Who said anything about grading results or comparing applicants? This should be a screening test, nothing more. Pass/fail. Any decent developer should be able to knock out decent responses to simple problems in very little time with no prep. The goal is simply to eliminate the ones who can't even do that.
Do you think printing a matrix in spiral order is a simple problem. If an experienced person who spent 10 yrs on file systems didn't get that in a 30mts period, would you eliminate him/her? And oh btw, you are supposed to talk through your thinking process as well in that 30 mts... while youre at it, don't forget that semicolons :)
