I’ve worked at three companies that usually had candidates complete take home assignments. The subjectivity is part of the point. They want you to only spend an hour or two so they can level you accurately and determine what the interview will look like, if there will be one at all. Most people submitting solutions are usually screened out because they’re empirically inexperienced or unsuited for the role. It’s a red flag if you took more time than suggested. If it’s a long assignment, you could simply say what you would work on next had you more time. If it’s a screening-type assignment you’ll be screened out, and if it’s not, you’ll be invited to onsite if what you said gels with the reviewer.
Most take home submissions I’ve seen are rejected — because of copy-pasted stack overflow code patched together, incorrect solutions, or poor style or organization.
I ran into exactly one company that attempted to get me to do a take-home; they were gibbering idiots, statistical imbeciles, and their company proved it in the 5-6 years since then. They're still around: a clown car run by frauds and mountebanks, powered by gas, hype and free labor.
The right way to do a take home exam if you must do this: give them something real and pay them consulting rates for it. If the result is good, you've hired a great worker. If the result is bad, you will know, they'll get a few bucks for their time, and no hard feelings. If you can't screen them to the point where you you can't screen for decent odds on a take home, you should consider a new career. Maybe picking potatoes.
Most take home submissions I’ve seen are rejected — because of copy-pasted stack overflow code patched together, incorrect solutions, or poor style or organization.