I just attempted the ct8 for the first time in September sitting but didn't pass it I'm thinking of resitting it in April with St6 cause i understand they are quite similar. Is this a good strategy or should i just face ct8 alone?
There is far more stochastic calculus in ST6 than in CT8. My opinion of ST6 from when I did it is that they are testing that you have a proper working understanding of derivatives (including the math), and can apply that to different situations. That said, the content in Hull is a good proxy for the content of ST6 (ignoring the insurance side), so have a look at Hull and base your decision on your strengths (note that the stochastic math in Hull is very simplified). I will agree that the option pricing parts of CT8 form a simplified sub-set of ST6, which could aid in your understanding of CT8.
I sat this combination in my last sitting and can tell you that it benefitted my understanding of CT8 immensely because CT8 became very easy. Part 2,3,4 of CT8 are a small subset of ST6. As a result I not only passed CT8 but also felt most of the past CT8 exams were also EASY. ST6 however remained a challenge because it required rigorous understanding of many concepts of which I only had about two and half months to understand becuase I started it in mid July. I await my result for its exam. I feel you will do better in the ST6 exam because you probably understand CT8 better than I did when I started ST6. I had only read CT8 once before I did ST6. I only understood CT8 after I did ST6.
That's actually my goal with this to make CT8 easier and if possible pass ST6 too... Thanks guys!! *off to get myself a copy of Hull*
