Cirrus and Schoolyear partner to bring device-level security to supervised exams

Cirrus Assessment and Schoolyear today announced a partnership that gives universities, awarding bodies and professional testing organisations another way to secure in-person exams.

The integration lets institutions run Cirrus exams inside a Schoolyear secure environment. For the duration of the assessment, the entire device is locked down: no unauthorised websites, no AI assistants, no virtual machines, no remote-access software.

The integration responds to growing demand for stronger safeguards in supervised exams. Cirrus already offers a range of security options, from live and AI-assisted remote proctoring to Safe Exam Browser and test centres, so institutions can match the level of control to each exam. As AI tools and remote-access software become more widely available, some institutions also want security that covers the whole device, and Schoolyear adds that option to the range.

Candidates download and launch Schoolyear themselves at the start of the exam, with no software for IT teams to pre-install or configure. Before the exam can begin, Schoolyear checks the device is secure and ready. The environment works identically on institution-managed and candidate-owned devices, so exam teams can deliver in-person exams at scale on hardware candidates already have.

Every session generates a detailed activity log, giving exam teams documented evidence if a result is ever questioned.

“Different exams call for different levels of control, and our job is to give institutions the right option for each one,” said Jeroen Fransen, Head of Product at Cirrus Assessment.

“For supervised exams where the stakes are highest, Schoolyear lets institutions secure the whole device, not just the browser, and it does that without asking IT to touch every machine first. Just as important, it does not come at the cost of accessibility. Candidates who rely on tools like ReadSpeaker keep them inside the secure environment, so strong security and a fair exam go together.”

“We built Schoolyear around prevention, stopping malpractice before it happens, and giving institutions access to the highest level of security,” said Wim Graas, Founder and CEO of Schoolyear.

“Cirrus is a modern platform, built by a team that keeps improving it for the institutions and candidates who depend on it, which makes it exactly the kind of partner worth building with. Bringing prevention together with Cirrus’s assessment expertise gives institutions a more complete way to protect every result.”

Schoolyear collects only the limited data needed to run the exam, with no screen recording, webcam or microphone, and keeps all personal data within the EU.

The integration is available now and comes fully supported, with Schoolyear and Cirrus on hand before, during and after every exam.