I am studying CT5 and CT4 this session. I started reading the 1st chapter of CT5 and it says that there is assumed knowledge from CT4, but doesn't give the chapters. Does anyone know if there is a lot of assumed knowledge from CT4, what chapters it is in and whether you can jump straight to it? Coz I would like to study both at the same time rather than all of CT5 after I have done all of CT4. Thanks
You will need to understand the chapter that introduces survival models thoroughly - chapter 7 and 8 if I remember right. Other than that, two chapters in CT5 extend the multiple decrement survival theory introduced in CT4 - so that chapter in CT4 comes handy.
The main topics that overlap between CT4 and CT5 are: - lifetime random variables (Tx and Kx) which are in Chapter 7 of CT4 - the form of the survival probability in terms of mu (which is given on page 32 of the Tables), which is based on the material in Chapter 4 of CT4, and also appears in Chapter 7 of CT4 - the form of the Kolmogorov differential equations (which appear in Chapter 12 of CT5). These are introduced in Chapters 5 and 6 of CT4. - perhaps some other survival models stuff from Chapter 7 of CT4. To be honest, I don't think this "assumed knowledge" should really be an issue, so long as you are willing to accept some results and approaches in CT5 without proof (the proof comes in CT4). Many students take CT5 without having taken ANY CT4 at all, so if you're doing them together, you really shouldn't have any problems.
These are basically used from the very first chapter of CT5 onwards. As I've said, I think that not having seen the CT4 material won't really hold you back.
