Overview
HackerRank for Work provides the ability to monitor candidates' focus on the Test screen while attempting tests, referred to as Proctoring. Through proctoring, recruiters can assess their Candidates' authenticity and note any suspicious activities or malpractices during the test.
At the start of a test, with the candidates' consent, the Proctoring feature automatically enables their webcam and records periodic snapshots of a Candidate until the test ends. Recruiters in HackerRank who review Candidates' Test performance can also view the recorded snapshots of their activities during the test and note any forbidden activities.
Before sending the test email invites, you can enable Proctoring for a HackerRank Test. As the candidate's test progresses, you can view the webcam-recorded snapshots of the candidate's activities in the Proctor tab of the Candidate's Summary page.
Note: To avail the Proctoring ability for your HackerRank Tests, contact HackerRank Support.
Enable Proctoring for HackerRank Tests
This section guides on how to enable Proctoring for a Test in HackerRank and how Candidates view these Tests.
Prerequisites
You must have the Test Proctoring ability available on your HackerRank for Work account.
Note: The Proctoring settings were earlier present in the Test Access tab.
Steps
1. Log in to HackerRank for Work and click the Tests tab.
2. Select the test for which you want to enable proctoring.
3. Ensure that you have added the required Questions, made necessary settings, and published the test.
4. Go to the Settings tab and click Test Integrity from the panel on the left.
5. HackerRank offers four types of proctoring during the test.
- Copy/Paste Tracking
- Tab Proctoring
- Photo Identification
- Image Proctoring
Before starting a test, the candidate's consent will be taken to turn on their webcam to enable the Proctoring. Once taking the consent from the candidate, Proctoring feature will automatically enable their webcam and record periodic snapshots of a Candidate until the test ends.
Copy/Paste Tracking
The Copy/Paste tracking in the proctoring settings is enabled by default for all of your tests. If a candidate pastes a copied code in the assessment, you can view that pasted code in the candidate's test report. Also, if the candidate tries to paste the code from other sources, it will be captured in our plagiarism model. The candidates can also be notified of their copy-paste activity through a caution popup, as shown above. However, we do not recommend showing this caution within the product since it might alert candidates, and they may resort to other means of cheating (apart from copy-pasting). Thus, we have set the prompt setting switched off by default under the settings. There are three possibilities for using these settings:
- Stay with the default settings: If you want to capture the copy-paste activity of candidates as part of the plagiarism model.
- Switch off the copy-paste toggle: If you do not want to capture the copy-paste activity of a candidate / You are okay with the candidate's copy-paste activity.
- Switch on the prompt toggle: If you want the copy-paste activity to be captured as part of the plagiarism model and you also want to show the prompt to the candidates within the test.
The Copy-Paste Frequency column in the excel report helps you to track the number of times a Candidate tries to copy paste a piece of code.
Tab Proctoring
When you turn on the Tab Proctoring option, you can monitor if the candidate switches between the tabs during the test. This will prevent the candidates from trying any malpractice while taking the test. When a candidate tries to open another tab in their browser while taking the test, a warning message will be displayed on their screen that the test is being proctored, and if they still try to move between tabs, it will be reported to the interviewer.
If a candidate toggles between the tabs, their report will show it. For example, the image below describes the Candidate's attempt to toggle between tabs.
View Proctoring details in the Candidate's report:
- Open your test and click on the candidate name.
- Once the report is open, click on the Timeline option in the top section.
- Click on the Show complete event list button at the bottom of the timeline chart.
- This will open a complete report of the candidate's activities during the test. In this report, you can check if the candidate has pasted any code or switched between the tabs during the test.
Photo Identification
Enabling the photo identification helps you to monitor if the same candidate is taking the test or not. When you enable this option, the system will automatically take the candidate's photo before starting the test. The candidate will be notified with a prompt message, as shown below.
Note: You cannot enable the Photo ID and Image Proctoring options at the same time. You can select either of them at a given time.
Before, the test browser will prompt a message asking the candidate to allow the webcam access.
When Candidates click 'Enable webcam Access, they can log in to the test.
Note: Candidates can take Proctored Tests only using the Chrome or Firefox browsers.
Image Proctoring
From the beginning of the test, the webcam is enabled, and the Proctoring feature captures and records periodic snapshots of a Candidate. The webcam captures and records a snapshot at one-minute intervals for the complete test duration or until the candidate submits the test as a Candidate progresses with a Test.
Note: You cannot enable the Photo ID and Image Proctoring options at the same time. You can select either of them at a given time.
Checking the Proctoring Results
- Login to your HackerRank for Work account, open your test, and click on the candidate name.
- Click the Proctor option on the top.
Snapshot was taken before the test for Photo Identification.
Snapshots are taken in the one-minute interval during the test for Proctoring.
You can use the scroll bar in the Proctor tab to scroll through all the snapshots and note any suspicious activities or malpractices by the candidate.
Tip: In your Test email invite, you may indicate the purpose of Proctoring in the Test and add a recommendation for your Candidates to use Firefox or Chrome browsers for a good Test experience.
Note: The PROCTOR tab is available under the Candidates Summary page only if Proctoring is enabled for a Test.