Online Technical Assessment: Mettl, HackerEarth, iMocha and Glider

Online technical assessment guide to Mettl, HackerEarth, iMocha and Glider: format, monitoring, requirements and rules on AI.

An online technical assessment from an IT services or staffing firm rarely runs on the firm's own software, which is why the invitation is so often confusing. The email carries the employer's name, but the link opens a platform you may never have heard of, and each of those platforms has its own editor, its own timer rules and its own way of watching the session.

We wrote this for candidates who have been sent a test link by a consultancy, an outsourcing company or a staffing agency and want to know what will open when they click it. It covers four vendors these firms commonly use, and for each one the test format, what the vendor says it monitors, the system requirements, the stated rules on outside help and where to get support. We make Verve AI, an interview copilot, and what we say about Mercer Mettl, HackerEarth, iMocha and Glider AI comes from their own websites and help centers as they stood in October 2026.

One pattern holds across all four: the employer chooses the questions, the time limit and the monitoring, so the instructions in your own invitation always come first.

What should you expect from an online technical assessment on these platforms?

All four vendors sell a toolkit to employers, and the employer assembles a test from it.

The shared mechanics are simple: you open a link from an email, pass a system check, read the instructions and start a timer. Coding questions run your program against test cases, some of which you can see and some of which you cannot. Results go to the employer, and the employer decides whether you see them.

How does a Mercer Mettl assessment work?

Mercer Mettl separates its tests into two kinds. Its system requirements page says a proctored assessment uses your live video feed, monitored by remote proctors or Mettl's AI system, while a non-proctored assessment streams no video. Either kind can run in an ordinary browser or in a lockdown browser called Mettl Secure Browser, which the candidate is prompted to install.

For a proctored test, Mettl's guide describes granting webcam and microphone permission, sharing your entire screen, and capturing your face and an identity document through the webcam, and it says answers are saved automatically.

Mettl's help center lists the monitoring features an administrator can apply. They include a count of how often you navigate away from the test window, with warnings or termination at a set limit. They also include AI flags for situations such as another person or a mobile phone in view, screen and camera snapshots every 60 seconds, and blocked copy-paste. Mettl tells candidates not to switch to other applications or tabs, which may lead to a warning or disqualification.

On requirements, Mettl asks for 512 kbps of upload bandwidth for a proctored test and 256 kbps otherwise. It supports Chrome, Firefox and Safari, and says proctored assessments are not supported on mobile devices or on Edge. Its test-taker guide offers a system check, a mock test and support contacts. We found no candidate rule on Mettl's pages that names AI tools specifically.

How does a HackerEarth assessment work?

HackerEarth's candidate help center asks you to do three things before you begin: read the instructions, take the practice test and fill in the details the recruiter requests. Once you start a test you cannot pause it, and it does not end when you submit an answer, because you must click End Test.

The languages you may code in are the ones the test admin enabled, and the time limit for each problem appears in the problem statement. Programming answers are run against sample test cases when you click Compile and Test, and against internal test cases that you cannot see when you click Submit.

Monitoring is a set of recruiter options, described in HackerEarth's article on what to know before you begin. A recruiter can disable copy and paste in the editor, require a working webcam for remote monitoring, make full-screen mode mandatory, and log you out after repeated moves away from the test screen. HackerEarth counts system pop-ups as leaving the test, so it recommends disabling system updates beforehand.

The strictest option is Smart Browser, a secure desktop application that candidates must use when the admin enables it. HackerEarth says it runs on Windows, Ubuntu and macOS, and that it checks for virtual machines and open applications before the test. Without it, the test runs in recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari. On AI, HackerEarth's product page describes dedicated sandboxes where candidates work with real AI tools, so whether AI is part of your test is the employer's decision.

How does an iMocha assessment work?

iMocha's guide to taking a test starts with the link in your invitation, an access key that you should not change, and your name and registered email address. A system check follows, and the instruction page shows the sections and the duration of each one. The test must be taken in one sitting, the timer cannot be paused, and a section cannot be reopened once you submit it.

