1/26/2010 -- Microsoft has again reinstituted the Second Shot program for a limited time on exams starting with 72. This prefix designates the exam as an academic exam (as opposed to 70, which is used for the nonacademic, or "professional," series).

To review: The Second Shot offer lets individuals who fail a certification exam to retake it one additional time for free. In order to qualify, the candidate must take both attempts between Jan. 13 and June 30 of this year.

You can get all the information on this offer here.

CompTIA Offers No-Cost Training, Certification
CompTIA announced that it will use its Creating Futures program, a subcomponent of the CompTIA Educational Foundation, to help displaced workers with training classes and certification exams.

Last year, this program helped approximately 200 individuals. The hope is to increase this number to 300 this year.

Cert Product of the Week: 'CISSP Video Mentor'
I'm not sure of the best way to describe the "CISSP Video Mentor" by Shon Harris. It's not a book in the traditional sense, though it's marketed with an ISBN number. It's not a test engine. And it's not a "kit" like many similar products.

What it is is five hours of video lessons on the exam topics you need to master in order to pass the CISSP exam. These videos include detailed lessons, lab examples and commands that cover all the topics from cryptography foundations to 802.11 wireless security -- and everything in between. A short booklet (think 40-plus pages) accompanies the product and summarizes the key elements of each topic.

What it also is is a fantastic way to get the knowledge you need to feel prepared for this difficult exam. Kudos to Harris and those at Pearson for putting this study tool together.