10/15/2008 -- As I mentioned a few weeks ago, CompTIA is in the beginning stages of revising the A+ certification exams.

To make the updates meaningful, the company is asking for feedback assistance with the information that came from the job task analysis workshop it recently conducted. The feedback is being collected through surveys; currently, only the surveys for the A+ Essentials (220-601) and IT Technician (220-602) exams are available (the remaining two are expected soon).

The Essentials survey can be taken here, and the IT Technician survey can be taken here.

By the way, everyone who takes the survey and doesn't choose to opt out is entered in a drawing for an American Express gift card.

Microsoft Virtualization Exams on the Way
Microsoft has outlined the four Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification exams that fall beneath their virtualization offerings:

• 70-652: Windows Server 2008 Virtualization, Configuring focuses on Hyper-V and is available now. The objectives for this exam can be found here.
  
• 70-643: Windows Server 2008 Application Infrastructure, Configuring is available now. The objectives for this exam can be found here.
  
• 70-656: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, Configuring is also available now. Go here for the objectives.
  
• 70-403: System Center Virtual Machine Manager isn't out yet. The objectives for this exam will become available soon, and the exam is expected in the middle of December.

On a related note, the Second Shot offer to retake an exam for free after failing the first attempt is now being extended to academic exams. Microsoft has announced that the 072-series exams will have the same retest policy from Oct. 1 to June 30, 2009. More information on the Second Shot offer can be found here.