It's not necessarily the norm but I don't think you should be skeptical based off of this one factor either. The company has to figure out how to evaluate you and decide whether you're a good fit for the job. Talking on the phone and viewing past projects is great but perhaps they're newer to hiring and doing their best to realistically evaluate you.
When you say the task seems similar to what you'd be doing for them, do you mean you're concerned you might be doing some actual work for free that they'd use even if they didn't hire you?
I did a 2-3 hour evaluation for my job and had similar reservations but it turned out great. Assume that they're acting in good faith to evaluate you even if the actual method seems less than ideal.
You're the only one who has all the information to make this decision though, so make one you can be happy with.
When you say the task seems similar to what you'd be doing for them, do you mean you're concerned you might be doing some actual work for free that they'd use even if they didn't hire you?
I did a 2-3 hour evaluation for my job and had similar reservations but it turned out great. Assume that they're acting in good faith to evaluate you even if the actual method seems less than ideal.
You're the only one who has all the information to make this decision though, so make one you can be happy with.