Definitely multiple pros/cons for having a "homework" round. One more to consider: I've seen programmers take between 2 hours and 20 hours on the same piece of homework - so homework from candidates who get can get the job done quickly (possibly because they are more practiced in Clojure) doesn't necessarily stand out from homework from candidates who struggle but just spend a lot more time and effort on it. We don't have set homework where I work at All Street and I think it makes our interview process better for candidates & assessors.