10/2/2008 -- With the release of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 expected any day now, the Microsoft Learning Group is in the midst of beta testing a new exam for that software solution.

According to this blog post, Exam 70-403 TS: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuring, began beta testing on Sept. 30, with the beta phase concluding Oct. 24.

Exam 70-403 counts toward a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuration. As of this writing, an exam objective guide wasn't available on Microsoft's Learning Web site to specify a course of training or learning.

While in beta, the exam is numbered 71-403; the beta registration code is available at this Beta Exam blog post page; information on that page indicates that the exam is available worldwide except in China, India and Pakistan.

Beta exams are free and those who pass the exams in beta can count the exam as a live one toward a qualifying certification. To find out more, click here. Michael Domingo