In this article
Before you start
Why interviewers ask this
A candidate who guesses at the rule risks one of two avoidable costs: losing a good answer by refusing all notes, or breaking an employer's written rule by assuming. Recruiters and hiring managers see the question in two forms, "is it fine if I have a few points in front of me" and "what are the rules for this assessment". The question separates candidates who check a rule from candidates who assume one.
A weak answer says "everyone does it" or "never do it". A strong answer says the rule depends on the format, names where to find it, and describes how notes are used without letting them replace listening.
Can you look at notes in a video interview, from first principles
In plain words
- One-way video interview
- A one-way video interview is a recorded format in which a candidate answers written or timed questions on camera at a time of their choosing, and a reviewer watches the recording later. There is no live interviewer in the call.
- Proctored assessment
- A proctored assessment is a timed test, often of coding or skills, in which the platform records activity such as screenshots or webcam images and flags events for a human to review. The employer sets which checks are on.
A live video interview is a conversation held in real time over a call with a person. Think of an open-book exam and a closed-book exam in school. The subject is the same, but the written rules differ, and a student who assumes the wrong one pays for it. Video interviews have the same split. The rules sit in the invitation. Read it first.
Same subject, different rules. The analogy breaks here: a school exam has one teacher setting one rule, while an interview can involve a recruiter, a platform and a hiring team, each with their own instructions.
In one precise sentence, brief notes are often acceptable in conversational and recorded video interviews, while a proctored assessment is governed by its own stated rules and monitoring settings.
Step 1: The format sets the rule
The format decides what is expected, and employers state it in the invitation or on the platform. HireVue's candidate tips page, for example, says "You can even keep your notes next to you in case you need a reminder during the interview" (HireVue, read October 2026). The University of Colorado Boulder's career guidance on its HireVue format says candidates get one minute to read each question before recording starts and should use it to jot down notes and examples, with about three minutes per answer (Colorado, 2019).
These are statements about particular platforms and an institution's advice, not a universal rule. In a live conversation, no platform page speaks for the employer, so the rule is whatever the recruiter told you. The input to this step is the invitation. The output is a named format: live conversation, one-way recording or proctored assessment.
Step 2: Proctored assessments are a different format
No: a proctored assessment follows its own written rules, and the platform records and flags activity so a reviewer can check them. HackerRank's Proctor Mode page says candidates "review and acknowledge a list of prohibited actions" and must give consent to proceed (HackerRank help center, read October 2026). That list, not the custom of live calls, is the rule for the test.
HackerRank's two articles describe the capture rate differently. The Proctor Mode page says the platform captures screenshots every 15 seconds, reduces the interval to five seconds when it detects suspicious activity such as window switching or exiting full-screen mode, and captures webcam images every five seconds. HackerRank's Review Integrity Issues article says screenshots and webcam images are captured every 15 seconds, with increased frequency around integrity violations (HackerRank review guide, read October 2026). A 60-minute session therefore yields at least 240 screenshots with no flagged events, and between 240 and 720 webcam images depending on which article describes your test1.
The same page says attempts to exit full-screen mode or switch browser tabs are flagged and logged, that mobile phones and tablets in the webcam feed are flagged, and that gaze detection, in limited availability, "analyzes the candidate's eye and head movements captured by the webcam" to identify "repeated patterns of looking away from the screen and returning to type", and flags only high-confidence patterns for review.
In plain words, gaze detection is a webcam check that marks a pattern of eye and head movement for a human to look at. Another HackerRank article says the platform's copy and paste actions are recorded and that tab proctoring tracks how often and how long a candidate leaves the test window (HackerRank Test Integrity, read October 2026). For live interviews, iMocha documents a window violation check that warns the candidate and notifies the interviewer when the candidate leaves the interview window (iMocha, read October 2026).
The Proctor Mode page also says candidates "can continue only if a single monitor is in use" and that a monitor connected during the test is flagged (HackerRank help center, read October 2026). Gaze detection exists to notice repeated looking away and returning to type, so the safe course is the plain one: follow the stated rules. The employer chooses which checks run.
Step 3: Ask first, then keep notes to prompts
The safe move in any format is to ask the recruiter, and the good use of notes is a prompt, not a script. A short message such as "Is it fine to keep a few bullet points beside me during the call?" costs nothing, and the reply is the rule for that employer. Where no reply is possible, the invitation's wording governs.
Notes help most as an index: two or three keywords per story, the numbers you do not want to misstate, and your questions for the interviewer. Reading full sentences does the opposite of what an interview is for. It slows the answer, breaks eye contact, and shows the interviewer that you cannot talk about your own work. The output of this step is a habit: ask, then use keywords, and look up to answer.
Step-by-step description
- The invitation names the format and its rule.
- Proctored tools record and flag stated events.
- Ask the recruiter; keep notes to keywords.
- The format sets the rule and the invitation states it.
- Proctored tools such as HackerRank's capture screenshots every 15 seconds and flag stated events.
- Ask the recruiter first and keep notes to keywords.
Text description of the diagram
- In a live conversation the recruiter's instruction is the rule.
