I run far, far away from companies that openly advertise that they hire the top X percent of talent. There should be talent agencies dedicated for the "rest" that still generate good solid value, but also don't charge top dollar.
They technically hire the top percent that pass their screening process. Those are the candidates that put in the effort to solve coding challenges and work on test projects. And once you're in, you don't have to go through any assessments again, there is no bidding on projects or race to the bottom, you set your rate and you can find hourly, part-time or full time work that suits your skill set.
