To be fair, for some people solving cognitive tasks under pressure is absolutely impossible.
I just wrote a FizzBuzz solving script in python in about two minutes sitting on the couch drinking wine, while the tv is running in the background. But I guarantee you that I would mess it up in an interview situation. Under extreme stress, I do not have the ability to think straight. It's almost as if my mind goes into survival mode, allowing only basic operations in order to ensure a fast reaction time.
I heard that our brain can only hold a certain amount of blood, and that blood carries the sugar that fuels it. So when you're scared, and blood is pumping to your amygdala, your frontal lobes have less fuel to make decisions.
Do you program for your day job? I do and I've found I'm under that sort of stress consistently, and with harder problems to solve. I guess it does affect me but I've been working on my 'not caring' skills to compensate.
I just wrote a FizzBuzz solving script in python in about two minutes sitting on the couch drinking wine, while the tv is running in the background. But I guarantee you that I would mess it up in an interview situation. Under extreme stress, I do not have the ability to think straight. It's almost as if my mind goes into survival mode, allowing only basic operations in order to ensure a fast reaction time.