- HireVue's tips page says candidates can keep notes next to them.
- HackerRank's Proctor Mode captures screenshots every 15 seconds.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
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Start Free Trial →The Staff-level answer
Is it acceptable to have notes in front of you during a video interview?
It depends on the format, so I check first. For a live conversation I would ask the recruiter whether a few bullet points are fine, and I would keep them to keywords and figures I do not want to get wrong, not sentences. For a recorded one-way format some platforms say notes are fine, and I would still use them as prompts. For a proctored assessment I would treat the stated rules as binding, because those tools record and flag activity, and I would not use anything the instructions do not allow. Either way, I listen, answer to the person, and glance down rarely.
What makes it strong is the order: it checks the rule before the habit, separates the three formats, and treats notes as a prompt that supports listening.
The rubric
| Dimension | Weak answer | Strong answer | Best answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correctness | Says everyone uses notes, or none do | Says it depends on the employer | Names the format and where the rule is written |
| Depth | No examples | Mentions platform advice | Separates conversation, recording and proctored test |
| Trade-offs | Ignores the cost of reading | Notes slow eye contact | Notes as keywords; full sentences cost attention |
| Communication | Defensive tone | Clear and brief | Offers to ask the recruiter |
| Follow-up readiness | Stuck on "why" | Can name one platform rule | Can say what proctoring records, as documented |
Three variants of this question
Can I use notes in a one-way recorded video interview?
Some platforms say yes: HireVue's tips page says you can keep notes next to you, and Colorado's guidance recommends using the preparation minute to jot down points. Read your invitation, since the employer sets the final rule.
Can I use notes in a proctored coding assessment?
Treat the stated rules as binding. Proctored tools such as HackerRank's document screenshots, webcam images and flags for tab switching or phones in view, so use only what the instructions explicitly permit and ask the recruiter if they are silent.
Is it fine to read my answers from a script?
A script is different from notes, and it usually defeats the purpose of the round, which is to hear how you think aloud. Keep keywords and figures, and answer in your own words.
Common mistakes
- "Everyone uses notes, so it must be fine" (wrong). The rule is the employer's and the format's, and a proctored test states its own (right: check the invitation or ask).
- "I will write my full answers out" (wrong). Reading breaks eye contact and slows the answer (right: keep two or three keywords per story).
- "A call and an assessment follow the same rules" (wrong). Proctored tools record and flag activity, as the vendor pages describe (right: treat each format separately).
- "I do not need to ask, I will see what happens" (wrong). A short question to the recruiter settles it and signals care (right: ask before the round).
- "I will look down whenever I am unsure" (wrong). Frequent glances are visible and break the conversation (right: pause, then answer from memory with notes as backup).
Follow-up questions
Is it okay to have notes during a Zoom interview?
Often yes, briefly, but the call's rule is the recruiter's, since Zoom is only the channel. Ask whether a few bullet points are fine, and keep them to keywords.
Do interviewers mind if you look at notes?
Brief, occasional glances at keywords rarely matter, while reading sentences does, because it replaces the conversation. See how to answer behavioural questions and the situation, task, action, result (STAR) method walkthrough for structuring answers so that you need few prompts.
What does a proctored assessment record?
The vendor documents list what is recorded and flagged: for HackerRank's Proctor Mode, screenshots, webcam images, tab and full-screen exits, phones and tablets in view, and, in limited availability, high-confidence gaze patterns. HackerRank's review guide walks the employer's reviewer through each flag in the session replay, screenshots and webcam images (HackerRank, read October 2026). Follow the prohibited-actions list you accept at the start. Coding rounds follow the same logic, as the coding interviews guide explains.
How do you use notes in a Zoom interview?
Keep them as an index: two or three keywords per story, figures you must state exactly, and your questions for the interviewer. Glance down between points, then look at the camera to answer. Practise the structure first, for example with the tell me about yourself answer, so you need few prompts.
Can I use notes during a Zoom interview?
Usually a few bullet points are fine in a conversation, but the recruiter's instruction decides. Zoom is only the channel, so ask in your confirmation reply and follow the answer.
- Whether notes are allowed depends on the employer and the format, so read the invitation or ask the recruiter.
- HireVue's candidate tips page says you can keep notes next to you during its interviews.
- A proctored assessment states what it records, such as screenshots every 15 seconds in HackerRank's Proctor Mode, and the stated rules bind you.
- Use notes as keywords and figures, never as a script.
- Ask the recruiter before the round; a short question settles it.
Sources
- Candidate Interview Tips, HireVue — HireVue (page shows no date; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- How to nail your HireVue, part 2, University of Colorado Boulder — University of Colorado Boulder, 18 Oct 2019
- Proctor Mode, HackerRank help center — HackerRank (page shows a relative update time only; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- HackerRank Test Integrity, help center — HackerRank (page shows a relative update time only; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- Review Integrity Issues in Proctor Mode, HackerRank help center — HackerRank (page shows a relative update time only; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
- What are the various proctoring techniques for the live interview, iMocha help center — iMocha (page shows no date; read 2026-10-24), 24 Oct 2026