For coding questions, iMocha says the test administrator decides which languages are offered. Compile and Run checks your code against the example test case only, and iMocha warns that passing it does not mean a full score.

iMocha's candidate pages describe three kinds of monitoring. Image proctoring captures pictures at intervals and sends them to the test administrator. Video proctoring records each section of the test. The window violation feature detects movement outside the test window and warns you that sourcing answers from web search, chat windows or external web help is not allowed. The administrator sets how many violations end the test. When AI proctoring is switched on, you are asked to install iMocha's Safe Assessment Browser and confirm your identity.

iMocha recommends Chrome, Firefox or Safari, at least 4 GB of RAM and 1 Mbps of bandwidth, and it also supports recent Android and iOS browsers. If the window closes mid-test, you can log back in within four hours and continue from where you stopped.

How does a Glider AI assessment work?

Glider AI's assessment help page walks through its coding editor in detail. A dropdown lets you change language where the employer has configured more than one, Run compiles against the open test cases, and Run all tests includes hidden ones. Its question types also include projects in a web-based IDE, video and audio responses, multiple choice and a typing test.

In a timed assessment the clock keeps running if you close the window or lose your connection, although your responses are saved. Glider warns that refreshing the browser during a coding question loses your changes to that question.

Glider's help page says that when the employer has chosen to proctor the assessment, your video is recorded and reviewed by the employer. Its instructions for proctored assessments say that browser searches are tracked, tab switching is restricted and suspicious activity is reported to the employer. They also ask you not to wear earphones or headphones.

Glider also has an AI Assistant that an employer can make available inside a technical assessment. Glider says candidates can ask it clarifying questions and get debugging feedback, and that every interaction is captured for the hiring team.

For preparation, Glider offers a compatibility check and a sample assessment, and it recommends the latest Chrome or Firefox. Technical problems go to the chat on the assessment platform.

What do the four platforms have in common?

The four sets of documentation point to the same habits for any online technical assessment.

• Run the vendor's system check and practice test a day early, using the computer you will use for the real test.
• Close other applications and silence notifications, because several platforms count a pop-up as leaving the test.
• Test your code with custom input, since visible test cases cover only part of the scoring.
• Send questions about deadlines, retakes and results to the recruiter, not the vendor.

We compare what the larger coding platforms monitor in Can HackerRank, CodeSignal or CoderPad detect AI?. Aptitude, personality and game-based tests are a different category, covered in our guide to the types of online assessment test.

How does Verve AI help with the rounds that follow?

Passing the test usually leads to interviews with people, often a technical round and then a manager round. Verve AI's mock interviews let you rehearse those conversations aloud with an AI interviewer, using a question bank, your own questions or the job description, and each session ends with a report.

In a live interview, Verve AI keeps the context of the whole conversation, so follow-up questions are answered in light of earlier questions and your own answers. Its Coding Copilot captures a problem from the screen with a hotkey and returns an approach, code and an explanation. The Online Assessment Copilot captures any on-screen question, including logic, math, verbal and image-based ones. Their suggestions are prompts for answers given in your own words.

Each employer sets its own rules on AI and outside help, and some of the platforms above state theirs directly, so follow the instructions you are given for every test. You can start on Verve AI's free plan to practise for the interviews that come next.

FAQ

Who sets the time limit on a Mettl, HackerEarth, iMocha or Glider test?

The time limit is part of the test that the employer configures on these platforms. HackerEarth states a time limit in each problem statement, iMocha shows each section's duration on the instruction page, and Glider lets employers run timed or untimed assessments.

Are these assessment platforms always proctored?

Proctoring on Mettl, HackerEarth, iMocha and Glider is a setting the employer chooses. Mettl describes both proctored and non-proctored assessments, and the other three describe webcam and window monitoring as options a recruiter can enable.

Can you take these assessments on a phone?

Phone support for these assessments varies by vendor. Mettl says its proctored assessments are not supported on mobile devices, iMocha supports recent Android and iOS browsers, and Glider requires its mobile app and the employer's permission.

What happens if your internet drops during the test?

Mettl, iMocha and Glider each say that your work is saved if the connection drops. Mettl and Glider let you resume the assessment, iMocha lets you log back in within four hours, and Glider notes that its timer keeps running while you are offline.

Do these platforms allow AI tools during an assessment?

Whether AI tools are allowed in an assessment depends on the employer's configuration and instructions. iMocha's window violation feature warns that external web help is not allowed, while Glider and HackerEarth both describe assessments in which an employer provides AI tools on purpose.