Only then, a test with the words "Toot" "Tweet" will be burned forever for the fakers advantage :)
Not searching for the question or not being able to parse it logically into a program is far more aggravating to me.
There are a lot of people who do this, but there are also many recruiters who are good in their jobs by spotting this self-deluded cockiness.
What amazes me is how far someone can go by in life, asserting their supposed skills, while not being able to parse a simple question related to their profession.
Have any of you HN'ers seen this in other professions? Meaning, have you ever seen someone claim to be a carpenter but having no idea how to cut a piece of wood or use the right nail?
Or you think this can be attributed to someone trying to scam gullible persons into paying in advance for a website that will never be created?
Anyway, I give the guy the benefit of the doubt because I don't know how much time has passed since OP's last e-mail.