That matches my experiences. The first time I heard of FizzBuzz, I laughed it off as ridiculously easy and not worthwhile for screening. I've since changed my mind.
If a candidate laughs and writes down a canned answer off the top of their head, I count it as "passed" and we move on to other questions. I've been horrified at how often it's been a show-stopper, though.
> The guy that did complete it wrote it in Bash, and wasn't strong in that to begin with. Bonus points for learning a language on the fly, that's what I'm looking for.
I'd give that a double thumbs-up for resourcefulness.
3 out of 4 people so far were unable to do the test. One guy boasted 20+ years of development experience and I used to work with him, he didn't even attempt it?!? Frankly, I expect candidates of any worth to feel insulted we are asking them to write this. The guy that did complete it wrote it in Bash, and wasn't strong in that to begin with. Bonus points for learning a language on the fly, that's what I'm looking for.