@sci_photos I don't have any reason to think so. If that's what they were doing, I doubt they'd be happy with the result they got.

This is complete speculation, but I really do think they just don't know how to design learning studies with human subjects. And it didn't even occur to them that there is such a thing as doing it well or poorly, or that they should consult with an expert. So they just grabbed the first format that came to mind, which was a programming interview. Then they added a control group without ever considering what the actual difference was between the two test conditions.