Does Codility Track Tab Switching or Window Focus?
2025-10-16
If you are mid Codility assessment and thinking about switching tabs, this question usually hits.
Does Codility track tab switching or window focus?
Yes, Codility can detect when the test tab loses focus. What matters is how often it happens and what your behavior looks like overall.
How Codility tracks tab switching
Codility uses browser level visibility signals.
When you switch tabs, click into another window, or minimize the browser, the Codility test tab becomes inactive. That focus change is logged with a timestamp.
Codility does not see what you switched to. It only knows that you left the test environment.
Does one tab switch cause a problem?
No.
Occasional tab switches are normal and expected. Notifications pop up. Accidental clicks happen. Recruiters understand that.
The issue arises when there is a clear pattern of repeated or prolonged tab switching that suggests you are frequently leaving the test to look things up.
Context matters more than single events.
What looks suspicious during a Codility test
Tab switching becomes risky when it is combined with:
- Long periods away from the test tab
- Sudden jumps to complete solutions
- Large copy paste actions
- Unusual timing patterns across questions
Codility evaluates behavior over the entire session, not isolated moments.
Why staying in the test tab matters
Codility assessments are designed to evaluate problem solving under constraints.
Constantly leaving the test environment weakens that signal and can trigger reviews even for capable candidates.
Staying focused inside the tab reduces unnecessary risk.
A cleaner way to stay unstuck
Some candidates avoid tab switching entirely by using tools that live outside the browser and do not interact with the test page.
StealthCoder works this way. It runs as a separate overlay, keeps the Codility tab active, and helps you reason through problems without generating extra focus change events.
Understanding what is tracked lets you take the test with confidence instead of fear.