How to Use InterviewLift on HackerRank
A complete 8-step setup guide for the real-time AI interview copilot during HackerRank CodePair and IDE rounds. Overlay stays off the pad and off screen-share. ~10 minute read.
- 01
Install the InterviewLift desktop app
Download the macOS or Windows installer from interviewlift.com/downloads. The Windows installer is EV-signed (passes Defender SmartScreen); the macOS app is notarised by Apple. Both install in under 60 seconds and require no admin privileges on most machines.
- 02
Sign in and pick your target loop
Open InterviewLift and sign in with the email you used at sign-up. The first-run wizard asks for your target company (Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, TCS, Tencent, SAP, Siemens, etc.) and target level (e.g. Google L5, Amazon SDE-II). This calibrates coding scaffolds and pulls the right slice of the 48,000-question bank.
- 03
Position the overlay below your camera
Drag the overlay window so it sits just below your laptop's camera — usually beside the HackerRank IDE, not over it. This keeps your eyes centered on the video tile when you glance at hints. The overlay is excluded from screen-capture at the OS level (NSWindowSharingNone on macOS, WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE on Windows).
- 04
Open the HackerRank CodePair link
Join the video call (Zoom, Teams, or Meet) and open the HackerRank CodePair or test link the recruiter sent. InterviewLift listens to the call audio at the OS level — it does not install a HackerRank plugin, browser extension, or pad script. The IDE stays clean; the overlay stays on your desktop only.
- 05
Watch the live transcription + coding scaffolds
As the interviewer talks through the prompt, InterviewLift transcribes the question and renders a coding scaffold in about 700 milliseconds: complexity target, edge cases, and which patterns from the question bank apply. You type in the HackerRank editor in your own style — the scaffold is a checklist, not a paste.
- 06
Work in the CodePair IDE as usual
Your interviewer watches keystrokes in the HackerRank pad in real time. InterviewLift never injects into that page. Run tests, talk through your approach, and keep the overlay to the side. Pair-programming, language pickers, and the built-in terminal all work exactly as they do without the copilot.
- 07
Share the HackerRank tab if they ask
Some loops also ask you to share the HackerRank window or browser tab on the video call. Share as you normally would. The InterviewLift overlay is filtered out of the share at the operating-system level, so the pad they see stays clean while you still have the scaffold.
- 08
Run a post-interview debrief
After the CodePair, the InterviewLift desktop app saves an encrypted local transcript and a structured debrief: which prompts came up, how the solution scored against the rubric, and where to deepen prep before the next coding round. Your dedicated customer-success manager reviews it and flags the three highest-impact fixes.