This is probably more of a general observation than specific to any one company, as many companies follow the same exact process. They get you in a room with a whiteboard or pen and paper, and there you go, they ask you questions. In all my years of programming, I never do this on an actual job. I write programs.

It's interesting how a process can allow people good at memorizing to succeed, while hard-core coders can fail. I know it's my own limitations, but I haven't worked anywhere yet where I haven't been one of the top programmers (usually the top). However, I cannot get through these types of interviews, and I've been on a few.

In college, I bombed tests because my memory for this stuff is poor, but all the guys getting A's came to me for their programming help. I've written and sold more programs than anyone I know who also always holds a full-time job.

So, I cram before these interviews, relearning all the material I haven't touched since college just to answer the questions. It's stuff I only learn when I have an application that needs it. I pick up and am able to apply new technology very quickly, but I also brain-dump just as quickly when I haven't used it in a while.

I see guys who cannot code but can memorize getting through this process with flying colors, and I can never reach that level, even though I know I would shine at any coding task they gave me. Only once have I been on an interview where it was geared towards who can actually code. They put all the candidates in a room, split us into teams, and gave us a project. It was actually fun, took two days, and they watched, allowing them to see the guys who could apply knowledge rather than just regurgitate it.

It was in a language I had never used before, but again, I pick things up quickly and haven't missed a deadline yet. It's just frustration with the process.

What is the function call and syntax to create a thread in the Windows API?