After several months of tweaking, the final A+ exam objectives have now been finalized and posted on the CompTIA site.

Among the biggest changes? The number of exams has been cut from four to two. Previously, candidates had to take the Essentials exam (220-601) and their choice of one of the "Technician" exams (220-602, 220-603 or 220-604) to become certified. Now, you must take the Essentials exam (220-701) and the Practical Application exam (220-702).

Here's the final weighting of the domains for the Essentials exam:

And the final weighting of the domains -- which has changed in the past month -- is now as follows for the Practical Application exam:

CompTIA is looking for subject-matter experts to help determine the cut score for the new exams (the workshop for the Practical Application exam is scheduled for June 15 to 19). The exams are slated to go live in August, though the existing A+ exams (220-601, 220-602, 220-603 and 220-604) will remain available as options until July 31, 2010.