HackerEarth Test: What to Expect Step by Step

A HackerEarth assessment starts with a system check, asks for whichever permissions the employer's settings require, and then runs a timed test that warns you in real time when you break a rule. As of September 9, 2026, HackerEarth documents each of those steps for candidates. This walkthrough follows them in order, for the browser test and for Smart Browser, HackerEarth's desktop app, and ends with what the recruiter sees.

Step 1: The invitation and the practice test

The invitation email carries the test link and a practice test link. HackerEarth generates a practice test for every assessment; it lasts 45 minutes and candidates "can attempt the practice test for multiple numbers of times" (dynamic practice tests documentation). Use it to learn the editor, the question types, and the submit and end-test buttons. Whether proctoring applies to the practice test is not documented, so do not rely on it to rehearse permissions.

If the invitation links to a Smart Browser download instead of a web page, skip to Step 3.

Step 2: System compatibility check

The browser test begins with an automatic check. HackerEarth's system compatibility documentation lists what it verifies: an operating system among "Windows 10,11; MacOS 13.5 Ventura; Linux Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04"; a browser among "Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Edge, Safari" within the last two versions; cookies enabled; web sockets enabled; and microphone access, stated as "We require you to grant microphone access while attempting a test on HackerEarth". That microphone request appears whether or not audio proctoring is enabled on your test.

HackerEarth's candidate instructions also recommend that you "disable system updates before beginning the test" (Before you begin).

Step 3: Smart Browser setup, if required

HackerEarth's Smart Browser page lists the sequence: download and install from the invitation email, open the app, click Start, pass internet and Visual C++ checks, install updates if prompted, pass system verification, close flagged background applications, and accept the test agreement. Supported systems are Windows 10 and 11, Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04, and macOS 13.5 Ventura and above.

The permissions requested are camera, microphone, screen recording, and on macOS Full Disk Access "when required". The setup guide warns that the download fails when "Working with a firewall enabled" or "Using a VPN", and the troubleshooting page says to "disconnect external monitors and wireless displays, and use only your primary laptop/desktop screen" and to "Run Smart Browser on a physical computer, not inside a VM."

Step 4: Webcam and ID verification

If snapshots are enabled, the browser asks for the camera and the test will not start without it. HackerEarth then captures reference images: "candidates are guided to click on five specific screen positions" (candidate snapshots documentation). Low light produces a prompt to move somewhere brighter.

If ID verification is enabled, a Verify Aadhaar Card button appears. HackerEarth's ID verification documentation describes a redirect to DigiLocker, an OTP "on your Aadhaar-registered phone number", a DigiLocker PIN, and a consent screen to "Read the consent information carefully and click Allow" before returning to the test. This flow is built for Indian candidates; if you have no Aadhaar and the test requires it, contact the recruiter before test day.

Step 5: Full screen and the rules

With the full-screen restriction on, the test launches full screen and exiting produces a warning. Read the instructions page here: it is where the employer states what resources and tools are allowed, and the permissions you just granted tell you which monitoring is on. The camera side is detailed in whether HackerEarth records video.

Step 6: During the test

Expect a warning every time the test loses focus, and a logout after the employer's warning limit, five by default. In Smart Browser, leaving the test screen starts a 10-second countdown to removal. The timer shows a popup as time runs out. Submit checks code against test cases; End Test is final and "You cannot make any changes to the test after you have ended the test" (test environment documentation). Keystrokes in programming questions are auto-saved and replayable; multiple-choice answers are not saved until you submit.

Step 7: If you are logged out

HackerEarth's FAQ says a candidate logged out by a restricted key "can log in again and take the test from the start" and that the test "does not end" (FAQ); in Smart Browser, click the invitation link to resume. Rejoin at once and tell the recruiter afterward.

Step 8: What the recruiter sees

The report lists the number of tab switches, an integrity index of Acceptable, Marginally Acceptable, or Unacceptable, plagiarism results, the audio recording if enabled, whether snapshots met the guidelines, and ID verification status (report components documentation). You are not notified of any of it.

What this means for candidates

Do the practice test, run the compatibility check early, unplug extra displays, and have your Aadhaar-linked phone at hand if ID verification is on. Ask the recruiter in writing about allowed resources if the instructions are silent, and if outside help is prohibited, prepare with it beforehand and take the test alone. The full inventory of controls is in what HackerEarth proctoring records and flags, the tells for each in whether a HackerEarth test is proctored, and the equivalent HackerRank flow in what to expect from a HackerRank proctored test.