The first quarter of 2026 focused on practical improvements that make everyday assessment workflows easier to manage. While many of the changes this quarter refine existing capabilities, they help assessment teams work more efficiently when delivering exams at scale.
Here are the highlights:
Faster reporting with bulk preliminary exports
Administrators can now export preliminary reports across multiple schedules in a single action.
Previously, reports had to be downloaded one at a time. For organisations running multiple sittings or large cohorts, this could quickly become repetitive.
Bulk exporting removes that extra work. Results can now be gathered quickly for moderation, internal review, or reporting without repeating the same steps for every schedule.
More meaningful data in candidate results exports
The Extended Candidate Results export now includes Learning Objectives and Taxonomy information.
This provides assessment teams with more context when analysing exam performance. Instead of looking only at total scores, results can be reviewed alongside the learning objectives or cognitive levels used when designing the assessment.
For awarding bodies and education providers, this makes it easier to evaluate how effectively an assessment measures the knowledge or competencies it was designed to test.
Automatic deletion of assessment schedules
One of the most significant updates this quarter is the introduction of automatic schedule deletion.
Administrators can now configure schedules to be automatically removed after a defined period. This helps organisations keep their environments organised while supporting internal data retention policies or regulatory requirements.
Schedule deletion can also be triggered manually through the API, giving teams additional flexibility when managing assessment data at scale.
Updated Safe Exam Browser policy
Cirrus has updated its approach to Safe Exam Browser (SEB) compatibility.
The platform will no longer block new SEB releases. Organisations can move to the latest versions as they become available, ensuring they benefit from the most recent security updates without needing to wait for a platform update.
A more accessible login experience
The login experience has been improved to provide better accessibility support, including improved compatibility with screen readers.
These updates help ensure the platform remains accessible for all candidates and administrators while maintaining strong security standards.
Q1 Benefits, at-a-glance
- Save time on reporting workflows
- Gain clearer insight into candidate performance
- Reduce administrative cleanup tasks
- Manage data retention more easily
- Improve accessibility for candidates and administrators
- Adopt the latest exam security updates faster
Upcoming release: Cirrus Neo
This is the one we’re excited about. Cirrus Neo is our completely rebuilt candidate interface, the screen your candidates see on exam day. It’s opt-in, so nothing changes until you’re ready.
Cirrus Neo rolls out from the end of March, beginning with the most used question types. It gives assessment teams far more flexibility in how and where candidates sit exams, with full support across smartphones and tablets. Candidates also get a cleaner, more modern experience, with improved accessibility and dark mode helping level the playing field for everyone.
We’ll be sharing much more detail in the coming weeks as the rollout progresses. In the meantime, speak to your account manager to find out how and when you can make the switch. Activation is on request, so you stay in control of your own timeline.
Not yet a Cirrus customer? Book a demo to see Neo in action.
