At what point does an employer "test project" become excessive?

As frustrating as it can be, I've basically accepted the fact that 90% of employers are going to require some sort of creative design prompt to verify the work in your portfolio and assess your punctuality. A few companies execute this via completely theoretical prompts, which I greatly appreciate for the transparent intent of assessing the potential employee.

A company I've recently been interviewing with has asked me to create two separate flyers for seemingly real scenarios, and I'm getting the impression that they intend to use them. They've also asked if I'd be willing to assist with a photoshoot. My intuition tells me that I'm being propositioned for free work, but of course I want the job, so I can't help but feel conflicted.

To the junior-mid level professionals out there; how do you handle these "creative challenges" when seeking employment, and where do you draw the line?

Great design resource

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) Submitted December 05, 2018 at 08:03PM by tomfoolist https://ift.tt/2E4VV9D