a python dev. I solved all the algo problems except for one where the interviewer joined late and very poorly specified the problem.
They are a huge fund so obviously they can decide whatever they want but it was kind of a joke when they kept adding additional interviewing steps at the last minute.
If you want to actually learn stuff, side projects will probably serve you better. If you want to get a job at a trendy valley tech startup, stick with leetcode.
I wasted a month and a half interviewing at Millenium. They made me take an IQ test, and had 3 different "last steps" and then heard nothing back. Huge waste of time. Unfortunately this is the way things are done now.
I now tell companies I interview at that I have a 2 week deadline between first interview and final decision