Well yeah sure, by asking pertinent questions about the project or how i "might" solve X. What technology might be good for X etc? In my opinion it gets a conversation going, which might be a better way of judging someones worth(goes both ways).
Posting "I am real" looks more like a test for "i'm smarter than a 5th grader"? But other freelancers might differ on this.
Think of it like a CAPTCHA. It's not a reflection on you as a person, and it's not much of an imposition — it's just a way to stave of an inevitable flood of illegitimate requests.
Posting "I am real" looks more like a test for "i'm smarter than a 5th grader"? But other freelancers might differ on this.