By the PriorityLearn Editorial Team · Last updated June 2026
Yes. Most online tests, learning platforms, and homework sites can detect cheating in some form, but what each one actually catches varies a lot. A plagiarism checker compares your writing against a database; a proctoring tool watches your webcam and screen; a learning platform logs your clicks and timing. Knowing which tool does what tells you how a school is most likely to spot a problem. This guide breaks down every major tool, with a link to the full detail on each.
What each tool can detect (quick comparison)
| Tool | Type | What it watches for | Can it catch you? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Forms | Quiz/LMS | Response patterns; locked mode; teacher add-ons | Indirectly |
| Canvas | LMS | Quiz logs, tab-leaving (with proctoring), Turnitin integration | Yes |
| Blackboard | LMS | SafeAssign + Respondus; limited on its own | Yes (with add-ons) |
| ALEKS | Learning platform | Answer timing and anomaly flags | Yes |
| Proctorio | Auto proctoring | Webcam, screen, and AI behavior flags | Yes |
| ProctorU | Live proctoring | Live and AI proctors watching the session | Yes |
| Honorlock | Auto proctoring | AI flags, recording, searches for leaked questions | Yes |
| LockDown Browser | Browser lock | Blocks other tabs/apps; records with webcam add-on | Partly |
| GoGuardian | Device monitor | Live screen and tab view on school devices | Yes (school device) |
| Turnitin | Plagiarism/AI | Text similarity and AI-writing detection | Yes |
| SafeAssign | Plagiarism | Similarity against databases incl. Chegg/Course Hero | Yes |
| Chegg | Homework help | Schools can request usage data in investigations | Yes, if requested |
| Course Hero | Homework help | Matching uploads; honor-code investigations | Yes, if flagged |
| Quizlet | Study tool | Content matches; detectable under proctoring | Depends on use |
The short version: tools that watch you take the test (proctoring) and tools that check your work afterward (plagiarism scanners) are the two biggest catches. The rest depend on how your instructor sets things up.
How learning platforms (LMS) detect cheating
A learning management system like Canvas, Blackboard, or Google Forms records far more than students expect: when you opened the quiz, how long each question took, and, with proctoring enabled, whether you left the tab. On their own they catch less, but most schools pair them with a plagiarism or proctoring add-on. See the detail on Google Forms, Blackboard, what professors can see on Canvas, whether they can see your tabs, Grammarly on Canvas, and ALEKS.
How remote proctoring tools work
Proctoring software is the most direct form of detection. It uses your webcam, microphone, and screen, plus AI that flags behavior like looking away, a second face, or background noise. Some also search the web for leaked exam questions. Read how Proctorio, ProctorU, and Honorlock detect cheating, what LockDown Browser records, whether GoGuardian can see your screen, and what happens if you’re caught on ProctorU.
Homework and answer sites: is using them cheating?
Sites like Chegg, Course Hero, Quizlet, Mathway, and Photomath aren’t cheating by default, but using them to complete graded work usually is, and schools can often trace it. Chegg and Course Hero both honor school requests for account data during academic-integrity cases. The detail: Chegg and whether it notifies your school, Course Hero and if it notifies your school, Quizlet, Mathway, and Photomath.
Plagiarism and AI-writing checkers
Plagiarism scanners compare your text against a huge database of papers, web pages, and other students’ submissions, and most now flag AI-generated writing too. According to a 2022 systematic review of online-exam cheating research, detection has shifted heavily toward these automated tools. See whether Turnitin detects ChatGPT, how Turnitin handles QuillBot, what a Turnitin similarity score means, how SafeAssign catches Chegg and Course Hero, whether SafeAssign detects QuillBot, the best plagiarism checkers for teachers, and whether checkers store your paper.
What happens if you’re accused
Detection is only the first step; what follows is an academic-integrity process that varies by school. If it happens, know what to do if you’re caught plagiarizing, how to handle it when a teacher accuses you of cheating, whether using old exams or test banks counts, and how much professors actually care.
Frequently asked questions
Can online tests detect cheating?
Yes. Online tests detect cheating through proctoring software (webcam and screen monitoring), platform logs (timing and tab activity), and plagiarism scanners that check your work afterward. How much a given test catches depends on which tools the instructor turns on.
Can teachers see if you open other tabs during an online test?
Sometimes. A plain quiz usually can’t, but proctoring tools and lockdown browsers can detect or block tab-switching, and school-device monitors like GoGuardian show your screen directly.
Does Turnitin detect ChatGPT?
Turnitin has an AI-writing detection feature that flags text it believes was generated by tools like ChatGPT, in addition to its standard similarity check against existing sources.
Is using Chegg or Course Hero cheating?
Using them to study is not, but submitting their answers as your own work usually violates academic-integrity rules, and both companies will share account data with schools during an investigation.
Can Canvas or Blackboard detect cheating on their own?
Only partly. Both log quiz activity, but real detection comes from the add-ons schools layer on top, such as Turnitin, SafeAssign, Respondus, or a proctoring service.
The bottom line
Online cheating is detectable, but not by magic. It comes down to three things: tools that watch you (proctoring), tools that check your work (plagiarism and AI scanners), and the data platforms quietly log. The safest assumption is that at least one of those is switched on.