Does HackerRank Track Your Eye Movement?
2026-09-13
Glancing away from the screen to think is normal. Still, many candidates worry that HackerRank is watching where their eyes go and counting every look away.
Here is the straight answer.
Only in some tests. HackerRank documents a Gaze detection feature that analyzes your eye and head movements through the webcam. It is part of Proctor Mode, it is in limited availability, and it needs webcam access to work.
What gaze detection looks for
HackerRank says Proctor Mode "analyzes the candidate's eye and head movements captured by the webcam during an assessment."
It is looking for a pattern, not a single glance. The feature detects repeated patterns of looking away from the screen and returning to type. HackerRank says this may indicate a phone or a second display.
HackerRank also says only high-confidence behavioral patterns are flagged as suspicious activity for review.
When it applies
Gaze detection is not switched on for every test. A few conditions have to line up:
- The company uses Proctor Mode, which is an AI add-on, or Desktop App Mode, which builds on it
- The company has asked for gaze detection, which is in limited availability through its account manager
- Your webcam is on for the test
Webcam features ask first. For Image Proctoring, HackerRank prompts candidates to allow webcam access, and that feature is disabled by default. HackerRank's privacy policy also says candidates get notice and are asked for consent before AI features are used. For more on the camera side, see does HackerRank record your webcam.
What the hiring team sees
If gaze activity is flagged, the reviewer sees an item called "Suspicious gaze activity detected" in the Integrity Summary, with flagged timestamps. They can open the Session Replay for that time range and review what was happening.
A flag is a prompt for a human to look, not an automatic fail.
What this means for you
HackerRank describes gaze detection as working from webcam footage, so it depends on you granting webcam access. If you did, normal thinking pauses are not the pattern HackerRank describes. The pattern is looking away and then typing, over and over.
Keeping your eyes on one screen
StealthCoder is an AI overlay that stays invisible during screen share. It reads the problem on screen and helps you work through it, so your reference point stays on the same display as the test.
You've read the playbook.
Now make sure you pass the live OA.
Knowing the patterns isn't the same as solving them under a timer with a proctor watching. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Made by a working FAANG engineer who treats the OA the way companies treat hiring: as a game with rules you should know. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.