Yes I would say it's typical. But they also say their challenge is getting good technologists into government. So if they believe they have difficulty hiring (which is their public stance) why not adopt a more candidate friendly process? And I'm not saying I necessarily would have gotten the job otherwise, who knows, but I do feel like they wasted a lot of time, strung things out over months and then didn't give me a good opportunity to show them my abilities.

Agree with you. Government work has not been very popular with programmers. Working for "the man" is not something that is generally sought after. Ideals are strong in this young industry. Dunno if they should try and work as a startup. They are a not a business, nor can they operate like one.