Does the applicant or the employer decide if an interview happens in your experience?

Do you think if the applicants are really in that level of demand that they would be getting a take home test instead of being actively recruited?

Legitimately lay out your understanding of a world where an employer is chasing after employees who are high in demand, give them a test that is expected to take hours, and have a hedged bet in their wording, instead of saying we will absolutely hire you if you pass X bar?