I received a take-home web scraping assignment with 3 clearly defined levels plus bonus criteria (Docker, Mypy, type safety, dependency management). I completed every requirement across all levels, both mandatory and bonus, in approximately 4 days (~30h), and delivered a polished, fully working solution.
The technical interview focused heavily on minor aspects like method length while largely ignoring the explicit requirements. The absence of tests was noted as the most significant issue, despite tests not being mentioned anywhere in the requirements. When I pointed this out, the interviewer admitted to not being fully aware of the actual requirements. Meanwhile, explicitly requested features that required substantial effort (Pydantic schemas, type safety) were fully overlooked.
Most people at Argyle were professional and the process moved very quickly. However, my final interview was overall less cordial and I was cut off abruptly near the end, which suggested a concern with cultural fit.
Other reviews mention similar patterns: polished submissions rejected for unstated criteria while completed requirements go unacknowledged. The tiered structure doesn't guarantee progression or match actual evaluation criteria. If you interview at Argyle, assume evaluation extends beyond written requirements and clarify expectations upfront to avoid my experience.