Testlify can record your screen and your webcam during an assessment, but only if the employer has enabled those features for that specific test. It is not one fixed setting that applies to every Testlify assessment. Some employers use Testlify purely as a question bank with no monitoring at all; others turn on webcam proctoring, screen capture, and activity logging together.
So the honest answer is: it depends on how the employer configured your assessment. Here is how to find out what applies to you, and what each feature actually captures.
How to check before you start
The employer's configuration, not Testlify's defaults, decides what happens. Check these three places:
- The invitation email. Employers using proctoring usually warn you explicitly, because informed consent is required in most jurisdictions and simply looks better.
- The pre-test screen. When webcam or screen monitoring is on, the platform normally asks for camera and microphone permission and runs an environment check before the timer starts. If you are never asked, monitoring is probably off.
- The instructions page. Some assessments state the proctoring level directly ("proctored", "AI-monitored", "untimed take-home").
If none of those are clear, ask the recruiter. It is a reasonable question and a fair employer will answer it.
What each monitoring layer captures
Different features do different things, and employers often enable only one or two:
- Webcam proctoring: records video and sometimes audio of you during the test.
- Screen capture: takes screenshots or records the screen at intervals.
- Browser lockdown: prevents opening new tabs, exiting full screen, or using other applications. It does not necessarily record anything.
- Activity and tab tracking: logs when the window loses focus, and for how long.
- Copy/paste restrictions: blocks pasting answers or copying question text.
- AI behaviour analysis: flags patterns such as repeated glances away from the screen, multiple voices, or another person entering frame.
The presence of one does not imply the others. An assessment can use browser lockdown with no recording whatsoever.
What Testlify assessments are usually like
Testlify is commonly used for skills tests — coding, aptitude, and role-specific questionnaires — and it is generally employer-configured and timed. Employers pick the question sets and the integrity settings. That means two candidates at the same company, or the same role at two companies, can face meaningfully different monitoring.
How to prepare honestly
- Take it on the device you were told to use, with a clean desktop and no second monitor holding notes.
- Close other applications before you start. If the platform blocks the test when it detects focus loss, background apps cause more problems than they solve.
- Test your camera and microphone early if monitoring is on, so a permission prompt does not eat your timer.
- Do not rely on AI answers. Beyond the integrity risk, generated answers are often generic and easy for an experienced reviewer to spot, which damages the candidacy more than a weaker genuine attempt.
- Ask about accommodations if you have a disability, an unreliable connection, or a genuinely unsuitable environment. Legitimate employers would rather reschedule than fail you on access.
For employers configuring Testlify
Decide what you are actually trying to measure. If you want a signal about capability, heavy proctoring can add noise and scare off good candidates; if the assessment gates a compliance-critical role, monitoring is defensible. Whatever you choose, disclose it in the invitation — undisclosed monitoring damages trust and, in several jurisdictions, creates legal exposure.
Screening works best when the integrity settings and the evaluation method are decided together rather than bolted on separately. AI candidate evaluation covers how scoring, screening, and shortlisting fit into one pipeline instead of three disconnected checks.
Bottom line
Testlify can record both your screen and your webcam, but only when the employer turns those features on for your test. Check the invitation, watch whether the platform requests camera permission, and ask the recruiter if it is unclear. Close background applications, test your setup early, and take the assessment on your own ability rather than relying on generated answers.