Yesterday, when I was discussing my project with my Java professor, he told me to build an online quiz system in which the user can't view anything other than the quiz (to prevent cheating).
I tried telling him it's not easy and it definitely can't be just made into a website.
He told me to make it using APIs.
Now I'm wondering if he even knows that an API is...

are you sure he isn't a JavaScript professor? 😆

@heyheni pretty sure the last time I attended his class, it was called "Object oriented programming in Java".
All other teachers are really nice in my second year. He's the only one who doesn't know what he's doing

I guess making a timer, so you have 30~60 seconds to answer. Then you can't really Google it

@mrsulfat that thing has already been tried. It works ok but then you can't have really difficult questions which require time.
Also, if I'm successful in such a web app, I'll also be pretty much screwed by it.. if you know that I mean

Such systems exist. Primary modus operandi is focus: you detect loss of it.
Having said that, the only ones (systems) I've seen are professional, used in edu institutions, on their computers.
If your app is to be run on user's PC you're screwed. But perhaps there is non- JS way of doing it.

If it's a webpage, shouldn't it be possible to detect, if the user leaves the tab? That way you can fail the quiz, if you leave the tab.

Doesn’t seem as hard aa you portray it

JavaScript offers ways to detect loss of focus. Essentially you can make an event fire when the user leaves the window.

Also I think there's a way you can make the tab go full screen by default, but I've to check up on that. Some browsers ask for user's permission, some do it without. But you can code logic to continue with the test only in fullscreen.

So, your professor is right. It can be made into a webpage.

Answer to the teacher: Right now I'm using eclipse.

Talking about your project, I have some ideas:

1) You can monitor 'focus' property on your webpage(so the user cannot open another tab or move to other app), at the moment it losses it, you can warn the user, after N warnings, he'll fail.

2) If you're using java, you can use an applet, so you can control your app is alway on top and blocks/detects other apps/tabs/etc opening.

3) I've seen some job remote interview tools where before starting the quizz, the page requests access to the cam and microphone and films the user while answers, that way becomes very hard to cheat since the videos are checked later. Is a little fancy but it works.